Collaborator Profile- Jason Watt

Jason Watt- Graphic Designer and Photographer. We collaborate with Jason on many of the graphics and print artworks for The London Leatherman, Pride & Clarke and Dave Carroll LND labels. Jason's known Dave since they were both teenagers, they speak the same language when it comes to sub-culture references and style, with the 80s club scene, Seditionaries and Worlds End being their mutual interests. Their collaboration style will often be as simple as a phone call or text resulting with Jason producing exactly what Dave wants to achieve out of a graphic whether it be reworking something from the archive or something completely new.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Do you remember when or how you and Dave first met? Apparently you were wearing a maroon corduroy blazer, black Sedtionaies Bondage trousers, black Seditionaries leather boots!

A. He says I was wearing a maroon cord blazer with Seditionaries black bondage trousers and Seds ‘antichrist’ boots. It was a great look on a 17 year old in ’83 because so much of that SEX & Seditionaries look was long gone to mohicans and nihilist punk caricature. I seem to think I was wearing some Viv Pirate gear but his memory for clothes is encyclopedic so he's probably right. It was over 40 years ago, I’ve destroyed a lot of brain cells since then. However, I do remember vividly the both of us clocking each other whilst we were in a club, maybe The Mud Club, and he came over with that beaming smile of his and his first line was ‘You look fucking excellent’ I said something like ‘you beat me to it’ and we had a right laugh that night. Clothes can do wonders like that. First impressions are powerful. The language of clothes and how people wear them opened up more of the world to me. 

 Q. How has the London club scene (of the 80s)/ Seditionaries/ Worlds End influenced you personally or your work style?

A. The core of punk was self expression and I really took on board the anarchy shirt slogan ‘try subversion’. I’ve always preferred the combination of a well cut quality suit (charity shops were full of them in those days for pence) mixed with leather and studded LLM belts and wristbands and Seds boots. You were showing the adults you could play their game but you chose to do it your way and with a message. That’s probably why I always preferred Johnny to Sid when it came to clothing, attitude and style. Westwood, McLaren, The Pistols, Dave, along with my other punk pals Rowland and Rob being kids hanging out with the band Brigandage, (the Michelle, Richard, Scott and Ben lineup) gave this kid the sense of playful and politically aware perspective I was looking for in my public image. The club scene…well that was just fantastic. A huge playground of different music and styles.

So much anticipation for the weekend….I worked in a chippy in the evenings, all week just so I had enough dough to pay for Friday night, and give my Mum some money as well. I’d leave early, scrub the smell off, feed the cats with lovely fresh fish and I was in town. On the town. The big meet up place was The Spice of Life (Soho) boozer and it was full of faces and all sorts of styles all eager to kick the weekend right off. To a young 17 year old going to a place like the Batcave where Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and The Cavemen, Einsturzende Neubaten were playing and then hanging out with everyone in what looked like a scene out of a crazy Dracula movie was life changing. The first time I went to the Mud Club I walked right along the huge snakelike queue up to ‘Madame' Sallon, who always looked tremendous and I said something like 'its really cold in the queue let me in' he just smiled and let me in. Every week I bowled right up wearing Westwood mostly, I took notice of him, had a laugh or a cheeky comment and he’d let me in for free. It was ace. That’s when I fully realised clothes and attitude could actually open doors.

How did the scene affect my work style…with the rawness of the music and lyrics, the delving into history, the juxtaposing and fusion of ideas and styles was an essential part of how I went on to approach my own creative work. Not being typical. A friend once said to me, if you ask someone how they are and the only thing that can say is ‘well I’ve got my health’ he said they’re finished. Energy, vitality and hope come from curiosity and playfulness. 

Q. How would you articulate yours and Dave's collaborative style?

A. I think we're like brothers in a world of laughs and ideas. We’re both sort of boffins, geeks, English eccentrics whatever you wanna phrase it as, we are not looking for conformity in order to feel comfortable. Being fascinated, wanting to dig a bit deeper are what we are together. With goofy throwback humour from the days of not taking yourself too seriously even though underneath it all we are really quite serious about our interests. So the phrase…. 'Ooh, you are awful, but I like you.’ ...pretty much sums us up.

(Left) Graphics and logos designed by Jason. (Right) Jason wearing a Sid ‘R’ Padlock T-shirt and a Pistols Belt at his home in Wiltshire.

Q. How did you come to be a photographer/ graphic designer? How would you describe your work? You’ve worked for high-end fashion houses, crossed over into still life photography… you have a Londoner vs Wiltshire life…

A. I’m a classic dabbler. I want everything all at once. I can’t stop myself wanting to try stuff out. So work wise I keep on trying new things. I have a 5 year thing. You can get really good at something in 5 years. There are a lot of 5 year chunks in all of us. 

Its a strange thing change. A lot of people are afraid of it, or lazy about it. I came from a lot of family upheaval and personal illness at a very early age so I’ve learnt how you adapt. There are plenty of times when you think that things couldn’t get any better than this, at other time’s you think that things can’t get worse, but I know from experience they definitely bloody can. I’m in my 50’s now and I appreciate how a life well lived brings the knowledge that you can handle those dynamics. These days my wits are way more important than unabashed energy. As I write this I’m pouring a drink from a lead crystal decanter and into a wine glass both of which I made, handblown. I’ve made furniture and interior features to commission and featured in window displays for Paul Smith and Liberties and the like. I’ve travelled the world installing graphics I’ve designed for serious bluechips like Microsoft and Boeing, which was a lot of pressure and a hell of a lot of fun. I’ve shot the world’s top models backstage at fashion shows as an in-house photographer. English modesty demands I shouldn’t blow my own trumpet so blatantly but why be shy? I’m proud of my achievements, I don’t seek fame, far from it. No website, it’s all word of mouth. I love working with friends, doing stuff I’m interested in and getting paid in some way for it. There's no appreciation like someone actually shelling out for your work or services. Sod empty praise. 

