london
In 1976 glamour model Susan Shaw modelled the LV4 Square Pyramid Stud Neckband & Wristband styled with a 3 Row Hex Stud Belt with D-Rings that The London Leatherman supplied to 430 Kings Road, Chelsea London.
Today the LV4 accessories are available with solid Pyramid Studs on superior black leather on or chrome look silver leather.
Photograph of Susan Shaw by Aaron Ghetti & Ed Cooper, 1976 on stairs inside 430 Kings Road. Image courtesy Brandon Sinclair Archive NZ.
The LW3 Belt with classic cone studs has been released for 2024 with it’s matching LW10 wristband cuff. Based on the The London Leatham LW3 belt worn by The Clash, The Slits, Generation X & Nancy Spungen in 1976- 78, these new classic cone studs have been designed so they can slide through jean belt loops. This belt comes with a removeable D-ring belt loop for your keys or wallet chains.
Nick Clements is the founder of the magazine Men’s File. He’s a photographer best known today for documenting vintage and revivalist scenes, who himself doesn’t fit into just one area of interest but many, he's a motorcyclist, cyclist, skateboarder and surfer. Over the years Nick’s photographed Dave many times and featured The London Leatherman in his publications.
Nick circa 1995 on his Moto Guzzi 850GT California, jacket is a 1970s H-D AMF.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. In 2010 Dave and I bumped into you in the west end just as you were releasing issue 02 of Men’s File magazine, it was at the same time Dave and Lloyd Johnson were reviving the La Rocka! label. Your cover shoot for issue 02 captured so much of what was going on style wise in London at the time with the British rocker v Americana motorcycling look. What inspired you to launch a magazine that you’ve described as ‘A modern(ist) magazine tracing the roots of style’?
A. Dave Carroll is one of the few real Londoners I know. Many of us, who ended up in scenes in the capital in our late teens or early twenties, came from the suburbs. I lived in Surrey in the late 1970s and got all my information on style from hairdressers, the NME and films. There were many more like me. Those films were either American noir or Italian neorealism and were steeped in modernist aesthetics. The buzz of Paparazzo’s Vespa in La Dolce Vita or the click of David Hemmings’ Nikon F in Antonioni’s Blow-up were rooted in the cult of the machine, straight lines and a creative logic that seemed irresistible. Totally unoriginal, I started as a soul boy wearing pegs, Jam shoes and an American Army shirt with a tie tucked in halfway down the front. I wanted to be Bryan Ferry, but then punk and new wave arrived and pitted postmodern rock (punk) against modernist pop (new wave). All this, and so much more, formed the building blocks of Men’s File.
Q. From day one Men’s File has had a cult following with those who are committed to mid-century aesthetics. These scenes vary from vintage motorcycling to surf culture, mid-century collecting to militaria. Where does your interest in revival stem from?
A. Perhaps it started (indirectly) with the London Rock and Roll Show in 1972, when Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard performed at Wembley in front of an audience of Teddy boy revivalists. Without that momentum, George Lucas’ American Graffiti might not have been the success it was one year later in 1973 and that’s where I came in. In the same way that Blow-up has launched a thousand fashion photographers, American Graffiti acted as a catalyst for a nascent, car-based revival scene. That’s the problem with history, the variables, no one can say for sure, but punk rock was an interlude in all the nostalgia, that unintentionally directed people back towards revival and some confused notion of an authentic past, that had been lost and needed to be revisited and sorted out. In 1979 I was 18 and I bought a small frame Vespa 90 Special. By 1981 that had been replaced by a Consul Mk. I. A year later a 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia spider. The die was cast.
Q. The London Leatherman has its own cult following, what’s your take on the label’s appeal to leather aficionados?
A. If you have the mind of a modernist, it’s not hard to link Bryan Ferry’s image of the mid-1970s, the drawings of Tom of Finland and Ted Post’s Magnum Force (1973). The common factor being the uniform as a medium through which style and sexuality can be expressed (for men and women). The London Leatherman follows a similar line, in that it subverts the symbolism of the uniform by repositioning its meaning. For example, through leather fetishism, words like discipline and power are shifted away from an association with the sinister apparatus of the state to the nightclub or bedroom. Machismo is reframed and redirected, while an underlying mood of chaos and anarchy are implied in the brand’s connection with punk rock. When assessing The London Leatherman, it’s hard to get Anger’s Scorpio Rising (1963) and Montgomery and Bigelow’s The Loveless (1981) out of your head. It’s clear that your label is run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.
Q. You and your clique really did spearhead the recent fashion for heritage clothing and what’s been coined ‘vintage workwear’, which perhaps peaked commercially in 2012-2016. Is heritage clothing and vintage workwear still relevant in 2024?
A. In my previous responses I’ve tried to give some background to a style movement, that is too big to be a subculture and too small to be part of mainstream fashions. In London at least, it's based on a group of street stylists whose responses to the soul scene, punk, new wave, the new romantic event and then rockabilly and other revivals, shaped the style landscape as we see it today. Some from the first generation, like Christos Tolera and Chris Sullivan, are directly connected through the Soho club scene of the early 1980s. Others, like Dave Carroll of The London Leatherman and Lloyd Johnson are rooted in the various King’s Road-based subcultures of the 1970s. Many are unknown, except by those they influenced. What is clear is that these pre- and post-punk style-makers created a foundation on which alternative male dress in the capital has been formed. They tend to come from two different aesthetic schools. The first are from a linage that starts with the mods and leads to the soul boys, which I call the ‘clean’ subcultures and who tend towards order rather than chaos – as is the way of modernism. The second come from another place, in which black leather reigns supreme and the tendency is in the direction of anarchic expression. All this experimentation of the mid-20th century plays out today in the workwear look (it’s not a subculture) that, in postmodern style, incorporates a mash-up of those clean and chaotic elements. I will use the term ‘hipsters’ as I have no other, (a broad and diverse group that range from the almost avant-garde to the mainstream) come at the end of a line of style that combined historical elements and mixed leather with a crisp white shirt and engineer boots with a Savile Row suit. They took the functionality of Eddie Baur and matched that with raw denim. They walked the streets as lumberjacks and LAPD bike cops. They stood at bus stops in US Army fatigues and Red Wings. They sat in Bar Italia in Red Line Levi’s and a McGregor freezer jacket. This was 1995 and their number in London was probably less that 500 individuals. Today, that might be 50,000. Post 1995 was the start of the epoch of Japan and the replica and – in terms of American workwear – we haven’t looked back since.
Q. You and Dave have many mutual interests, what subjects do you feel you mostly bond over? Clothes? Motorcycles?
A. I like to listen to Dave, as he always has something to say that I learn from.
Q. You photographed Dave and I back in 2015 for Men’s File, which was a wonderful experience. You were devoted to getting the shot you wanted and have a talent for directing your subjects quite specifically. Amongst the thousands of photoshoots you’ve done, do you have a favourite?
A. I have enjoyed too many shoots to pick one.
Q. Our mutual friend Jasper James assisted you for a time in the 90s, he once said you were famous for lighting and how you set up lighting for a shot, this was of course at the time when you used film and good lighting was imperative. Do you still shoot film or only digital these days?
A. That’s kind of Jasper, to mention me. Jasper is a serious photographer today and I often look at his work. In terms of my own lighting. I still use film lights if they are around, however, I rarely use more than two lights.
Q. Leather clothing’s timeless and crosses over so many sub-cultures, styles, eras. Why do you think leather’s so stylish?
A. I gave some long answers above that probably answer that question. However, it’s something to do with its connection with the uniform, combined with functionality.
Nick circa 2017 wearing a Himel Bros. leather jacket.
Q. You yourself have many, many, many leather jackets. Do you wear leather day to day or just for motorcycling?
A. I mainly wear my leather jackets on the bike, however, I have a lightweight Lewis Leathers jacket that is great to wear all the time.
Q. What’s the best motorcycle you’ve owned and is there a motorcycle you hope to own one day?
A. I have owned (3 slightly different models) of, what is for me, the best motorcycle. The Moto Guzzi 850GT California.
Q. Are you working on any projects this year you can tell us about here?
A. I’m working on another photo-book in the Unseen Scene series. That will be available on the Men’s File website in March 2024. www.mensfile.com
Issue 02 of Mensfile Magazine, circa 2010.
For the February 2nd, 2024 cover of ES Magazine, actor Raff Law wore the Galaxy Belt, and the Ziggy Belt for the inside editorial and interview celebrating his TV show Masters of The Air on Apple TV+
By Style Director @jessicaskeetecross
Photographer @richarddowker
Grooming @pauldonovanhair Writer @isobelvandyke Producer @colesontoast Talent Director @tommacklinstudio Edited by @bengcobb
Anyone with even an inkling of interest for British fashion history will recognise Alan Jones from the 1976 photographs taken by David Dagley inside Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s shop SEX, he’s the young blonde in red trousers wearing The London Leatherman studded wristbands and the PERV (spelt out with chicken bones) T-shirt Vivienne made for him. Today he’s an international film critic, author, broadcaster, journalist, a director of the horror genre film festivals FrightFest & Trieste S+F and this year will be releasing his memoirs.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Alan Jones pictured here, third from the left, in David Dagley’s photograph from 1976.
Q. Alan, 2024 is the year you’re releasing your memoirs, an autobiography so many with an interest in sub-cultures are eager to get their hands on. Without giving too much away how do you synopsize the book? And how have you found the experience?
