"A long warm intimate embrace" – Steffele on latex fetish

The other day I was in a shower, carefully washing a latex dress with unperfumed soap when I thought, well, I could not envisage doing this six months ago. I got into latex, like many people in BDSM, through looking at images that felt like they reflect my sexuality – and through seeking an appropriate outfit for kink parties. Latex comes with a rich erotic history – once it ends up on your body it becomes your personal erotic history too.

 At the same time, I felt very curious about people who have a deeper connection with latex – all the rubberists, latex fetishists and artists who live and breathe this passion. So naturally, I’ve decided to ask them. Where it starts, how it feels, why is it important to express this publicly and creatively?  I quickly realised that everyone is so different that it would be impossible to fit it into one feature – so for everyone’s pleasure, it’s going to be a series instead.

I came across Steffele’s instagram earlier this year – through very particular detailed shots of double-layered latex, transparent over black. Whether you’re familiar with fetish culture or not, these images are very evocative. Erotic, intense, tactile, surreal – a lot of them also seemed oddly serene. This serenity is not accidental – in the interview below, Steffele shared a bit about that, alongside his take on transparent latex and visibility of fetish imagery.

How did you discover latex?

Discover is the wrong word. It was somehow always with me. I had to find more of a name for the facet of my personality. I realized it consciously at 16 years old, in a sex store. A rubber book with illustrations of women in latex by the artist TOM fell into my hands. A fetish illustrator and story writer from the 70s and 80s. It was the liberating explanation for many things in my head, things with no explanation before. Thoughts that circled in my head, things I particularly liked. As a kid, I liked to put on a rubberized raincoat in the summer and tied the hood up real tight. Had stolen rubber gloves and had made clothes out of foil as a 14-year-old. With the book of rubber-loving women, I had the explanation.

What do you love most about latex?

This is a difficult question. The smell is beautiful, the look is fascinating, the sound is exciting. But that's not it. Most likely what wearing latex does after a few hours. The everyday stress disappears. It clears the head and leaves a pleasant and deeply relaxed feeling of satisfaction, which reverberates for days. A long warm intimate embrace.

When and why did you start your account?

That's the easiest of your questions. With the purchase of my first digital camera in 2005. I was delighted to discover that you don't need a photo store to develop your strange fetish pictures. Take a picture and view it on the computer. Nothing more. No photo dealers or customers to examine my pictures in the store.

When it comes to why, I have rarely found latex fetish pictures to my taste. I like transparent latex and have had this passion since the beginning. I found very few pictures that really excited me. On the other hand, I take pictures since my childhood as a hobby. So it was an obvious step to take pictures that I like to look at.

Why did you feel like it was important to make the account a part of your creativity and show it to the world?

The account as part of my creativity? I don't know exactly. I have ideas and pictures in my head that I like to put on paper, like a painter. The account is for me more my own little gallery in a busy street. My showcase for the world. Without an account I would still take exactly the same pictures. However, the account allows me to make myself visible. I learned not to be alone in the world with my special preference. There were times when I thought that and that had burdened me. Now I know, there are people out there, many people, who are just like me and sometimes even crazier. Maybe the account is a small part of my creativity after all.

All images courtesy of Steffele.