The transition from old Laaandon town to the sticks was an easy one in terms of newness, I was newly married (never thought I’d do that!) and we agreed that bringing a child up in the country with our London sensibilities was best. I grew up far too fast in some ways because of city pressures and attractions. I also love the colours of the countryside so that was an exciting new environment to immerse myself in and learn about. You make your own entertainment here and you find the people that want to create the best of that as you get amongst it. Mind you, I really do miss the variety of the city in terms of gigs and food. But I’m only a hour on the train to Paddington so I get to play in the big smoke and live in the fresh air. These days crashing overnight is in a friend’s spare room not a sofa in a squat.

 Q. What are your favourite The London Leatherman pieces and why?

A. Studs, leather, buckles and zips, shiny, slinky and bold. Love it. The London Leatherman and the people who wear it are a rich and diverse cross-section of life. From princesses and pervs to rockers and rejects. The attraction is on a tribal level. Statement pieces to symbolise subversive self awareness, animal sexuality and just pure pleasure. My favourite pieces stick out, literally. They remind you you’re wearing them with their weight and sensuality, people notice them and they are in their own way, works of art on the body. My favourites are the ones I wear regularly like the Galaxy and Pistols belts but there’s lots of goodies yet to try.

Q. Is there a The London Leatherman piece you would like to add to your collection and why?

A. From the complete back catalogue, that’s my secret, but on the face of things the leather strides are on my list of wants, oh and a special order Kansas Jacket (aka Centurion Jacket) in dark olive leather would be a dream, the leather and hardware you use is so damned good. I nick shekels from the holiday fund jar to pay for them but I keep getting caught and getting my hand slapped. Naughty boy.

My next item will be a Centurion studded choker, (I’d wear it instead of a silk cravat) with some serious evening wear. Now I wanna be a dog. 

Q. Do you have a favourite The London Leatherman, P&C or Dave Carroll LND artwork you've done? And why?

A. Dave has some great ideas so it makes my design work for him easier to do. I love the Flowers of Romance and the R Tee's. They have backstory and twists in the tale.

I particularly like the DC logo I did, DC (Dave Carroll) didn't pick my favourite of the options I presented him with but  I don’t have a beef with that because I’ve learnt the hard way, offering designs I don’t like to clients and they invariably picked them! I know it means I’ve done my job well, but its way more satisfying if everyone is happy at the end. Preferably with a cocktail in hand. 

Q. What are you working on for 2023? With your business Millefleur, personally, or with Dave…

A. My wife Pearl was a Design Director for some prestigious Fashion houses and then she decided she wanted a less high pressure environment and so she went back to her roots, literally, and started her sustainable floristry business, Millefleur. That was in January 2020 and we all know what happened next. As soon as the pandemic hit all my photography work dried up and we got hammered financially. However we all had to make the best of a bad deal as freelance creatives so it meant we could concentrate on building her brand and stylistic identity. With my photography and her wonderful creations she has built an impressive body of work and made a lot of people happy with it. Then last year I got cancer. It set us staggering on all fronts. I finally got the all-clear a day before Christmas Eve, woohoo, so to say we had a very Merry Christmas is an understatement. The energy and zest for life I have now is now focused on completing the plans and dreams we have at home. Finance is now in place so that I can start building the three unusual dwellings in our field along with a natural swimming lake. They will be filled with work made by friends such as pottery thrown using our own clay etc. giving a showcase of work that is constantly evolving and all for sale. Continuing side projects with Dave are in the pipeline so keep watching this space for some ‘fucking excellent’ stuff.

Collaborator Profile- Fats Shariff

Fats Shariff has fashion in his blood coming from a family who supplies the manufacturing for Britain’s biggest fashion brands and conglomerates. A real West Londoner who can’t walk ten strides down Portobello Road on a Friday without bumping into someone he knows, Fats is known for his rudeboy meets Texan cowboy style with a piece of The London Leatherman thrown on for good measure. He almost always has a camera around his neck- he takes a great photo.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Fats! I distinctly remember the first time I met you, you came round to see Dave when we were living on Gun Street, in Spitafields circa 2008, we were having a party, the front door was jammed so you arrived through the window! But, after all these years I don’t actually know how you and Dave came to be friends, do you remember how you met?

A. Oh my god yes the window entrance that was so much fun, hah…what a night! East London was a lot more fun then!!! Well I really met Dave in 1995/96 when I was working for YMC, Fraser Moss introduced us. Dave had a label he’d done in Japan and we were all about developing things for Japan. 

Also, I knew of Dave through Portobello Market, but really it was the YMC meeting that brought us fools together : )

*Fraser Moss- Design Director at YMC

Q. You’ve collaborated with Dave on projects in the past, do you have any fond memories of these projects? How would you describe yours and Dave’s collaborative style?

A. Yes, we ended up working on a clothing collection for women in 96 or 97, I believe I still have all the sketches and mood boards we made, all hand drawn, photocopied and stuck on with glue, way before Photoshop or Illustrator etc. We had a lot of fun, that was the key word FUN. We had the same childhood references and were both into the same things. Plus, we knew what the hell we liked and what we wanted to put out there. Damn, what was the name of the collection…Dave came up with it…I remember him insisting on putting these clear PVC pockets on the garments where you would put the brand logo as a card insert…still love that idea…took me a minute to like it though…(remember Dave, hah!) I need to go off and find those boards. If we dropped that now I reckon we would make a killing!

I would say our work style was a lot of laughs and giggles, but we got shit done.

Q. You’re known for your style and everyone knows you love clothes, how do you style your The London Leatherman pieces?

A. For me the The London Leatherman bits I have are everyday items, the dome stud bracelets are never off my wrist, the belts the same. Day to day though I wear the leather jeans!!!

With the leather jeans I treat them like my everyday (denim) jeans, I’ll wear them with a T-shirt, hoody or shirt…with a pair of AF1’s or my boots, mostly cowboy boots…I might even throw my Concho belt on with them too. My The London Leather pieces are staples for me, everyday wear.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces? And why?

A. The leather jeans, the 1976 style !!! The leather is so incredible and the workman ship….QUALITY…When I put on those jeans, I feel sexy as fuck and hell they look so good…I can’t go a week without wearing them.

Fats Shariff wearing some of his The London Leatherman pieces

Q. You’ve always got something ‘cool’ you’re working on, with some ‘cool’ artist or label. Are you working on anything at the moment you can talk about?