A: ‘Discomania’ is the title of what I’m calling a semi-autobiography. While I was inner-circle Sex Pistols/ Bromley contingent, I was also heavily into the Disco scene. I found I had more pick-up success in the Earls Court clubs (Catacombs) and pubs (The Colherne) than in the Punk environment. The book begins with how I easily went from working in Vivienne and Malcolm’s SEX shop to cruising the Chelsea streets. I then review 105 Disco movies from THE MACK (1973) to THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE (2023), say why they are Disco important, give a rundown of what Disco music they feature, have interviews with my top Disco star producers of the day and what memories, either from a date or subject point of view, they spark about my Punk years, from my T-shirt arrest, first Pistols gigs and the ‘God Save the Queen’ Boat Party to my role in THE GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SWINDLE (1980), my friendship with Sid Vicious and advising director Alex Cox on SID & NANCY (1986). For the first time I tell those stories from my angle, rather than read what others have said in their own books on the subject. So what you get is in depth reviews of the movies - obviously I deal with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977), CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC (1980) etc. but it’s the lesser known gems I wanted to bring to to people’s attention like the Argentine LA DISCOTECA DEL AMOR (1980) and the Italian JOHN TRAVOLTO…DA UN INSOLITO DESTINO (1979)- and my insider info on my days working in SEX. The book will be published by FAB Press in July 2024 with a launch at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, Canada, where I am also curating a Disco movie season including the new Severin 4K restoration of THE MUSIC MACHINE (1979), considered the British answer to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
Q. Your sartorial choices in 1975 through to 1977 are an inspiration for an unmentionable number of designers and fashion houses with your picture having been on studio mood boards for over 45 years now. How would you describe your style back then? Any favourite looks you self-styled?
A: Anything Vivienne designed I wore. I loved the LET IT ROCK pop star silk screens, the ones with names in glitter and the nude playing card plastic windows. The bondage trousers were fabulous, still my favourite Vivienne design. Sometimes I can’t believe I would walk down the street in the Anarchy shirt complete with swastika, the first Pistols group T shirt with the naked underage boy, the fist-fucking Tom of Finland shirt or the Cambridge Rapist side-tie. It was the 1970s, everything was a ‘fuck off’ to the establishment whether from a sexuality point of view, a political one or a fashion statement. And Vivienne’s scum manifesto shirts said it all. One of my favourite self-styled looks was first covering my torso with fake blood (I knew many make-up artists at the time because I was just starting out in my horror journalism career), applied with a hypodermic syringe, then I put Vivienne’s see-through pink nylon T shirt over the top, slightly smudging the blood, so I looked like I’d just come from an S&M orgy. I lost count of the time people in cars would slow down and offer me a lift!
Q. You’ve held on to many pieces of clothing and accessories from your time as a founding punk rocker, for instance you still have the The London Leatherman wristbands you bought from SEX. Of these items are there any you have a particular affection for?
A: Sadly the PERV shirt, spelt out in chicken bones, and the one Vivienne exclusively designed for me, eventually crumbled to dust. I kept the Tom of Finland shirt too mainly because I still can’t believe I actually fitted into it, and I have one of the rare ‘Holidays in the Sun’ handkerchiefs, mainly because I stole it from Pistol Steve Jones as he used to wear it knotted on his head like Northern geezers on the Blackpool beaches. I kept all the London Leatherman accessories mainly because I wore them long after I left the Punk scene. They had another 20 years of life in them on the gay scene. Talk about value for money!
Q. I’d love to know your perspective on how leather became part of the punk rock look? And why you and your peers wore studded leather?
A: I’ve said this many times before but Vivienne was so ahead of the curve in many aspects of fashion. The moment she designed the bondage trousers and then brought in the London Leatherman wristbands to complete the look, without really thinking about it she crystalised the gay clone look that still perpertuates to this day. I was one of the Village People before that Disco act was even minted by producer Jacques Morali.
Q. In 1977 you and your friend made a fabric version of The London Leatherman LW11 Zip Mouth Mask to wear to a Sex Pistols gig. What do you remember about the leather mask? And the impact it had being in the shop SEX?
A: It was made for the seminal Pistols gig at the El Paradise club in Soho. Essentially I asked my clothes designer best friend Jean Seal to construct a cloth version mainly because I knew wearing the actual leather version was going to be so hot while carrying out my DJ duties. I did a dummy run and the sweat just poured off my face and became a neck fountain! On that particular night I took money at the door of the club, helped the band backstage and then turned DJ before their set started. Jean is one of the unsung heroines of the 1970s. She had designed a onesie outfit for me to wear at a pop star wedding (The Faces, Tetsu married my friend Vanessa) and she was the first person I thought of to sew the mask. In truth, apart from being a visual punchline, I don’t think the mask resonated with Punks, perhaps it was too far into the hardcore gay scene than they liked?
Q. What memories do you have of The London Leatherman and the items McLaren and Westwood bought to stock in their shops?
A: The studded accessories were there, we sold them. I wish I could tell you more but I had nothing to do with either acquiring them or ordering them. I was only a lowly sales assistant, all that was left to the far more capable Jordan.
Q. You’ve carved a long and successful career around your enthusiasm for film, in particular horror. Is there a film that ignited this initial interest? Or a film that has significantly impacted your life and career?
A: Horror fans will know the two stories I’m about to relate. The first X certificate horror film I ever saw was Mario Bava’s BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), which is now considered a masterpiece of the Italian giallo/thriller genre. It sparked an interest in the director, his other films, extreme gore, gorgeous production design and Italy in general. In my horror journalism career I have been credited with drawing attention to the, then, unsung heroes of Italian shockers like Lucio Fulci, Bava, Sergio Martino and Antonio Margeriti. And when I saw the 1970 giallo THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE it began my love affair with all things Dario Argento. His 1980 sequel to SUSPIRIA (1976), INFERNO (1980), remains my favourite horror film ever, (it’s tattooed on my arm), it was the reason I met him, became his close friend, went on location with him on every film since OPERA (1987), wrote my book on his work (‘Dario Argento: The Man, the Myths & the Magic’ ) and helped him with his autobiography ‘Fear’ in all language territories. Argento is still my favourite horror director.
Q. What would you say are the three strongest leather looks featured in film?
A: That’s difficult as there are so many…. One has to be Marlon Brando in THE WILD ONE (1953) because it’s still the look many in the gay leather community aspire to. I suppose THE LEATHER BOYS (1964) carried that iconic look further. And then there was Mel Gibson in MAD MAX (1979), who wore it so well I tried to copy him (badly!).
Q. What are the best film scenes, if any, that have captured the founding years of punk rock?
A: None because the raw, street authenticity of the period can never be captured no matter how hard people try. Danny Boyle you should be ashamed!
Q. There are legendary stories that have followed you for decades, like how you were arrested in 1975 for wearing the Two Cowboys T-shirt, being part of the Bromley Contingent and for attending the infamous boat party with the Sex Pistols during the Queens Silver Jubilee, all things I’m sure you’ll cover in detail in your book. Is there anything readers may find surprising about the book, and you feel inspired to touch on here?
A: Yes, when top TV producer Mike Mansfield asked me to front a music programme on Punk titled ‘The Best of British’ featuring The Damned, The Adverts and the Rich Kids… what happened I’m not revealing here. And how about my writing mentor at the time being Jackie Collins? Yes, Joan’s sister and Hollywood Wife herself! Too many to mention…
Q. For anyone just now discovering FrightFest and Trieste S+F how do you describe them?
A. FrightFest is the UK’s top horror fantasy festival now in its 25th year. Every August Bank Holiday, we show over 70 new genre movies to the best community ever. We also stage Halloween events and are the main genre strand at the Glasgow Film Festival every March. If you are a genre fan, you should attend, so what’s stopping you. While I instigated FrightFest with two other people, mainly stemming from my iconic 1980s event Shock Around The Clock (I explain all in the recent documentary SCALA!), I was hired by the Italian City of Trieste to be the artistic director of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival which has been running off and on for over 60 years now. Because Trieste is my second home, it was an easy decision to make and I love the contrast between both festivals as I continue working as a film critic, journalist and unit publicist.
www.frightfest.co.uk
www.sciencefictionfestival.org
www.fabpress.com
The artist Richard Walker took a series of photographs in 1975 that include rare images of inside Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren’s boutique SEX at 430 Kings Road and The London Leatherman shop in Battersea. Jordan Mooney referred to a photograph Richard took of her at this time as being one of her favourites.
Best known for his painting, graphic art, murals and prints Richards’s next show will be at Coningsby Gallery in London this summer, 2024.
Questions by Dave Carroll
Interior of 430 Kings Road with The London Leatherman product displayed on the left. Photo by artist Richard Walker, 1975.
Q. Richard, in 1975 you visited both the shops SEX and The London Leatherman to take photographs. Why and how did you come to take these pictures, especially The London Leatherman one’s, which are so rare when Ken was pretty strict on not allowing pictures in the shop?
A. I was in my 2nd year at Camberwell School of Art and we had been set a journalistic photography project called ‘Secret London’, so I went in the car with my tutor… who was also head of department and a kindred spirit. She had previously spotted the London Leatherman on Queenstown Rd that looked interesting, but thought it was a private club. Meanwhile I had seen SEX on the King’s Rd and also thought it was private. So we went to investigate. Somehow we managed to get to take photos…I think we explained it was a personal project and it worked. However I’ve mislaid the Leatherman images, but hopefully they’ll pop up when I stop looking!
Q. How did you come to discover The London Leatherman shop? What do you remember about it?
A. The London Leatherman with it’s wooden frontage and small window stood out in amongst its fairly humdrum neighbours. It was immediately appealing with it’s dark interior and…fish tanks, if I remember. It was like a nightclub, and because this was only 1975, it seemed quite extreme for the time.
Q. You’ve captured a pivotal time in fashion history with the 1975 photographs and you really had to have some guts walking into both of these shops, let alone go in and take pictures. How did you find the experience? Intimidating? Or not that big of a deal because it was pre- the hype surrounding punk rock?
A. Initially it was intimidating, but I liked that. I encountered Jordan and admired her defiant attitude, but I detected a vulnerability too. This is what she liked about the picture I took. It did feel like we were entering into a parallel universe. A little dangerous and claustrophobic. Even at that time I started to sense a shift in the culture and I was excited and ready for it. I’m not sure if I even knew the word ‘subculture’ at that time.
Q. Did you get anything from The London Leatherman or from SEX? Is there anything you wish you had?
A. As I was a student and didn’t have much money at the time, I only ever had one t-shirt from SEX…the one with the ranting text all about which side of the bed you were on! God only knows what happened to it. I think it just disintegrated in some sweaty club somewhere… I was never really a punk, but used the energy to create my own persona.