A. Hah, right now I’m working with some great young streetwear labels in the UK, who are making big waves. I always like to be working with the new, seeing what’s coming up. It’s what keeps me excited and inspired. We have some great talent here which we tend to forget and not nurture enough. That’s always been my thing, help bring people up….show them that the industry’s not full of sharks and that there’s ways of doing it without selling out.

Q. What’s Uncle Fats Chats?

A. Hah…Uncle Fats Chats… So, this is a platform where I’ll be talking about love, life and business and not in that certain order. I’ll pick topics, talk about them and hope to get feedback and engage with people. I’ve had a lot of situations in my life, that have made me realise we all need a pick up, we all need that Good Uncle that gets you back up, makes you feel bigger and better…makes you feel you are not alone and yes it is tough out there. But we can all traverse this terrain together for the better. I want to motivate, empower and inspire people to be their better self. By doing this I also become better, a challenge aired is challenge solved. We have one life, so best live it well. As my friend Dee says, ‘This ain’t not dress rehearsal’

Q. What does 2023 look like for you?

A. 2023 is where I take my power back. I’ll do what I want to do and what brings me joy. That does not mean I will stop working, far from it, just means I will focus on where I can make a difference. Utilize my skills and knowledge to make a better today and tomorrow for me, because if I can do this for me, it will be better for all around me. Bring some control back. I want to work to live, not live to work…we have done enough of the latter already. Time to change the mindset…even at 56 I have still so much to do and accomplish and I will!

Collaborator Profile- Simon Hearn

Simon Hearn, Radio Presenter, DJ and sometimes maker of rubber fetish clothing, Simon made some rubber tops for the La Rocka79 label, a collaboration with Dave and Lloyd Johnson. Dave was the first guest Simon interviewed in 2019 for his radio show England’s Dreaming on a station that was then called Totally Wired Radio, they talked about the revival of The London Leatherman label and their mutual interest in all things punk rock.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You’re what some people would call an anorak when it comes to punk rock and post punk music, you’re also a collector of clothes and paraphilia from the era. What’s your take on how The London Leatherman fits into the genre?

A. I’m a record collector, I’ve been into records since my mum used to take me into Woolworths every Saturday morning and buy me something in the top 40. I loved T.Rex, Alice Cooper, The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, and Gary Glitter, I was obsessed with Gary Glitter. I used to put ‘Leader Of The Gang’ on and take all my clothes off and run up and down the front room.

When punk broke it was around the time my mum died and I was upset and angry, punk was the perfect soundtrack for my emotions. I liked all the regular suspects The Pistols, Clash, Stranglers, Damned, Gen X, Buzzcocks, 999, X-Ray Spex, Sham, the whole sherbang..

I have a thought process that wants and needs to collect a bands complete discography, that includes solo projects and what members do after that band split up. The clothes were as important as the records. To get the look right, you had to work at it, for some it was ok to just be a jeans and Harrington kind of guy, for others DIY lead the way, but you had to get the right gear to hit the mark.

Dave said to me once, when we first went to Seditionaries and bought something you bought something Rotten or Sid wore, you wanted to look like a Sex Pistol and the lesser-known items (at that time) were not as urgent to own.

If you were into how you looked back then, it was Johnsons La Rocka! for a good leather, Robot for the best creepers, Seditionaries for the glamour and The London Leatherman for the studs and belts. That atheistic still stands, it’s a very mod way of thinking, you can generally buy stuff cheaper at other places, but you get what you pay for, you have to decide, do you want to look ‘upmarket’ or from ‘up the market’!

Simon Hearn in Central London in the 80s and a very small fraction of his records he would play for his radio show England’s Dreaming.

Q. I’ve heard you speak about a time and scene in London in the 80s where a group of bands evolved that implemented the The London Leatherman/ Seditionaries/ punk rock look into their style. What was this scene? Who were these bands? And is this how you met Dave?

A. As the eighties began punk was at a crossroads, the original bands and punks were being pulled into Rockabilly, goth, post-punk and mod. Younger spiky tops like myself were pulled into the fury of UK82 punk and Oi! That version of punk ran out of steam around 1983/84, the various other subcultures like psychobilly (I know Dave was hanging around with King Kurt), goth and mod had had their moments, but by 1985 there was a vacuum to fill (if you didn’t think U2 and The Smiths was where it’s at).

Around this time, out of the ashes of Generation X Tony James formed Sigue Sigue Sputnik with Martin Degville who had a shop (Pure Sex) in the basement of Kensington Market. At the same time Mick Jones has a vision of fusing the sound of Def Jam hip hop with his ‘punk’ guitar sound from The Clash. Back to Gen X, Derwood was putting together Electronic Chuck Berry sounds with Elizabeth Westwood and together these people invented the genre ‘Beatbox Rock ‘N’ Roll’ the clothes were Johnsons leathers, Pure Sex rubberwear and t shirts, Boy ‘eagle’ tops, Triumph belts, old Seditionaries t shirts, George Cox creepers and a The London Leatherman belt (or two). At the same time, out of the ashes of ‘positive punks’ Brigandage, twins Ben and Scott Addison formed Boys Wonder, a glorious mix of The Sweet, Antony Newley, Sex Pistols, The Who and the Cockney Rejects. Boys Wonder were the first people I’d ever seen wearing Seditionaries clobber teamed with early seventies big collar shirts and kipper ties. Twenty Flight Rockers (another former Generation X member (Mark Laff) along with Gary Twinn turbocharged The Clash with Gene Vincent looking like Ace Cafe pin ups from ‘The Leather Boys’ film 1964, their purposed debut album was going to be called ‘Nine yards of dead Cow’ just to emphasize just how much leather was on stage. Matthew Ashman and Paul Cook's Chiefs of Relief took Big Audio Dynamites template, added a slab of Dave Hill’s guitar and sounded dynamite. Around Soho these bands were totally on the money and were faces, but outside the M25 (apart from BAD and Sputnik), no-one knew who they were. All of these bands did have coverage in the NME and Sounds, but to a bare minimum, the weeklies were too busy getting a hard on over R.E.M, Sonic Youth and The Waterboys. It felt like bands that worked on their look were less worthy than the jeans and cardigan brigade. Other beatbox Rock ‘N’ Rollers were the Pocket Rockets, Lightning Strike, Romeo Streetgang, Scarlet Fantastic, CSM 101 & and Queen B.

Which brings to mind Malcolm’s epitaph ‘Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success’.

Q. How would you describe the Pocket Rockets to someone who knows nothing about them?

A. All great pop is made by blaggers and chancers. The Pocket Rockets rode their luck. Signing to MCA, rocking out on a tour with Big Audio Dynamite and the Chiefs of Relief. They were a more council estate version of BAD, being a bright five minute wonder, one single and then in true punk rock fashion, they split up.

Q. The mystery band CSM101 I know very little about, did you ever see them play? What were they like?

A. I first saw CSM101 support Boys Wonder at The Marquee, first thing I noticed was the bass player had an empire state quiff, their sound was described as ‘Ted Metal’.

Q. You’ve been on the fetish scene for a long time and are a respected DJ at the famous Torture Garden events. Fetish and punk rock go hand in hand, why do you think this is?

A. I think the whole fetish club scene first grew out of the gothic scene in the mid eighties. The soundtrack to the first events I went to was the same as that at the Batcave and the KitKat Club. At that time you could really only get primitive latex vests from Zeitgeist in Soho between Wardour Street and Berwick Street, as you got older and became wore aware of what you could and should get, you started to see how forward thinking Malcolm McLaren had been back in 74/75. Even now at an event it’s generally only around 15% of the male crowd that ‘dress up’ and currently in vogue for men at a fetish night is a leather harness, black underpants and their work shoes. The saying ‘I’m Sparticus’ springs to mind. There’s a major difference to how women and men approach choosing an outfit for a fetish night. Women want to look good and be sexy, they also want other women to appreciate their outfit, their shoes, their make up, the whole package. Most men dress just to get in, but the ones that do dress up are real dandies.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces and why?

A. I love the Pistol belt as it’s the one favoured by Steve Jones (always my favourite Sex Pistol). I like wearing it with a pair of electric pink pegs I had made with a pair of George Cox black suede Jodhpur boots. I also really liked the red Rabbit ‘R’ Sid T shit Dave made a few years ago.

Q. I’ve seen you and Dave go into deep conversation on many occasions. What are your mutual interests? What is it that you talk about at such lengths!?

A. It’s quite easy to be into punk and like ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ or a ‘tit’s’ T shirt. But, it’s about joining the dots, knowing what it lead to, what it achieved, who came out of it with any credit, the power struggle and debating your view point on who was more important and whose ideas they were i.e Vivienne or Malcolm’s? Everyone generally has an opinion and a ‘side’ when it comes to punk rock history.

Q. Your show England’s Dreaming was a success and your interview style captivating, will you be continuing with the show in some way? Are you working on anything at the moment you can talk about?

A. For most radio, punk is ‘Pretty Vacant,’ ‘I fought the Law.’ ‘New Rose.’ Sid Vicious dies and everybody then likes Joy Division. Not everyone wanted to put on their mums frock and pounce about to Japan. Punk got pulled in different ways, with the Subs, Crass, Exploited it went more council estate, that period does seam to get airbrushed out of the story. Theatre of Hate, Killing Joke and Bow Wow Wow was a more tribal, pre-goth. The Stray Cats, The Meteors, The Cramps, Robert Gordon forged a rockabilly and the psychobilly scene was very important and enjoyable, but didn't really have anywhere to go. When I started ‘England’s Dreaming’ I wanted to play album tracks and people like Twenty Flight Rockers and Boys Wonder.

Q. As an avid collector of records, do you have any favourites?

A. Here are my top 10 albums of all time

1 . Sex Pistols – Never mind the bollocks here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)

2 . The Clash – London Calling (1979)

3 . Siouxsie and the Banshees – Juju (1981)

4 . Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)

5 . Pulp – Different Class (1995)

6 . The Cramps – Songs the lord taught Us (1980)

7 . The B-52’s – The B-52’s (1979)

8 . The Who – Quadrophina (1973)

9 . Cockney Rejects – Greatest Hits Volume 1 (1980)

10 . Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses (1987)

Collaborator Profile- Smeg

Smeg, he’s the lead singer of the psychobilly band King Kurt, has big hair and a big grin and we’d describe Smegs style as Lee Marvin meets Gene Vincent, Smeg knows his kit. Smeg and Dave have been friends since the early 80s, the first time they met Smeg was wearing a McLaren Westwood ‘F*** Your Mother’ Seditionaries T-shirt.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Leather and rock’n’roll, they go hand in hand, do you have any leather wearing rock’n’ rollers you consider a style icon? And why?

A. As you’ve already mentioned, Gene Vincent is surely the best leather clad icon, he had it all, style, the voice, the moves. But, also The Sex Pistols influenced me greatly in my teens and I always wanted the same leather strides, I bought a pair at age 60! Too old? Never for leather.

Q. You were a punk rocker before becoming one of the pioneers of the Psychobilly genre in the early 80s. How would you articulate the transition from Punk Rock to Psychobilly?

A. The Cramps, The Cramps were the transition. For me at the time I was into Rock’a’Billy and into Punk Rock, I was wearing Seditionaries bondage trousers but with 1950s jackets and a bright red flat top (hair style). And the Cramps, they summed up everything in their song Garbage Man ‘One half hillbilly and one half punk’ this made perfect sense to me, this was Psychobilly.

Q. In 2010 you invited Dave and I down to a King Kurt gig in Islington, my first time experiencing King Kurt. Pre-show people kept rolling their eyes at me, saying ‘ooh, you shouldn’t have worn that/ those shoes are going to get ruined/ do you not know what goes on at a King Kurt show’!  For anyone that doesn’t know who King Kurt are, how do you describe the band to them?

A. You should’ve seen the mess in the 80s, we were banned from everywhere! Our music is good time Rhythm & Blues/ Rock’n’Roll/ Country/ Punk with its feet in the dirt (literally, in those days). We f***ed ourselves in the a*se though with the ‘highbrow’ music press for not having a political agenda. Our aim was and still is to have a good night out.

Q. Many people know King Kurt for your performance of ‘Destination Zulu Land’ on the British television show Top Of The Pops in 1983. How was this experience for you?