Self portrait by Richard Walker taken in 1975/76 ‘This is what I call my ‘proto-punk’ period. As soon as punk went mainstream I abandoned that look!’ Richard’s wearing a The London Leatherman made ciré T-shirt in black.
Q. What’s your opinion on the association The London Leatherman had with the leather scene, gay interest and the new sexual liberation of the 70s?
A. As I was only 20 at the time, I had yet to embark on my gay adventures, and as it was only 1975 the choices were limited, even in London. However these 2 venues certainly signalled there was a whole world waiting for me, so yes, 2 important cornerstones in the new era just about to start… couldn’t wait really...
Q. How would you say the mid-70s impacted your life and career as an artist?
A. Yes, a huge impact. It was how I developed my individual style. I became a bit of a rebel at college and rejected the course work, much to the dismay of my tutors. I was on a mission, and I saw my opportunity and I took it. I finally won them all over, mainly with my work ethic and dedication. Unbelievably they offered me a job as a visiting lecturer, which proved to me there was something in the air and things were changing. This period of development has been crucial to most of what I have done since.
Q. If you were to choose just one of your photographs from this time, which one speaks to you the most and why?
A. I think it would have to be my one of Jordan, mainly for the reasons above, but also because it communicates to people and is a document of it’s time
Jordan Mooney wearing her The London Leatherman LW3 studded wristband cuffs. Photo by Richard Walker, 1975
Q. Other than the SEX and The London Leatherman photographs, are there any other sub-culture references you’ve observed, documented or photographed as an artist?
A. Yes, many. At the end of 75, Patti Smith released ‘Horses’ and I felt immediately, we had all been waiting for a bold statement like this. Up to then we had had Lou Reed and David Bowie celebrating the demi-monde and alternative lifestyles , but this felt new.. The Warhol set had been hiding in plain site for several years ...influencing those in the know, but now we had a fresh imput of new artists with new sounds and new imagery. I thought that the gay scene could merge with all this, as we were essentially all part of subcultures, which over the decades are now in the mainstream
Q. What can you share about your show this summer at the Coningsby Gallery?
A. Yes, indeed..it’s the next instalment of my personal odyssey… the show is called ‘Revolutions Per Minute’ ..a title suggesting music, politics, fashion, the passing of time and the continuing forward propulsion of ideas. There’ll be key works from all periods to accompany a talk I’m giving called ‘Titian Licked My Ankle’ a virtual memoir: in reality, a spoken word set of stories from my long career to celebrate my 70th birthday.
‘Henry the Horse’ 1978 limited edition screen print from Richards 1979 exhibition ‘Twilight Zones’ at Thumb Gallery Soho, London.
The London Leatherman today is about re-imaging the archive, using only the highest quality materials available to produce clothing and accessories evocative of those that were worn by punk rock icons of the 70s.
In 1976 Jordan Mooney wore one of The London Leatherman silver leather wristbands with square studs on her left wrist for a photo session with Curious Magazine.
Today we produce the same wristband using our solid pyramid studs on silver leather.
Silver Leather Pyramid Stud Wristband — The London Leatherman
Curious Magazine photographs taken inside Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLarens shop SEX in 1976. Images courtesy of Brendon Sinclair Archive NZ.
Roger is possibly the London fashion industries best kept secret not only because of The Contemporary Wardrobe his loanable clothing archive located by Russell Square but because of his incomparable knowledge when it comes to youth culture, sub-culture and counter culture. He was part of the group of movers and shakers that dominated the Kings Road in the 60s, 70s and 80s that include his friends Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Lloyd Johnson, Tommy Roberts, Trevor Myles, David Parkinson to name a few. He’s a stylist and the author of the beautiful coffee table book Rebel Threads: Clothing of the Bad, Beautiful & Misunderstood.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Model wearing the LT2 Leather T-shirt and Pyramid Stud Wristband Cuff.
Q. Walking into The Contemporary Wardrobe one is confronted with floor to ceiling rails of clothing and accessories with Dave (Carroll) particularly impressed by your collection of Seditionaries boots, John Stevens suits, suede head tonic suits, zoot suits and Leigh Bowery suits. If you were to pic one outfit from the wardrobe you have particular affection for, what would it be and why?
A. Sorry Bridget but that’s an impossible ask. I’d prefer to answer it this way..
When I was a young kid there always seemed to be enticing contests to enter where the first prize would be 5 minutes alone in a toy shop or sweet shop and you could literally take whatever you wanted… So if I were given only 5 minutes in my archive, I would at least try to grab a 1940s zoot suit, a 1960s mod suit and suede coat, the 1950s leather biker jacket that my wife bought from Let it Rock, a 1960s leather jacket by Vince, a 1970s bondage coat by Seditionaries, a pair of rare 1940s fetish shoes, a 70s Swanky Mode dress, and as many 1980s Rachel Auburn dresses as I can possibly carry.
Q. At Contemporary Wardrobe you hold a couple of leather and ciré items of clothing made and designed by The London Leatherman from stockists that put their own labels in. One piece is the LT2 Leather T-shirt with zip on shoulder which has a Let It Rock label sewn in. How did you come to be in the procession of this important piece of fashion history?
A. The leather T-shirt you mention belonged to photographer David Parkinson, who apart from being a key figure in the 60s Leicester mod scene, was one of the first photographers to cover Westwood and McLaren’s shops Let It Rock, Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die and SEX, also John Krivine and Steph Raynor’s Kings Rd shop Acme Attractions. These shoots were featured in the soft porn men’s magazine Club International. The T-shirt is currently on loan from his partner Val Allam and has just been on display in a punk exhibition at Leicester Museum.
Q. What memories do you have of The London Leatherman clothing, shop or reputation?
A. Between 1973-1976 my partner Ric and I were relentlessly scouring the suburbs of London for deadstock vintage clothes when we came across this curious wooden clapboard fronted shop on Queenstown Road, called The London Leatherman, with its tiny window display containing a few studded belts and accessories, we were very intrigued to find a shop like this in a deeply unfashionable part of Battersea, however it never seemed to be open. It wasn’t until SEX opened in 1975, and found out that Malcolm and Vivienne were stocking the shops leatherwear designs, that we discovered just how important and influential The London Leatherman was on the international S&M and fetish scene.
Q. In 1993 you curated the exhibition Vive Le Punk at your venue the Horse Hospital in Central London, which Dave has always describes to people as being the definitive exhibition when it comes to Westwood McLaren clothing. Whether it be leather clothing or accessories, who of the punk rockers McLaren and Westwood dressed looked the best in leather?
A. No question, my dear friend Jordan Mooney always looked amazing in her leather outfits, and in particular that fabulous leather cape and pencil skirt outfit from SEX, she looked like she had stepped off the pages of Atomage magazine, and it was featured in John Samson’s seminal documentary Dressing for Pleasure. Jordan was totally fearless in the way she dressed and became the perfect role model for Malcolm’s belief that their SEX leather outfits should be worn in the office.
Q. You actively participated in many of the youth-cultures and eras of clothing that make up your archive, from mod to soul boy, punk rock to 80s club culture. Does your bona fide passion for clothing, and seeking out conversations around these clothes stem from being a mod or something else?
A. I would say it was almost entirely down to those formative years I spent in the mod movement. When the mod scene ended around 1966, I was out on a limb clothes-wise because hippie robes just didn’t have the subtlety and sharp elegance I was looking for. However, around this time there was a revival of clothes from the 1930s-1940s being worn by a couple of bands I was into such as Family and the Purple Gang. I started collecting and wearing second-hand men’s clothing from this period. Although I think subconsciously those glamourous Hollywood styles had already been instilled in me as a kid through watching film noir movies on the TV. I became quite obsessed with the 1930s style during the mid 1960s, and this really shaped my future taste not only in clothes, but also art, architecture and design leaving a lasting impression on me to this day.
Q. Yours and our mutual friend Lloyd Johnson (of Johnson’s, La Rocka!) was also a mod, his love of clothing is equally as passionate, and you both went on to have esteemed careers in clothing. When out and about I’ve seen you and Lloyd in deep conversation, other than mod what would you say are your other mutual clothing interests?
A. Ha ha ha, we were more than likely discussing a look we’ve seen, or the way an outfit has been worn, or even just a detail that has impressed us. We are both more than just a bit fanatical about obscure subcultures and men’s and women’s clothing styles from the last 100 years or so, but it’s modernism and its origins that really hits the spot, and this shared passion also covers all aspects of design, art, film and architecture. Having said that we are also equally fascinated by those rarefied individualists who dare to wear clothes with attitude and commitment today, whatever look they may be into. This is almost certainly because style been such a huge part of our lives. And let’s not forget we were fortunate enough to have been involved in pretty much every clothing revival since the mid 60s, and we are now both keen to share our knowledge and experience with those individuals who are curious enough to inquire.
Q. Since COVID there’s been a trend in vintage clothing dealers closing their shops to open by-appointment showrooms where they instead offer a fashion consultancy service with items they loan out to stylists, exhibitions and fashion houses. A trend has also been to call the clothing they’ve bought second hand or at auction their ‘personal archive’ with the fashion press hailing them as experts and some as ‘guru’s’, yet having little to no provenance. You presented the concept of having a loanable archive for the fashion industry to access decades ago, an archive you have genuine and first-hand knowledge in. Why do you think so many vintage clothes dealers are making this move now?
A. I can only assume that this trend goes hand in hand with the current plethora of fashion influencers/forecasters on social media, that have also set themselves up as self-aggrandising leading lights for a particular generation who need to be shown what to wear, and slavishly follow them. True vintage clothes have always been hard to find, but what I find most shocking is that these new personal archives and some shops are presenting quite recent retro clothes designs from high street stores such as All Saints, Reiss, Zara and H&M etc and palming them off as vintage, not only to an innocent public, but those professional design teams and researchers of big name fashion brands who seem to be seduced by these pretentiously curated archives and will happily buy into it.