A. TOTP was a dream come true, it was the biggest music show for everyone of my generation. We were there from 8am doing what we did best, getting wasted! We hung out with UB40 for a bit (I still had one!) and I managed to upset one of the presenters -DLT a very rude, humorless twat. Like most ‘funny’ people he didn’t like being on the receiving end of a joke. We signed our contract with Stiff Records that day in the studio, then hopped on a train to Leeds for a gig. A good day out.

Q. Yours and Dave’s friendship covers many mutual interests from clothing to motorcycles, bully breed dogs to music. Do you remember the earlier years of how you met? Any fond memories?

A. Some memories are best left in the haze of history! But I can say we’ve done some crazy sh*t together over the years!

Q. There’s a legendary story I’ve heard of you going into Seditionaries and Jordan dressing you. How did this come about?

A. I was 16 and just got my first pay cheque, so went to Seditionaries to spend it. Jordan (Mooney aka Pamela Rooke) and I used to have a mutual friend who would pass messages to her from me and on this occasion Vivienne (Westwood) and Jordan were in the shop, they got me dressed in a full outfit and I stood in front of the mirror and declared ‘you’d f*** me!’ whilst fake masturbating. They were in stitches (laughing) and people were being brought in off the street to witness the spectacle! Vivienne gave me a parachute shirt, I was over the moon. Years later, I lent it to someone and never saw it again. But, I used to save up and buy loads of the stuff and had quite a bit in the end, sadly all was lost in a house fire during the 1984 Riots in Brixton.

(Left) Smeg wears Sir Tom Baker Sequined Tux Jacket with The London Leatherman 1976 Leather Jeans and Pistols Belt. (Middle) Smeg in the 80s with his exaggerated Psychobilly quiff, photo by Patrick Gilbert. (Right) Smeg wearing his The London Leatherman Leather Jeans styled with Pistols Belt, Lewis Leathers Jacket & Burberry Coat.

Q. A couple of years back you self-styled a The London Leatherman look fused with the legendary tailoring of Sir Tom Baker. How would you describe this look?

A. I’ve paired my The London Leatherman 1976 Leather Jeans with Tom’s Sequined Tux Jacket, a frock coat he made for me and what is called The Gutter To Gala Suit which is a kind of punk rock/ The Sex Pistols/ Johnny Rotten inspired thing.

Tom loves punk rock too.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces?

A. I love my leather jeans. But, the LV4 Jeans Style Jacket is one of my faves, I love my Pistols Belt too, the leather jeans are never worn without it!

Q. Are you working on any projects for 2023 you can disclose/ talk about?

A. I’ve got a new suit on the bubble with Tom and with the band we’re rehearsing regularly with a view of producing something new. Shows start in mid-May in Lewes and there’s a London show on June 23rd at The Underworld in Camden.

Collaborator Profile- Paul ‘Spiv’ Smith

Paul ‘Spiv’ Smith, is as his name suggests, a wheeler and dealer with a knack for sourcing rare punk rock and post punk clothing and paraphernalia, we have a couple of items in the The London Leatherman archive sourced by Paul. Paul and Dave are bonded by the London nightclubs they both went to in the 80s and the designers they wore during that era.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You and Dave went to a lot of the same nightclubs and venues on the 80s and wore a lot of the same designers. What clubs? What designers? Do you remember each other/ have any fond memories of this time?

A. In the late 70’s early 80’s I frequented many of the “in” shops: Seditionaries, Johnson’s La Rocka!, Beaufort Market, The Great Gear Market, Kensington Market, Boy, The Last Resort and Worlds End to name a few.

I became friends with Dave (and Bridget) on a chance meeting at the Groucho club around 10 years ago now. We realised that we had attended the same shops, gigs, clubs in the past without actually ever meeting.  

Clubs included The Mud Club, The Dirt Box, The Wag …... In the 80’s, the list of clubs was as long as your arm. 

We also realised we were interested is the same music, clothes and “Punk Rock” fashion or anti fashion depending how you view it….…(and of course the vintage toys). Our friendship grew from then on.

Paul ‘Spiv’ Smith’s collection of vintage The London Leatherman clothing. Photos courtesy Paul Smith.

Q. The items you come across in your work are impressive. How would you describe what you do and the genre of material you collect/deal-in?

A. The best way to describe it is that I pick up pieces and items on my travels and find them a new home.

As a kid, I was a “swapper” of my toys: Action Men, Major Matt Mason, skateboards, gum cards etc and loved all U.S. Toys. As a 60’s child, all the toys that passed through my hands, TV, Film and Sci Fi related items seem to have become very desirable. I rarely threw stuff away including my Punk Rock clothes, which in later years have become highly collectible. 

Q. The London Leatherman archive of clothing and accessories is vast. However, sourcing items from the old catalogues or items worn by people of significance are key for many collectors. What tips do you have for collectors or those looking to start collecting vintage The London Leatherman?

For me, in recent years I’ve just happened to come across pieces. But, in the 70s a friend had a The London Leatherman 3 row pyramid studded wrist band which he bought from Seditionaries. I hounded and pestered him for it and I eventually swapped it for my copy of Anarchy in the UK on EMI. (Not sure what that’s worth today). I then managed to get the matching belt from him. I later bought a leather cap from Frisco Leathers in the Great Gear Market (it was less of a walk down the Kings Road.) I’m not sure if Ken supplied them as well.

In those days I was totally unaware just how relevant The London Leatherman was to the scene. Looking back now I have come to realise the importance of The London Leatherman. Retrospectively is seems that anybody who was anybody wore “The Kit” at some point.

Q. You’ve had quite a lot of vintage The London Leatherman pieces over the years, do any of these pieces stick out for you? And why?

A. Over the years I’ve acquired various vintage items for the Pride & Clarke and The London Leatherman archives and am always on the hunt for absolutely anything that catches my eye.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Belt Loop Key Rings

Our superior Belt Loop Key Rings are back in black leather, red leather and chrome look (silver) leather.

In the 1970s The London Leatherman offered a belt loop with D-ring to slide onto your belt like the one’s we offer as complimentary when you buy a belt from Shop — The London Leatherman today. In 2019 we released this more functional version of the Belt Loop Key Ring accessory with snap popper fastening so that you can add and release your keys from your belt with ease, and for 2023 like the originals we’ve studded them.