It puts me in mind of a prediction an academic friend made in the late 1960s, that within our lifetime modern non-descript artifacts and clothing would be displayed in museums purely because they have dust on them.
Q. Your book Rebel Threads is a must have for anyone with an interest in fashion styling and 20th century clothing. How did you find the process of working on your own book? And how did you edit your huge archive/ wardrobe down to 328 pages? With the amount of fantastic clothes and knowledge you have, you could’ve easily produced multiple volumes. Will you do more books?
A. Having had many years practice as a stylist I love the editing process, so choosing clothes for the book was relatively easy and came naturally, knowing what instinctively feels right to me in a composition and featuring just enough of those clothes to tell the story and no more.
It’s always been important to me that whoever is wearing the clothes look as if they have always worn them, or at least the outfit belongs to them, likewise when I’m designing a set, a shop or exhibition I try to do it in a way that brings people to believe it has always been there.
I plan to do at least two more photographic books, one that features some of the best of the collection, and another sort of mod handbook, which is going to focus on the style of the clothes, and their subtle details, often lost or not even acknowledged in other publications.
Q. To date, what would you say has been your career highlight?
I have been lucky enough to have such a varied career it’s almost impossible pin it down to one highlight, instead here are a few I’m most proud of..
Shop design: Nostalgia of Mud
Styling: a photo of David Bowie peeping out of a Yohji Yamamoto coat
Production Design: the music video, Only When I Loose Myself, Depeche Mode
Costume Design: the movie Hackers
Entity: The Horse Hospital
Q. What are you working on for the remainder of 2023?
A. I’m putting together a semi-biographical exhibition at the Horse Hospital for 2024 about my life and career loosely based around 3 shops I designed, PX, Worlds End and Nostalgia of Mud, which will heavily feature the many diverse influences that have played a part in almost everything I have done..
Signed copies of Roger’s book Rebel Threads are available to purchase here: Rebel Threads by Roger K Burton (Signed) — The Horse Hospital
The LT2 Leather T-shirt with zip at the shoulder and side of torso is the T-shirt that crosses over into multiple styles and scenes from heavy rock to hip-hop, worn with a long sleeve cotton T-shirt underneath as streetwear or as a layering piece for motorcycling.
At first it was worn by the fashion elite on the Kings Road, Chelsea the groovers that shopped at Granny Takes A Trip and the punk rockers who looked to McLaren & Westwood for style guidance.
The T-shirt is produced in our superior grade black cow hide or in waxed nappa upon request. Made to standard UK sizing.
LT2 Leather T-shirt with zip (front)
LT2 Leather T-shirt with zip (back)
Adam Ant, David Johanson, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren wearing the The London Leatherman LV4 Leather T-shirt with zip in the 1970s.
(ARCHIVE) The LW19 Soft Lip Mask may have been worn by Bowie, featured on T-shirts in the shop Seditonaries and photographed for editorial by David Parkinson. But, it’s the black leather LW11 version of the mask with Zip mouth that really made an impact culturally:
In 1997 a guest to Kate Moss’ Halloween Party in NYC wore the LW11 Zip Mask, a leather collar and leather jeans.
(NEW) The LW11 crafted in black nappa leather and lined with nappa.
Adam Ant wore the LW11 for his 1977 gig at the ICA in London.
If you look closely you can see the LW11 & LW19 Masks lining the ladder in this photograph. The LW19 Silver Leather mask and matching wristband on the shelf too.
It made front page news in 1975.
(Note: for this Q&A we refer to Ken Magson, the founder of The London Leatherman, as Ken M)
Many stories, business dealings and customer names during the founding years of The London Leatherman were kept under lock and key and the person that comes closest to having this key is Ken Jordan, the life partner to Ken M from 1972. A statuesque, Adonis like character who at one time served in the Grenadier Guards and knows a thing or two about discretion, and so remains tight lipped about those who frequented the shop privately and wore their The London Leatherman items behind closed doors. However, those who wore the garments publicly he has many fond memories of, from The Sex Pistols to Rudolf Nureyev, the film director Derek Jarman and Tom of Finland models.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. Ken, you were the life partner of England’s most scandalous and provocative leather clothing maker, he was especially scandalous in the 1970s. However, you didn’t wear leather yourself, why?
A. I spent most of my time in the Grenadier Guards abroad, and was never part of ‘the Gay scene’ until I left the army in 1970. The Coleherne was my first experience of the leather scene, and I could not really understand the fascination. I had spoken to Ken M in the Coleherne a few times in 1971 and 1972 and then again in Your Fathers Moustache, a night club opposite, where Ken M did a fire eating act with Simon Munslow-Taylor. Our relationship really started there, taking Simba (the dog) for a walk after his act, dinner at The Casserole, Le Gourmet in Kings Road and in Windsor, it was a real romance. Ken and I both had leather jackets, but not leather jeans. The first pair that Ken made for me was in fact the last pair that he made in 1996, a year before he died. Neither of us seemed to need the use of the ‘toys’ that he made.
Ken Magson (left) and Ken Jordan (right). Photo courtesy of Ken Jordan.
Q. What from The London Leatherman did you wear? Did Ken M ever make anything just for you, custom made?
A. The first items of clothing custom made for me by Ken M, were a light brown suede leather jacket and trousers, that were so tight I could hardly step up and down on the kerb when crossing the road in High Street Ken. Much admired in Kensington Market at the time. During our time together, I don’t think I ever bought shirts or trousers, sweaters, tank tops or cardigans. I would come home from work to find 3 pairs of trousers and shirts in different materials and colours. I did buy a suit from Cecil Gee in the Kings Road that he wanted to take apart, he said he wanted to copy the style and make me another, but I wouldn’t let him.
When we had dinners, Ken always made individual place settings, a leather rose (red, black or silver) for a lady, a small leather teddy bear for the men. On one occasion he made a special Tartan and Leather Teddy Bear for me. When Ken M made the first white Ciré nylon capped sleeve shirt with rounded collar, I wore it on the Saturday when I went to the Sunlight Laundry, next door to Granny Takes a Trip, in the Kings Road. After depositing the sheets, I went to the nearby Cafe for a coffee. A group of lads saw the shirt, and one of them bought it. I took it off and drove back to the shop elated, as was Ken M. He made them in red white and blue, and toweling material and white striped cotton, with or without pockets, a best selling item.
Q. You and Dave (Carroll) often speak about how incomparable Ken M’s creatively was, from his leatherwork, needle work and painting, his poetry, short story writing, even down to how he wrote his private diaries. Which of Ken’s creative talents stand out for you the most and why?
A. There was nothing Ken could not do with any fabric, he loved the challenge of trying new things, and became an expert pattern cutter. His mother taught him to knit and sew during the war, under the stairs, when the German Vl’s were flying overhead. He created many tapestries in wool and silk, for our home and for friends, using Aubrey Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha as inspiration. Perhaps also inspired by the Art Nouveau in Juniper, a stall in Chelsea Market run by Pattie Harrison and her sister, Jenny Boyd. He created beautiful artwork using watercolour and acrylic paints, learned from his aunt who was a local artist in Nelson and Colne Lancashire.
Ken M was a good dance and ice dancer too, and knew some of the great skaters of their day at Queens Ice Rink, especially John Curry, Olympic Gold Medalist 1976, who we both had a great affection for, and we were deeply saddened when he died. In San Francisco 1976 Ken M was offered a job, which he declined, at the ice rink, to teach skating and ice dance. He also taught me, and we spent many hours at Queens during the 70’s and 80’s.
Q. Ken M had a close working relationship with many notable designers and entrepreneurs who would come to see him in The London Leatherman workshop, most documented is his relationship with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. How would you describe these relationships?
A. He had a good working relationship with Vivienne Westwood who came to the shop almost on a weekly basis. Vivienne had ideas for what she wanted to produce, and some of her ideas were quite difficult, but Ken M was able to make the patterns so that they would work, and could be mass produced by the ladies who worked for Ken M. I remember her being very protective of the SEX label and always counted the garments against the labels used. Ken also produced for BOY, and collaborated with Maurice Stewart of Fetters, who as far as I know, was the only person to acknowledge, in writing, the contribution made by Ken M to the success of their company. In January 1997, Maurice also helped me write Ken M’s obituary for the Gay press. Alan Selby of Mr S Leathers bought clothing and other items wholesale, and then removed The London Leatherman labels, and replaced them with his own Mr S label, and never, in articles and editorials in America, credited Ken M or The London Leatherman.
Q. Sometimes you would be in The London Leatherman shop when The Sex Pistols came in. What was this experience like and were they as obnoxious as we’re lead to believe?
A. In the summer of 1976 I was sitting in the work room at the rear of the shop, when the Sex Pistols came into the shop with Malcolm McLaren. Of course I was excited to see them, but I took a back seat and let Ken M deal with them. They all acted and behaved very well. They bought a few things, studded belts and wristbands and got measured for pairs of leather jeans. They came again at a later date and had a photo shoot outside the shop. Nothing like the performance with Bill Grundy on the Today Show in December 1976. Nice lads who perhaps were not guided or managed in their careers as they should have been. In retrospect I think they would agree. Ken and I came from a generation that did not gush and blab at every situation or encounter, and of course had no smart phones to snap every occasion that occurred. Consequently there are only a few personal photographs of the period, and one poor photograph of the shop front.
Ken Jordan in the The London Leatherman shop wearing an all-in-one leather suit and LW3 studded belt. Photo courtesy of Ken Jordan.
Q. Who in your opinion wore The London Leatherman clothing and accessories the best i.e looked the most stylish?
A. Me, as far as the none leather look is concerned it was all made to measure, and fitted like a dream. I had 10 Knitted Tank Tops that I rotated and dozens of sweaters and cardigans. I did wear occasionally a leather jump suit, that I wore to the Coleherne, mainly to advertise The London Leatherman, and because it fitted me better than Ken M. Certainly all the Leathermen in the Coleherne who bought from Ken M directly looked great, and of course all the young Punks in the Kings Road, who wore Ken M’s clothing and accessories, whether it was bought from BOY or Westwood/ McClaren. It was fun driving up and down Kings Road looking at the boys and girls modelling The London Leatherman garments.
Q. Today getting a tattoo is nothing, girls can walk into a tattoo parlour on the high street and walk out with a sleeve of flames and roses with no one batting an eyelid. However, you and Ken M were getting tattooed in 1975 when it was utterly outrageous, tattoos were for sailors and outlaws. What prompted you to get tattooed in 1975? And why did you choose the now legendary George Bone of Den of Skulls as your tattooist?
A. Before going to USA for the first time in 1975 Ken M wanted to have a tattoo of a design he had made of a snake. It ran from one arm to the other across his back. Naturally I had to get one too, and had an eagle and tiger’s head on each arm, ready for our trip to USA the following year. We both had further tattoo’s done by George Bone, who was considered the best of the fine line tattooists. We had both seen some really awful tattoo’s on undressed male and female bodies in the shop, and we were determined to have only the best. In total 6 for Ken M and 4 for me.
Q. You’ve lived in SW London for over 50 years and for a big part of that time in Battersea. Why do you think Ken M choose to open The London Leatherman in Battersea in the early 70s?
A. It was not much of a choice, there was a planned road extension (later cancelled) from the embankment at Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, through Shepards Bush to the A40, which would have been disastrous to his shop in Kings Road. In the early 1970’s many long leases in Kensington & Chelsea were coming up for renewal, and we thought that £38,000 for the apartment in Allen Street (where Ken M lived), off High Street Kensington, was an exorbitant amount. So, like many yuppies, we moved across the river to Battersea. The shop had a 15 year full repair lease of £6.50 per week, which suited us fine. We were soon able to buy a 3 bedroom house on Clapham Common West side in 1977.
Ken in uniform, when he was in the Grenadier Guards. Photo courtesy of Ken Jordan.
Q. You’ve travelled a lot and in 1975 travelled to the United States where The London Leatherman was exporting an extortionate amount of leather goods to the East and West coasts of America. Do you have any fond memories of this time in America (that are suitable for sharing!), or any observations about the style scenes and culture out there compared to London at the time?
Ken M’s brother was getting married in Los Angeles December 1975, and Mel and Jan wanted Ken M to make the wedding cake. I flew out to San Francisco 5 days before him, to stay with Mike Gerena an ex Marine, who had a large apartment in the Duboce/Castro area, that is still a very gay area in S.F.
I was overwhelmed by the openness of the Gay community and scene, the shops and restaurants and cafes, and of course the Gay clubs, bars and bathhouses. So different from the restrictive Gay scene in London. Especially the Coleherne Pub at closing time, when the police would harass us with “Move on Boys and Girls.”
The Golden Rivet bar opened and all patrons received a gold rivet on a leather thong, well it was really brass, but I still have it. The Folsom Barracks Bathhouse that burned down in 1981 was in full swing, as were the many Gay venues that later closed there doors as AIDS ravaged and decimated the Gay community. San Francisco was getting ready for Christmas, and the whole city was ablaze with coloured lights and Christmas trees.
The newly built Hyatt Regency Hotel, (the lifts were used in the film Towering Inferno), had a huge clear acrylic Christmas tree that reacted to sound. Carol singers, or people clapping their hands made it shine and sparkle with iridescent light, it was quite spectacular and a unique emotional experience. It was a good time to travel in the States, as the rate of exchange was very good, and food and clothing were so much cheaper than in the U.K.
The London Leatherman was exporting more and more to America, and of course worldwide, so much so that we had a reserve in the States, that we were able to draw upon while we were there. It seemed there was nothing that we could not afford to have or to do, so much so that Ken M and I seriously thought of moving and relocating to America. The Summer of 1976, the Bicentennial year of the American Revolution, saw Ken M and I back in the USA for 3 weeks, this time considering a move across the Pond. We hired a car, an AMC Pacer, instead of the Ford Pinto that was offered, knowing that it was notoriously prone to exploding when rear ended, but we travelled far and wide in the Pacer and drove to Santa Barbara, but we didn't get there. On the way we stopped at Gazos Creek, had lunch and then went down to the beach to swim and sunbathe, but the water was so cold we gave swimming a miss. We both fell asleep and woke up to the sound of about 30 men in overalls running into the sea to swim. They were low category prisoners from a correctional institute or prison, on fire detail, to prevent and extinguish fires in the area, during the hot and dry season. Under the watchful gaze of a guard with a shotgun, we gave them fruit and chocolate and cigarettes. One of the men, covered in tattoos, wanted to show us a seal, up the beach behind a rock, but we both thought it was probably not a good idea, and declined reluctantly. We often wondered if there really was a seal behind that rock……….!
During our stay in America, instead of looking up with rose tinted Ray- Bans, this time I looked down, and saw some of the worst poverty that I had ever seen. People rummaging through dustbins looking for food. Street people and vagrants caked in dirt and filth and living in squaller on the streets. It was an eye opener and certainly influenced our decision not to make the move. I also caught Scarlet Fever, which was not diagnosed by Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, on two visits.
Ken M flew back home, and I followed a week later, after he telephoned the awful news that Simba had died of a heart attack.
I spent 2 weeks in St. Thomas’ Hospital, where a consultant told me and his students that he hadn’t seen a case like mine since 1938. Ken M and I settled back into our happy lives, and we never returned to America, except when using Miami International Airport to transit. We took holidays instead in the Canary Islands, Haiti, Greece, Holland and Germany. In 1977 we bought a house, and a car each, a metallic blue Volvo for Ken M and a Polar white VW Golf for me. We also added a puppy, Simba 2, who on a trip to Brighton, chewed lumps out of the back seat, and the seat belts, of Ken’s Volvo, he was furious and didn’t speak at all on the way home.
Belt Loop Key Rings are an accessory The London Leatherman has made since its founding years, with a variety of different studs, dog clips and rings to attach your keys to.
Today we make the Belt Loop Key Rings with a ring and with snap popper fastening so you can add and remove your keys from your belt with ease, at any time. But, also so you can adhere to a bag or use as a stylish accessory.
All The London Leatherman and P&C belts currently come with a complimentary and matching Belt Loop with D-ring that slides onto the belt and can be removed to use as a standard key ring accessory.
ARCHIVE Belt Loop Key Ring with dog clip and Square studs, made circa 1975
Model on left with Belt Loop Key Ring on his belt. All models wearing The London Leatherman,clothing and accessories circa 1975. Photo by Colin Clarke.
0.3 Dome Stud Belt Loop Key Ring in Red Leather, currently in stock.
The Superior Belt Loop Key Ring in Silver Leather, currently in stock.
The LW3 Dome Stud Belt that currently comes with matching Belt Loop D-ring for keys.
The Blockbuster Belt with matching removable Belt Loop with D-ring.
In the The London Leatherman archive there are many examples of studs that were used in the 1970s and presented on LW10 style cuffs and wristbands in varying designs. Here are two examples showing that some cuffs were stitched, some weren’t. All had double snap popper fastening offered as one-size-fits all.
Large and small Tile studs on a LW10 style cuff, aka wristband with no stitch detail. Made circa 1979.
A LW10 style cuff with a single row of the Beval studs and Square studs on either side, made in circa 1974. This cuff has reinforced stitching.
For issue #28 of Mensfile Magazine, complete The London Leatherman (Pride & Clarke and Dave Carroll) outfits feature in the editorial ‘The Leather Studio’, alongside looks by Lewis Leathers and The Real McCoy’s.
You can pick up your issue of Mensfile Magazine now, here: Stockists — Men's File (mensfile.com)
Photography by: Nick Clements. Studio Direction: Saaya Nohara. Styling: Bianca Turrini and Shehab Abdelrahman
Styling with The London Leatherman accessories covers all sorts of genre references from biker, punk rock and pop, to high-end couture, vintage, fetish and kink. For Autumn Winter 2023 South Korean, London based menswear designer GOOMHEO along with stylist Gerry O’Kane fused genres to create this photoshoot for the collection ‘Riders’, a shoot the press have described as showcasing ‘grungy beefcakes with a penchant for big boys toys’. Gerry chose some key The London Leatherman accessories to compliment the styling for the series of images that make up the GOOMHEO AW23 Lookbook which can be viewed in its entirety here: GOOMHEO
Photographer: Heji Shin
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman (P&C) Ziggy Belt
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman (P&C) Ziggy Belt
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman LW4 Centurion Stud Neckband and LW10 Exotica Cuffs
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman LW10 Exotica Cuffs & Ziggy Belt
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman LW10 Exotica Cuffs & Ziggy Belt
GOOMHEO AW23 collection ‘Rider’ styled by Gerry O’Kane with The London Leatherman LW10 Exotica Cuffs & Ziggy Belt
Writer and entrepreneur Dave Darcy Edmonds epitomises the post punk cross-over into the London fetish scene being the Editor at Large at Skin Two Magazine. He has long black hair down to his waist, is almost always wearing an impressive leather jacket and can out punk anyone when it comes to regaling first-hand accounts of going to infamous punk rock gigs and of buying clothing directly from Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood for his own clothing shop in Birmingham, England.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. Like most of Dave (Carroll)’s friendships, you and him are bonded by your enthusiasm for clothing, in particular Seditionaries’ by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. 45 years on, you can both still talk at length about Seditionaries’, I find this both rational and absurd! Why do you think the interest for Seditionaries has carried on for so long?
A. I think for several reasons. Seditionaries is almost unique as a collection. It’s almost couture designed for streetwear. Its also art and politics and social commentary. The designs are so strong and confrontational that they've never become quaint or dated. It could be argued that they are more contentious and liable to offend now than when originally released. They have not aged with time, or lost their power. They incorporate themes around anger, rebellion, DIY culture, and gender roles and politics that were years ahead of everyone else.
It would be difficult to point to another clothing collection that has endured so long or that sparked movements, bands and all manner of culture across the entire world. New methods of clothing production and/or printing have not superseded them, in fact, the attention to detail on items like the parachute shirts and anarchy shirts is rarely present in clothing of any level today.