The London Leatherman model (left) wearing a Belt Loop Key Ring on his belt, 1975 . Photo by Colin Clarke

The legend of The London Leatherman Head Mask, LW11 & LW19

Adam Ant wore his onstage. Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood put a picture of it on a T-Shirt. Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls) owned one in silver leather.

The leather Head Mask is a garment that featured consistently in The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ mail order catalogues from 1971 through to the 1990s, available predominately in black leather it was also offered in silver and in red leather too.

The new for 2021 LW19 Head Mask

The new for 2021 LW19 Head Mask

Page from the The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ Catalogue 1974 featuring the LW11 & LW19 mask with detachable blindfold.

Page from the The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ Catalogue 1974 featuring the LW11 & LW19 mask with detachable blindfold.

A true underground fetish item that clients would order from Ken (Heddle Magson) discretely, until, like many The London Leatherman designed items it made its way into the public eye, taking on a life of it’s own in the mid-1970s, a life that included being worn on stage by Adam Ant for his first gig at the ICA in May 1977 in London and being featured on T-shirts designed by Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood that are today held in the V&A and The Met Museum collections (scroll to bottom of page for pictures).

Here we wanted to address the legend that follows The London Leatherman mask, the association to the boutique SEX, the influence it had on Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood and Alan Selby (who later founded Mr. S Leather) and the implications that a The London Leatherman mask was worn by the convicted criminal named by the press as the Cambridge rapist. We feel the best way to do this is to share with you the article that featured in the Sunday Mirror in 1975. See the scan and relevant text below:

Cambridge rapist mask (3.1).png

Page 4. Sunday Mirror, May 11, 1975

By George Martin, Terry Willows and Chris Hampson.

The trail of the Cambridge rapist led last week to the world of London’s ‘kinky gear’ shops.

There on Friday, Sunday Mirror reporters bought two black leather hoods from separate shops. Identical to the one worn by the rapist. Not many of these masks have been sold in Britain and police believe that the Cambridge maniac bought his mask from one of the same sources.

The man who makes the sinister hoods is 37 year old Heddle Magson. He runs a shop called The London Leatherman in Queenstown Road, Battersea.

He supplies them to two shops in Chelsea, as well as running an export and mail order business. Mr. Magson estimates that he has sold about 100 since Christmas.

The hoods cost £10.25 each- with or without a zip across the mouth- complete with detachable Lone Ranger type eye masks. These hoods cover the head, with eye slits, a shaped nose space, mouth slit and laces up the back. Mr. Magson, tall and slim with a ring in his left ear, said: “I’ve already had the police here. I gave them two names. I went through the records for them. I didn’t let them go through my files. I have a kind of doctor relationship with my clients. I treat my business with confidentiality.” One of our hoods was brought from Magson’s shop and with it he gave us two brochures.

One- Exotica- consists of bizarre leatherwear.

Mr. Magson said “The names I gave to police were of clients in the Cambridge area.”

Does Mr. Magson not worry that he may unwittingly be selling such equipment to mentally unbalanced people such as the rapist?

He replied: “How does one make that judgement?”

‘Normal guy’

“He doesn’t have two heads and five legs. In genuine circumstances he could be an absolutely normal guy.”

One of the other shops selling the hood, in Kings Road, Chelsea, simply has the word “SEX” in 3ft.- high mauve letters above the door.

The manager, Mr. Michael Collins, said: “I have sold a dozen hoods in eight months. I can’t remember much about most of the people. But there was one chap who bought one a couple of months ago. He was short and dressed in a black leather jacket, dark trousers and black boots. He was carrying a motor-cyclist’s crash helmet. Last week he came in again and bought a rubber hood with no eye slits and only a rubber tube to breathe through the mouth.”

Half a mile away at another shop in New Kings Road, Mr. Alan Selby said: “I know most of my customers personally. One is a millionaire and managing director of one of the best know firms in the land. I’ve met his wife too. They use my gear for their private sex. I have never, as far as I know, sold a mask to someone from the Cambridge area.” ….. (end text).

The London Leatherman LW11 Head Mask made front page news in May 1975. It was thought at the time that the criminal may have worn a LLM mask, he didn’t.

The London Leatherman LW11 Head Mask made front page news in May 1975. It was thought at the time that the criminal may have worn a LLM mask, he didn’t.

Adam Ant wearing The London Leatherman LW19 Head Mask and The London Leatherman LB9 Ring Clipper Bikini with Zip, May 1977.

Adam Ant wearing The London Leatherman LW19 Head Mask and The London Leatherman LB9 Ring Clipper Bikini with Zip, May 1977.

Michael Collins, Manager of the boutique SEX as interviewed for the Sunday Mirror newspaper wearing a version of the T-shirt designed by McLaren & Westwood featuring the LW19 Head Mask. Photographer Homer Sykes

Michael Collins, Manager of the boutique SEX as interviewed for the Sunday Mirror newspaper wearing a version of the T-shirt designed by McLaren & Westwood featuring the LW19 Head Mask. Photographer Homer Sykes

Steve Jones (right) wearing the T-shirt by Maclaren & Westwood featuring image of The London Leatherman Head Mask LW19 in Oslo 1977. Steve is also wearing The London Leatherman jeans. Photographer Henrik Laurvik.

Steve Jones (right) wearing the T-shirt by Maclaren & Westwood featuring image of The London Leatherman Head Mask LW19 in Oslo 1977. Steve is also wearing The London Leatherman jeans. Photographer Henrik Laurvik.

Photo credit: Christie’s. The LW19 Head Mask in silver leather, once owned by Sylvain Sylvain.

Photo credit: Christie’s. The LW19 Head Mask in silver leather, once owned by Sylvain Sylvain.

Today we produce both the LW11 (zip mouth) and the LW19 (soft lip) Head Masks hand made to the same specifications as the mask offered in 1975 with upgraded detailing for 2023.