Q. The stories you have from your time as a punk rocker, the clothing you bought and adventures you had with your friends like Jordan Mooney capture such an important time in fashion and sub-culture history. How did you come to be a punk rocker?
A. With an Irish father I’d grown up in Birmingham but ostensibly left home by the age of 18 (gap year never went back). I was kind of an unusual kid, sexually straight but I much preferred girly things. I grew up in the area with the biggest density of immigrants in all of Europe. I was used to seeing Irish, Black, Asian, African, et al people from early childhood. I didn't view them as any different from anyone else (no better, no worse) but events around me gave me strong emotion around equality and social justice. I only really liked girls in the vein of Emma Peel, Morticia Addams, Fenella Fielding, biker girls, outsiders. I was at Bourneville College with David Claridge (Skin Two club pioneer and also Roland Rat) and via him I got a ticket to see David Bowie. I was doing A levels in Law, Economics, and Economic and Social History with a view to University and a career either in law or estate agency. It was the Bowie Ziggy Stardust tour at Birmingham Town Hall, a few days before the famous Hammersmith Odeon Ziggy finale. I'd seen a few of the dressed up, flamboyant, Bowie girls around the city ....... vintage clothing, dressed like Bowie/Roxy Music ...... but suddenly I was surrounded by 100's of them. At that concert I found my place in the world. I didn't need to be rich, have a well paid respected career, or have a big house, or a top end car, all that I wanted was to be near girls like that forever. It wasn't just sex it was everything ..... their creativity, their spirit, rebellion. The way they looked, dressed, thought, acted. Those Bowie kids, me included, were ready for punk. Bowie was being absorbed by the mainstream, he was no longer "ours"; we wanted something new to separate us from the majority, the mundane, the normal, punk ticked all the boxes and more. People talk of punk and various types of empowerment, its mostly middle class crap. People like Malcolm and Vivienne, Jordan, Siouxsie, The Clash, Polystyrene, Wayne/Jayne County ..... they didn't "challenge" convention or "break the rules" they just totally and utterly fucking ignored them in every way possible and they didn't need a flag to march behind or the approval of The Guardian writers.
Q. The transition from punk rock into the London fetish scene was a ‘thing’ and many prominent figures that were immersed in punk rock from an early age made the distinct cross-over, especially in the 90s. People who spring to mind are Ben Westwood with his photography, Joe Corre in founding Agent Provocateur, Steve Beech of Westward Bound and you and the team behind Skin Two Magazine. Why do you think punk rock and fetish are so intertwined?
A. I think probably for several reasons. The fact that Seditionaries was preceded by SEX is the first. Punk style fashions, and the people in and around the early punk/Seds scene, were frequently involved in alternative sexual scenes (gay, lesbian, fetish, leather) and several - at least - were involved/employed as what would now be called sex workers. The punk kids liked to shock and be confrontational and fetish was an easy look to trigger a reaction. Certainly punk and alternative kids made up a fair portion of the early contributors to the newer, younger, fetish scene, clubs, fashions, and magazines that evolved in the early 80's. I would not want to over emphasis this (as there's no end of virtue signalling others to do that) but I also think that a large part of punks legacy was empowerment. At the time I thought very much of the DIY ethic offered to working class kids like myself but I now realise that all kinds of minorities ...... race and colour wise. Women, non-mainstream sexualities, et al ..... were welcomed and given a platform and a voice via punk and the sub cultures that sprang from it; fetish and gay men/gay leather scene I would include there.
Q. Skin Two Magazine, how do you describe it to anyone who is just now discovering it?
A. It’s no longer published as a magazine but there are still copies around from all decades. At one point - pre internet - it provided a valuable resource for everything in that scene ...... from clubs and retailers, to models and personalities. The label (every aspect of Skin Two save for print magazine) is now owned by Honour.co.uk, they produce original items as well as new designs and carry forward the ideology.
Q. It’s rare to look through any fetish (especially bondage, dominatrix, leather) magazines produced in England, the USA and parts of Europe from 1972 through to 1979 and not see a piece of The London Leatherman featured on a model, male or female. We have a substantial collection of these now vintage publications, how have fetish magazines from this era influenced your own work?
A. Most of my original T-shirt designs for my own label "Pure Sex" and many that I designed for BOY London were very directly influenced by both fetish magazines and books. The John Willie book "The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline" was a very direct inspiration for both the early Ants T-shirts and my own. That book was also the primary reference for most of the clothes I designed/produced for Pure Sex and my shops in Kensington Market and Hyper Hyper. Magazines such as Eric Stanton, Bettie Page, Bill Ward, and others also provided ideas and direction.
Q. When you think of The London Leatherman what springs to mind?
A. The first label of its kind that I can remember and certainly the best. I first visited the Battersea shop in the Seditionaries era. It was kinda intimidating but also just fabulous - like you'd wandered into the world of Tom of Finland. I didn't have personal interest in the gay leather scene but I found the clothes and imagery very seductive.
I think Punk found an easy association with outsiders and outliers of all types, as diverse as The London Leatherman and (a) Don Letts reggae playlist.
Q. Do you currently have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces you wear or have your eye on?
A. Yes. I have an original Muir cap that I got from the Battersea shop - I'd love to wear it but I'm too scared of losing it. I think I also have some belts and wristbands somewhere. More recently Faye Dowling gave me one of The London Leatherman mask long sleeve T-shirts that featured in the Horror Show exhibition at Somerset House. I've worn that out several times without really thinking of the impact it may, and has, provoked.
Q. Do you have any exciting projects you’re working on this summer 2023?
A. To be honest I’m always doing things. I actually hesitate to call it work, even though it pays bills, because I've been lucky that everything I've ever done I wanted to do and enjoyed. I've had jobs in fashion design, vintage clothing, magazine production, writing, photography, ticket tout and general spiv, and (as a) pro dom in a famous New York dungeon. I enjoyed all those things and I was, and still am, happy to do them seven days a week. I don’t have patience to sit around. I crave constant mental and artistic (?) stimulation. I wanna be around great, inspirational people (particularly girls) that make their life, their outfits, their environment, everything they touch, from food to a toothbrush, an inspiring and evolving work of art. Current projects include working on Faye Dowlings GothShop online website/zine, Contributor to Salvation magazine - published in print and online by Nigel Wingrove of Salvation/Redemption films, magazines, dvd’s, and general mischief infamy. I’m collaborating on a proposed large scale event with Skin Two/Honour and Ricardo Castro the promoter for the total legendary Slimelight club nights (and several other club nights and events under the Dark Room London umbrella). I've also started work on a range of fetish influenced prints and clothing items for my Japanese ex g/f who has a shop in Osaka, Japan.
I'd like to do more photos and styling on photos but there's a mass of Instagram models but a near zero number of people that can, will, want, to do something in the real world.
Paul Breuer, purveyor of vintage clothing, specialising in menswear and vintage workwear. He's been a trader at London’s famous Portobello Market on a Friday since the early 90s, where he's as famous for his wicked sense of humour as he is for his vast knowledge of vintage menswear. He co-foundered the clothing archive, showroom and store Breuer & Dawson in Margate, Kent and in 2018 he offered Dave a pair of The London Leatherman leather jeans which sparked the official revival of the label, these jeans are stored safely in The London Leatherman archive.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
The 1970s pair of LG2 Leather Jeans from Paul’s Portobello Market (Friday) stall. They’re now kept in tissue paper in our archive.
Q. You and Dave have known each other for quite a few decades now. Do you remember when you met? Do you have any fond memories of being at Portobello Market together?
A. I’m guessing me and Dave met in the late 80s at Portobello, pretty sure we bonded over our mutual love of punk rock. From The Clash, through to the UK Subs and 999. I must’ve heard Dave’s story about seeing the UK Subs at Battersea Town Hall about 8,000 times.
Both of us loved the Penny Smith photo book The Clash: Before & After and it always struck me that we were probably doing the same thing (growing up), 200 miles apart, I was in the North-West, he was in London and we were both buying old suits and taking in the trouser legs to try and look like The Clash.
Q. You have a mutual interest in punk rock and you like many of the same bands. How has punk or these bands influenced you and your work? (i.e you were in a band yourself and you’ve always had a great collection of vintage denim, leather and band shirts on your stall.)
A. I don’t think I would’ve got into selling vintage clothes if it wasn’t for my love of music. Starting off with Bowie and Mott The Hoople moving onto The Clash, Chelsea and The Adverts, clothing was always as important as the music. The tribal element of the British music scene was extremely important to me, and still is to this day with regards to what I look for in vintage clothing.
Q. Do you have any key memories of vintage punk rock clothing being at Portobello Market?
A. One of my key memories is suddenly a load of Paul Simonon’s clothing turning up, I think Dave‘s friend Miles had something to do with it. I remember getting a couple of cardigans and a pair of trousers, didn’t look quite as good on me as they did on him.
Another time, a load of old clothes belonging to Screaming Lord Sutch turned up, not exactly punk, but definitely a cornerstone of British rock ‘n’ roll..
Q. How would you describe your business? Are you consulting on/ specialising in/ sourcing/ offering any particular styles or eras of clothing at the moment?
A. My business has evolved over the years, I now sell very little American vintage, specialising almost entirely in British and European vintage clothing. Times and taste changes over the years..
Not sure, I have an overall philosophy, if I like it, I buy it, if I can make a profit on it, so much the better.
Q. (Without giving away your sources!) What tips would you give to collectors of vintage The London Leatherman wanting to source specific pieces? Does much of it turn up at Portobello Market or at Breuer & Dawson?
A. As far as The London Leatherman pieces, good luck, not easy to find. But remember kids, the harder you work the luckier you get.
Q. What are you working on or hope to work on for 2023?
A. My aims for the future are to keep working for as long as I enjoy it, which I still do.
The archive pair of LG2 Leather Jeans from Paul’s Portobello Market (Friday) stall.
Artist Mark Wardel is often defined by the distinctive portraits of his famous and fabulous friends he’s been painting since circa 1978 and for unearthing a 1974 cast of David Bowie’s face he used to create his much coveted Bowie Masks. An 80s club kid who wore head to toe Antony Price and was immersed in the British rocker (leather) style that had a major resurgence in 1979 and into the 80s.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. Mark, we were first introduced at an event at the BFI (British Film Institute), what would you say are your top 5 leather looks in film?
A. The big bang moment of the leather in movies universe has to be Brando in 'The Wild One' then of course there's Kenneth Anger's 'Scorpio Rising' then there's a fabulous British spin on the biker look in 'The Leather Boys' which always puts me in mind of my sadly missed friend Johnny Stuart as stills from this film almost look like scenes from his life or shots from his legendary photo albums. Apart from traditional Rocker leather I'm a sucker for 1970s gangster movie leather coats and bomber jackets as epitomised by some of the great costumes in 'Donnie Brasco'....oh and any leather in the Warhol films!
Q. There’s a fantastic photo of you in full leather on a motorcycle, styled and taken by the legendary leather wearing ‘Rocker’ Johnny Stuart. How did this photo come to be?
A. I was introduced to Johnny by Steve Strange in 1979 and really hit it off with him and his partner Eddie. Johnny knew everyone from aristocrats to rockers to bike boys to Blitz kids and gave the best parties at his amazing art and antiques filled Notting Hill house. Me and the likes of Steve Strange and other friends would often hang out at Johnny's and end up being photographed in some of his massive collection of biker gear. Btw, any pop video of the era featuring leather rocker gear and you can guarantee it will have come from Johnnys!
Mark Wardel, photo by Johnny Stuart.
Q. Dave and I have a print of your ‘Leatherman by TradeMark’ artwork in our office, an artwork we feel honoured to own and that captures a glamourised version of a rocker/ biker. What inspired you to create this piece?
A.Thank you. This image stems from one of my most popular flyer artworks. Back in the '90s I was producing artwork/imagery, flyers and ads for the big London gay nights at Heaven, Trade, Village Youth etc. and the 'Leather Man' has long been an icon of the gay world so I decided to create a Leatherman/high fashion fusion as a kind of updated icon for the 'scene'.
Q. The London Leatherman label was officially founded in the early 70s, it’s core styling being a fusion of a new British leather look and the clone look (with tight cire cap sleeved T-shirts) that was coming out of New York at the time. You’ve been interviewed on the ‘Clone Look’ before, how would you sum up the British version of the ‘Clone Look’ to anyone who’s wondering what it is?
A. Is there a defined 'clone' look these days? I'm not sure! The late 70s/early 80s clone look was a definite gay sub-culture movement influenced by the scenes in San Francisco and New York and was really a kind of 'Butch Drag' version of hyper masculinity...this look spread to London and I remember being at the opening of Heaven in '79 being amazed to see a sea of guys all with crew cuts, moustaches, tight T-shirts, check shirts, Levis and work boots partying like there was no tomorrow beneath the lasers…the clones. Everything today is such a post modern remix of elements from the past and subcultures are not as rigidly defined as they were so the term really has a different meaning now.
Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces from the archive or new, you own or hope to own, that spring to mind?
A. I already own several The London Leatherman T-shirts which I totally love and always get asked about whenever I wear one ...which is frequently. I'm a sucker for hats and currently have my eye on some of the great LLM caps such as the Teddy Boy and the Speedway cap.
Q. What looks better a leather jacket, a pair of leather trousers or both worn together?
A. Unless you are a genuine Biker/Rocker or heading to a Leather fetish club I believe it's best to go with either one or the other and personally, I like a black leather Biker jacket with tight blue jeans...a classic look.
Q. You’re everyone’s go to when they have a questions about David Bowie or looking to cross check anything Bowie!? He’s been a huge influence on your work and your self-styling over the years, where does your Bowie story begin?
A. I only really know about '70s Bowie who I discovered age 14 in the summer of 1972 but went on to have the honour amazingly to meet, sell work to and even be the recipient of a 1979 hand written letter from!! I'm from a seaside town...New Brighton near Liverpool (where the pre-fame Beatles played many times) and every school holiday I'd have summer jobs either on the Pier or in the arcades ...it was all very a ‘That'll be the day' existence . One day in summer of '72 on a break from selling rock and buckets and spades I went across to the tea stall to get a cuppa and at the stall waiting for coffees were two of the teddy boys from the fair and one was telling his mate about an outrageous gig he'd just been to at the Liverpool stadium in which the singer who was "half man-half woman" wore make-up and space suits on stage! This all sounded amazing and I eavesdropped long enough to catch the singers name...David Bowie. I had heard and liked Starman on the radio and loved it (being into both pop music and UFOs ) but had no idea of who the singer was so that lunch break I ran out to the news agent and bought a couple of pop magazines and came face to face with Ziggy Stardust the coolest, strangest and most amazing alien/human I had ever seen and apparently also gay! ...finally a role model I could identify with being fairly alienated myself as an orphan just coming to terms with being gay ...my world and my direction in life totally changed that day and Bowie has been the major influence and cultural education on all areas of my life and work ever since.
A Mark Wardel ‘Aladdin Sane’ Bowie Mask. You can view these much coveted masks here: Masks & 3D – Mark Wardel
Q. Of the hundreds of portraits you’ve created, who would be your top five sitters so far and why? (I realise this is like asking a mother to pick a favourite child!)
A. I couldn't possibly answer that one...I'd have to leave town!
Q. What are you working on in your studio at the moment, anything you can talk about?
A. I have mainly spent the last couple of years working on Bowie artworks for a book I have co-written with US writer Susan Compo about the making of the iconic Bowie rockumentary 'Cracked actor' . We had access to the original 1975 BBC production file and also the film's original producer Alan Yentob who has written the foreword to the book. We also conducted interviews with many of the people involved in the film. The book is called 'David Bowie and Cracked actor-The Fly In The Milk' and is due out in September on Red Planet Books. Apart from that I am still produciing club artwork imagery most notably for the Glitterbox global party brand. There will also hopefully be a long delayed Mark Wardel gallery show at some point in the near future.
Contemporary Art by Mark Wardel aka Trademark – TrashDNA (trash-dna.myshopify.com)
Damon Williams is the Bass player for the leather wearing, British heavy metal band Horse London that formed in 1987. He still plays bass as a session musician for bands of the heavy rock genre and still wears plenty of black clothing but is more Rick Owens than Rob Halford when it comes to style. He’s the guy always on the guest list or back stage with a band and when he’s not travelling the world he can usually be found sipping a herbal tea on the Kings Road, Chelsea.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. You’ve worn leather on stage, in your everyday life and for motorcycling, what do you look for when you’re shopping for leather and do any The London Leatherman or P&C pieces spring to mind?
My first significant leather jacket was a Johnson's La Rocka! from Paradise Garage in Cardiff, kudos to that shop for being ahead of the game outside London at that time. Bought it for my 21st, I still have it and it still fits. I've owned and traded many leathers since then, it's always been something that's part of my wardrobe.
I remember, back in the day, with my first publishing money from my band, I invested heavily in made to measure Leather trousers, jackets and waistcoats at Red Balls On Fire in Kensington Market, who I suppose were a kind of Chrome Hearts of the day.
Now I only have two leather jackets, a Lewis Leathers (can I say that?) Super Sportsman sheep hide and an Indian Motorcycles leather with body armour for riding.
I think The London Leatherman has some great unique pieces, favourite amongst them being the Highway Patrol Jacket, also, can't forget about the Galaxy belt, which I've owned for years and have become very attached to.
Q. Spinal Tap references are a running joke amongst you, Dave and your mutual friends. Do you have any memorable ‘Spinal Tap’ moments from being on tour or in the studio with any band?
A. Over the years of touring I've seen some classic examples of some nonsense Spinal Tap moments, some I can't say as I'll never work again but...Up at the top of that list was a festival in Spain where I was watching T*****d S****r from side of the stage where a headset mic on a lead got caught in someone's 'hair' and started pulling off his syrup...That was rough.
Damon Williams (sitting on his motorcycle) wearing full leather, with his band mates from Horse London. Photographed outside the Marquee in London, circa 1989.
Q. You and Dave have a long time mutual interest and appreciation for all sorts of motorcycles from Harley’s to Super Bikes. What are you riding at the moment? Do you have your eye on something you want? What’s been your favourite bike so far?
A. Funnily enough, I actually met Dave around motorcycles, I think it was when he had his BSA chop if I'm not mistaken.
On the subject of motorcycles, since growing up in rural Wales I've been involved with them all my life. I love most things two wheels but they've bitten me back badly a couple of times, one time I broke my arm badly racing Motocross in California and another was when a stolen car pulled out in front of me in London, went over the car and smashed my bike and wrist to bits.
Over the years I've been fortunate enough to own most of the bikes I've wanted and had a nice classic bike collection at one time. I've had some great motorcycling adventures around the world, mostly on Harleys and an Africa Twin.
I think maybe the chase is better than the catch as I've let them all go in search of the next 'one'.....I'd say my favourite bikes so far have been all of them....seriously, looking back I'd have to say it was a black, tuned '80 Ironhead Sportster (which I sold to a film company that threw it off a cliff), close second would be the '76 Norton Commando, also worth a mention, a '98 Wide Glide which was stolen in London, Ducati MHR, and a 1200 mile '77 XT 500.
I'm looking for an Evo Electra Glide in black at the moment but, ultimately if money was no object it would be an XLCR.
Q. For anyone who doesn’t know Horse London how do you explain the band? Your 1989 MTV Headbangers Ball interview makes for interesting viewing!
A. Horse London was formed from an idea I’d had brewing since around 84-85, around that time there was a sharp turnaround when it was ok to be into Rock again, everyone got the Led Zeppelin cassettes out, mainly thanks to The Cult's Love album. Having been around the London clubs, especially Batcave etc you could feel the shift towards Rock again when the Positive punk/Goth scene started to run out of steam.