The Head Masks are available to order via WWW.THELONDONLEATHERMAN.COM

2022 in Press & Editorial

2022 saw The London Leatherman clothing and accessories featured in magazines ranging from The Face in the UK, Instyle Australia and the launch issues of Interlope Magazine in France. It featured in films, TV, music videos and promotional photoshoots, here are some of these images:

Interlope Magazine, December 2022. Asha Yune wearing the Galaxy Cuff, styled by Brydie Perkins.

LYZZA wore the Pistols Cuff and 0.2 Dome Stud Wristband for the December 2022 issue of Interlope Magazine (France), styled by Brydie Perkins.

In September 2022 The London Leatherman LW19 Leather Head Mask featured in The Face Magazine for the editorial Pure Pleasure photographed by Sharna Osborne, styling Danielle Emerson.

The LW19 Leather Head Mask in The Face Magazine, September 2022. Photographed by Sharna Osborne, styled by Danielle Emerson.

The LW3 Dome Stud Belt featured in the Summer 2022 issue if Replica Man Magazine, styled by Louis Prier Tisdall.

July 2022. Faux Real photographed wearing The London Leatherman jackets, belts and neckbands for the release of their single Full Circle. Styled by Matt King.

June 22. The London Leatherman Centurion Stud Cuff, Ziggy Belt, Deluxe Belt & Pistols Belt featured in Rain Magazine, styled by Steven Huang.

May 2022. The London Leatherman 1976 leather jean featured on the Johnny Rotten character in the TV series Pistol by Danny Boyle. Along side costume pieces inspired by The London Leatherman archive.

Actress Rosie Leslie wore the Ziggy Belt for the May 2022 issue of Instyle Australia. Styled by Alicia Ellis.

Izzy Moriarty Thompson styled the LW3 Centurion Stud Belt and the Pistols Belt for Morigan (creative project).

Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon wore his The London Leatherman LW3 Dome Stud Belt to promote the single Believe The Hype with Alice Longyu Gao.

Abbey Roberts featured in ENFNTS TERRIBLES Magazine in March 2022 wearing the Centurion Stud band, styled by Steven Huang.

Abbey Roberts wearing the Deluxe Belt and Centurion Stud Band for ENFNTS TERRIBLES Magazine, styled by Steven Huang.

Abbey Roberts wearing the Ziggy Belt. Styled by Steven Huang for ENFNTS TERRIBLES Magazine.

The LW19 Mask Print

The LW19 Leather Head Mask has definitely been having its moment in the fashion press this year and in being on display in a highbrow exhibition, The Horror Show at Somerset House in London.

Here it is printed in black on sourced white long sleeve T-shirt and in chrome (silver) on black long sleeve T-shirt. Screen printed in North London.







Revisiting The Ziggy Belt

The Ziggy Belt, the black leather belt lined with our 0.1 dome studs and classic heavy square buckle we originally made under the P&C label, a great looking rockers belt with a nod to a young David Bowie who grew up close to the Pride & Clarke showrooms in Brixton where he would ogle the cars and motorcycles which is said influenced his love of classic cars in life. He wore a similar looking belt on stage as Ziggy Stardust.

Today we also make the Ziggy Belt stamped The London Leatherman which comes with a matching D-ring belt loop to hang your keys or wallet chain.

The Ziggy Belt

The D-ring for hanging your keys or wallet chain

The Ziggy Belt with D-ring

The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain

The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain exhibition opens at Somerset House (London) October 27th.

In the lead up to the exhibition opening co-curators Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard are releasing details about the show in an alphabetical order, here are their words for the letter ‘L’.

Alphabet typography by @barnbrookstudio

L is for LEATHER
’Try thinking of leather jackets without thinking of Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One’, or The Ramones in their Schott biker jackets. The leather jacket has always been a symbol of rebellion. When they became associated with punk, creative teens were quick to embellish theirs with paint, patches and studs.
For Sue Webster’s ‘Full Leather Jackets’ project she regressed to her teenage self and began painting Siouxsie & The Banshees imagery onto old biker jackets. We’re excited to be presenting one of these in The Horror Show!
It wasn’t just the jackets that punks embraced. When the Sex Pistols formed Malcolm McLaren marched them to The London Leatherman to be fitted for leather jeans. The London Leatherman, aka Ken, was a self-taught, specialised craftsman, supplying the fashion elite and the underground fetish market. McLaren and Westwood stocked his bondage gear in their Kings Road boutique. The smart punks knew to go direct to Ken.
In 2019 @thelondonleatherman was brilliantly revived by Dave Carroll. His mum had worked for Ken, and as a young punk Dave acquired many pieces direct from him. The heritage label still produces iconic pieces from the archive, reimagined for the current day. Some will be available from The Horror Shop! curated by @gothshop.art
We have the LW19 full leather head mask in the show. Adam Ant wore one for his first gig. Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls had one. @dave_carroll_london still makes them using the techniques Ken devised. A similar mask was worn by the notorious Cambridge Rapist, leading to Ken’s shop and the SEX boutique being raided by the police. Capitalising on the myth, Malcom and Vivienne created their Cambridge Rapist t-shirt.
Vivienne & Malcolm sold plenty of less controversial items too. The Horror Show! will include red leather boots bought from Seditionaries by Lance McCormack, and a black sandal bought by Eve Ferret from SEX. The other shoe was lost at a party, long ago.’

The Horror Show!: A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain opens at Somerset House on 27 October and will be on show until 19 February, 2023. Tickets are available here: The Horror Show! | Somerset House

You can follow Iain & Jane here: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard (@iainandjane) • Instagram photos and videos

LW19 Mask

Highway Patrol Jacket

1976 Jean

Polaroid by Dana Gillespie of David Bowie wearing The London Leatherman Head Mask

Blues singer, actress and swinging 60s icon Dana Gillespie took this spontaneous photo of David Bowie wearing The London Leatherman LW19 soft lip mask circa 1973. Dana recalls that her and Bowie were in New York (both managed by MainMan at the time) when one day David came back to the hotel they were staying with a bag full of things he’d bought from ‘one of those shops’ nearby. He put the mask on for a laugh and she captured the moment on her famous Polaroid camera.

Photo credit: Dana Gillespi circa 1973.