Bands like Zodiac Mindwarp filled the Rock n Roll vacuum for a while, and as much as I found their image entertaining and interesting, having always been a Rocker at heart something with more of an AC/DC DNA based sensibility appealed to me.
Horse London was a simple concept, a Hard Rock, Punk, Glam melting pot, similar in fact to the Guns & Roses template, delivered honestly and authentically.
Inevitably though, too much too soon and the ‘Live Fast, Die Young’ maxim meant the whole thing imploded big time on the eve of a US tour after we'd just recorded one album.
There have been a few calls from promoters etc to resurrect it recently, we did try but we're all so different now it just didn't work. Musically it still sounded great, as raw and hard as ever but the personalities were just too different after such a long break.
I’ve been quite lucky over the years, through playing bass, to have been able to pick and choose the tours offered. Some worked out really well, others not so much. I haven’t drunk for 10 years so I find it difficult to fit into the Rock n Roll lifestyle these days.
I have a nice bass playing job coming up with a band I’ve liked for a while, lots of good things lined up for later this year/early next.
Q. Many of the Horse London band members have relocated to my home town of Melbourne, Australia and you’ve spent some time recording out there. How would you compare the music, biker and style scenes out there compared to London?
A. Yes, I've spent a lot of time recording and writing in Melbourne over the past few years and I've got to understand and appreciate the city. Certainly met some unique characters...
Melbourne actually has a rich musical heritage, there's an interesting history going back to the Sharpies, and from that scene there's a timeline through to the 12 bar based tradition of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo etc which is where the world picked up on it.
On the subject of how things are in other countries and how they do things, I’m sure Dave will agree with me on this, we were very fortunate to have grown up through the 70’s/80’s Britain with such unique youth cultures and varied musical creativity. The one thing the UK has always got right is music and style. A huge worldwide reach for such a small island….
Q. Every time we see you, you’re about to head off to another part of the world. How is your travel itinerary looking for 2023, do you have any destinations on your travel wish list?
A. Well, I do like to get out and take in as much of this planet as I can, travel broadens the mind and all that….I got back from a month in Colombia in February, Ibiza, Portugal, Finland later this month. On my way to Amsterdam on a guitar buying trip as I write this. Later in the year LA/California for a while, India/Sri Lanka then Japan/Australia to get the tattoo on my back finished by TenTenTattoo.
I’ll be relocating to Europe for a couple of months from May for a change of scenery…So I suppose I do 'get around a bit', I have houses in Mumbles in Wales but it's not my 'home', trying to be a 'citizen of the world' and luckily there's a lot of world out there to go and see..
Dana Gillespie and David Shasha are the co-authors of Dana’s autobiography Weren’t Born A Man (Hawksmoor Publishing), a book that chronicles a life so outrageously cool, glamourous and eventful you find yourself asking ‘How can I be more like Dana?!’ Dana took the Polaroid photo of David Bowie wearing the LW19 Soft Lip Mask circa 1973, which features in her book along side a series of must-see Polaroids.
Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll
Q. Dana, we were initially introduced by the DJ and Art Curator Martin Green to confirm that it is indeed David Bowie under the LW19 leather mask in your famous Polaroid photo. In your autobiography Weren’t Born A Man your time in NYC with David & Angie Bowie is captivating, insightful, fascinating. How did this moment with the leather mask come about?
A. (Dana) Bowie went shopping to a sex shop and came back with a bag of toys and the mask was one of them. I asked him to put it on, snapped the photo, and only people who knew his naked body would know it’s him. He was falling about with laughter at his bag of toys, but I never saw them in action, so I don’t know whether he actually used them or not.
(Left) Mark Wardel’s portrait of Dana Gillespie (2022). (Right) Polaroid by Dana taken in NYC of David Bowie wearing a LW19 leather mask (1973).
Q. David, what was it like delving into Dana’s famous Polaroid archive and to reference them when articulating such an important time in music history and pivotal part of the book?
A. (David) It was incredibly exciting. Dana has boxes of Polaroid photos taken in the early seventies with the camera given to her by Tony Defries (the manager she shared with David Bowie). Funnily enough, many of the pictures of Bowie had been stuck in an album that Dana had given to Tony, and we were thrilled to be able to recover it from Tony Zanetta (who ran Mainman for Defries in the States) while we were working on the book. That was where we found the mask photo.
Q. The London Leatherman masks can be confronting for some people, others find them fascinating, hilarious, kinky and an important piece of sub-culture history. How do you feel about the masks and why do you think artists like David Bowie and Adam Ant were drawn to them?
A. (Dana) Bowie always liked the bizarre, and in a way a lot of his stage act was being an alter ego which is a bit like wearing a mask. He used a mask as part of his stage act but I think that came from when he worked with the wonderful mime artist Lindsay Kemp as the whole part of some of his shows was to be someone else, and a mask helps with that.
Q. David, for anyone that is just now discovering Dana and her work, how do you describe her to them?
A. (David) A force of nature. I have taken many friends to see Dana’s shows in the last few years, and they have all commented on her amazing energy and love of performing. Anyone who has read her book cannot fail to be amazed by her remarkable life.
Q. Dana, reading Weren’t Born A Man feels very intimate, just like sitting in a living room with you as you tell your incredible sex, drugs and rock'n roll/ blues story. One also gets the sense that David Shasha really knows his stuff when it comes to music history and it’s relevant sub-cultures. What would you say were the highlights of collaborating with David Shasha?
A. (Dana) Well, it kept us both relatively sane during the Covid lockdown. We spoke almost daily to work on the book, using Skype and a mobile phone, and it was a lot of fun going through my old scrap books and trawling through old stories that had been distant memories for me. I keep thinking we should do a second volume as so many stories got left out, but at least the book has great photos and we managed to get the Audible version done too, with me reading it of course. It was a great distraction from the pandemic!
Q. Artist Mark Wardel recently painted the cover portrait for the album Dana Gillespie 73 Live At The Tam, it’s a great portrait and quite Bowie-esq. From the hundreds of Dana Gillespie portraits and official photographs created over the years, what are your top three (favourite’s) and why?
A. (Dana) Bowie loved Mark Wardel’s art and so do I as I think he did a really great cover for my album.
I also think that Gered Mankowitz did some amazing photos of me. These were used for the Weren’t Born A Man album as well as the book. Gered has been photographing me since 1964 and he really captured me well when I was in the corset, stockings and suspenders. This might seem a little tame now but back in 1972 it was unheard of, that a singer should be so (un)dressed for an album cover. However, at the same time that this record was released, Bowie was on the cover of his album wearing a dress. Also unheard of then!
The photograph that Terry O’Neill took of me in 1973 was used by Andy Warhol to create the silk screen portrait that was used as the cover of my Mainman album called ‘Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle’ which still looks amazing all these years later. Terry O’neill was always known as one of the top photographers in the 70s and 80s and I consider it an honour that I have an Andy Warhol cover done of it.
A. (David) The first one has to be the cover of Dana’s Weren’t Born A Man album. Dana has already described it, but I can clearly remember one of my schoolmates bringing the vinyl record into school one day and the impact it had on a bunch of testosterone- fueled teenage boys (!) From the same period, there is a great photo taken by Mick Rock at the Cafe Royal in London in July 1973, at a party to mark the “retirement” of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character. Dana is sitting at a table of real rock royalty – with Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Bowie, Jeff Beck and Mick Ronson. And staying with that period, Lee Black Childers took a photo of Dana, Tony Defries and Bowie at the Roundhouse in 1971, which I have always liked.
Q. Ken, the founder of The London Leatherman label started his career making and selling his clothing on the Kings Road, Chelsea. In the 1960s he made frill shirts that Mick Jagger wore and men’s trousers so tight it left very little to the imagination. Both being Chelsea locals, what was the Kings Road really like in the 60s & 70s?
A. (Dana) I had a great time in Chelsea in the 60s and 70s. The King’s Road was a cool place to go as you could sit in a cafe and watch the world go by and as mini skirts had just been invented, guys would oggle the birds and the girls would swagger and strut their stuff, feeling great in either mini skirts or colourful hippie outfits. Sadly, the King’s Road is now just full of the same old shops you find everywhere and the individuality has gone, and anyway these days if you tried to chat up a girl you’d probably get arrested. It was much more fun back in the day!
A. (David) (No idea – I grew up in Manchester!!)
Q. If you were to pick just one person, who's inspiring you the most, creatively, right now in 2023?
A. (Dana) No one is very inspiring these days. I’ve just come back from the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and the best band there was the Zombies, also from the 60s, so not much thrills me artistically or musically these days. Also, the music of the 60s and 70s will be remembered far longer than anything that any songs that comet now. Maybe it’s because they all sound the same and melody isn’t the priority. Money seems to be the motivation and all these so called talent shows on TV just highlight a get- rich- quick attitude. Everyone wants to be a celebrity which is a joke. You have to earn your stripes!
A. (David) Ian Hunter, former lead singer of seventies glam rockers Mott the Hoople, will shortly be celebrating his 84th birthday and is about to release a new album – with another scheduled for release later in the year.
Q. Do you have a favourite leather wearing musician?
A. (Dana) Sadly, I can’t think of any. From the old days, I’d say that the guys from Kiss, or Alice Cooper or Suzi Quatro has some style.
A. (David) I would have said Jim Morrison, but Dana has just reminded me about Suzi Quatro… !!
Q. Do you have any upcoming projects you're working on together or individually you can disclose here?
A. (Dana) I’m always working on new songs so this keeps me busy in-between doing gigs which keeps me on the road.
A. (David) Dana is always busy- if it hadn’t been for Lockdown we would probably still be working on the book now. We have had some conversations about a follow-up, so you never know…
Dana and David's book Weren’t Born A Man the autobiography can be purchased directly from the publisher here: Dana Gillespie Book and eBook - Weren't Born a Man (hawksmoorpublishing.com)
The audiobook, read by Dana, is available on Audible. Dana Gillespie by Dana Gillespie, David Shasha - Audiobook - Audible.co.uk