The picture sits amongst a series of personal and candid Polaroids Dana took in the 70s and 80s that feature in the book ‘Dana Gillespie, Weren’t Born A Man’ published in 2020 by Hawksmoor Publishing, available here: https://hawksmoorpublishing.com/book/dana-gillespie-book

The London Leatherman shipped and supplied incredible amounts of it’s leather goods to the East and West Coasts of American in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, we wonder which leather gear shop in New York City Bowie visited?

The LW19 Leather Head Mask

Adam Ant wore his onstage, Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood put a picture of the LW19 soft -lip version on a T-shirt. Little Nell wore one in Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee and Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls) owned one in silver leather.

The London Leatherman leather masks were an essential piece of kit for any S&M enthusiast on the leather scene in the 1970s wanting to maintain their anonymity. Whilst in contrast it featured prominently on the early British punk rock scene making this mask an essential item for anyone with a penchant for fetish & punk rock history.

LW19 Leather Head Mask Long Sleeve T-shirt

The Collectors Leather Head Mask with soft lip

Red Leather Head Mask LW19 with soft lip

Pyramid Stud Accessories

We use two types of pyramid studs for The London Leatherman accessories, a classic square pyramid stud and a rectangle pyramid stud that are solid and of exceptional quality, made in Italy and chromed in south London.

The square pyramid studs that make the Superior Cuff and its matching belt are off-set on angles just like The London Leatherman belt Johnny Rotten wore during his time as a Sex Pistol.

The Superior Cuff 2022

The rectangle studs we use on the Deluxe Belt (and it’s matching cuff made upon request) can be seen on a The London Leatherman belt worn by both Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious and on a cuff worn by Siouxsie Sioux . Today we complement the rectangle stud with our 0.2 Dome Stud so that the belt can be threaded through your jean belt loops smoothly.

The Deluxe Belt 2022

PISTOL

With the release of television series Pistol by Danny Boyle we’ve dedicated this post to referencing some of the characters who wore The London Leatherman leather jeans in real life and as depicted in the series.

When Malcolm McLaren took the Sex Pistols down to The London Leatherman shop in 1976 to have a pair of leather trousers made each, they had what was called the LG2 style made, which are made to your waist measurement with a straight leg, rivets and jean pocket detailing. Today we call this style the 1976 Jean. McLaren also sold the LG2 style in his own shop SEX with his own labels sewn in.

Steve Jones

Steven Jones wearing his The London Leatherman jeans. (He also wears what we call the Pistols Belt throughout the series). Photographer Barry Plumber.

The London Leatherman 1976 Jean. Do take the time to measure your waist (at the approx. 10 inch rise) before ordering so that your jeans can be made to fit you as they should. Made using premium cow hide leather. Made in London, England.

Malcolm McLaren wearing his The London Leatherman made jeans of which he also sold in his shop SEX with his own labels sewn in. Photographer Unknown.

The 1976 Jean

Today we produce the jeans with a The London Leatherman label on the back pocket. If you prefer the label to be on the waistband as they were originally, you can make this request upon ordering, also the rivets on the pockets, you can request to have these left off.

The LG2 as it featured in The London Leatherman catalogue circa 1973.

Julian Temple wearing his The London Leatherman made jeans during the filming of The Rock’n’Roll Swindle. Photographer unknown.

We highly recommend watching the series (Pistol- FX- on the Disney Channel) if you get the chance, whether you’re a trainspotter and nit-picking at details is your thing or if you’re simply up for enjoying the story being told, it’s very well done and highly entertaining for both reasons.

The chrome leather Blockbuster Belt

The Blockbuster belt made in chrome (silver) leather with cream edging and matching D-ring belt loop for your wallet chain, keys or scarf. Hand made by the one craftsman (woman) from start to finish in London, England.

All sizes currently in stock at Shop — The London Leatherman

The Blockbuster Belt- P&C and The London Leatherman embossed on the inside.

All our belts are made to your actual waist measurement, not trouser size. Do take the time to measure your waist before ordering.

The dance group Hot Gossip wore A LOT of The London Leatherman clothing and accessories in the 1970s, the belts featured within their costumes a lot, just like the silver leather one on the right here.

A Tribute To Jordan

News circulated rapidly when model, actress and pin-up of punk rock Jordan Mooney (Pamela Rooke) passed away this week. An immense loss to all who knew her, which has left us, like so many, reflecting on the incredible life she led.

A paramount figure in The London Leatherman’s history and recent history, here we pay tribute to Jordan by celebrating some of the incredible imagery she created, looks she self styled and moments in fashion history that have influenced and inspired so many and will continue to for generations to come.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to Jordan’s family, friends and to the many whose lives she touched.

One of the key icons to pioneer the fusion of hard-core fetish with fashion, Jordan was often photographed wearing The London Leatherman LW3 Cuffs as seen in this photograph by Richard Walker (1975). Can we also take a moment to acknowledge Jordan’s black eye make-up, a look that Julia Fox/ Kanye & Pat McGrath have made so famous in 2022 #jordandiditfirst

Is Jordan the most photographed shop girl of all time? Certainly not just a ‘shop girl’ Jordan’s career catapulted into all sorts of creative avenues the moment she started working with Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. Here she is sitting between two busts displaying The London Leatherman LW26 Body Harness and LB13 Narrow Back Bikini in cire fabric (circa 1975).

Words by Jordan Mooney, for Another Man Magazine in 2020. You can read the full article here: Five People on Why They Love Wearing The London Leatherman | AnotherMan (anothermanmag.com)

Jordan’s leather cape and skirt (mentioned above) made by Ken (Heddle Magson) The London Leatherman. Her LLM items being particularly rare with SEX labels sewn in. Photo credit: Kerry Taylor Auctions

Jordan pictured here wearing her The London Leatherman skirt (SEX labelled) with Malcolm McLaren wearing his The London Leatherman LG2 Jeans.

Jordan with Dee Dee Ramone.

Jordan photographed in Berlin 2018 by Martyn Goodacre. Wearing a vintage La Rocka! jacket, anyone recognize the belt? #askingforafriend

Photographed in 2019 by Etienne Gilfillan, for an interview with Mark Wardel. Jordan wears AKA Six Clothing with a P&C (The London Leatherman) Pistols Cuff.

The London Leatherman LM2 wristbands and custom P&C Galaxy cuffs were her thing. Photo circa 2020.