Frilly fleshy fantasy: an interview with Soft Skin Latex

There is a special pleasure in unwrapping an item by Soft Skin Latex. 

I remember taking a Large Ruff out of the box, everything about it perfectly satisfying: the immaculate folds, the deep plum colour, the latex scent and the movement. But apart from the pleasure of the object, Soft Skin Latex does stand out among other latex brands. Their creations draw from the queer and fetish history, but also incorporate elements of 16th-century menswear and subcultural heritage. Crafted in gentle translucent pinks, powdery blue and racing car red, Soft Skin Latex designs can be gentle and powerful, sensual and strange, playful and eerie, cute, gender-bending and subversive - they truly can be anything which is part of your story. Soft Skin Latex has ability to tap into the ambiguous unexplored territories of sexuality and identity, and it is also just very fun.

Soft Skin Latex founder Gemma Pickerill discovered latex during her final year of studying costume design at the London College of Fashion. She then interned at House of Harlot and worked at Lady Lucie Latex to perfect the craft. In the interview below, she talks about the ideas behind the immaculate frills, clown hoods and Victorian bodices, and the exciting things coming up.

 How would you describe Soft Skin Latex in one or two sentences? 

Soft Skin Latex is a frilly fleshy latex fantasy!

Is latex or latex fetishism part of your personal life as much as your work?

I was introduced to latex through my work. Before then I had no experience of the fetish world but it’s gradually become part of my personal life too. I feel as though I’ve been accepted into a really exciting, interesting community. I wouldn’t say I am driven by a latex fetish but I am obsessed with it in a way, I enjoy wearing it and seeing the effect it has on others through its relationship to the body. I love working with fetishists and people within the kink community, talking to people and learning about different kinks; it opens your mind which can only be a good thing.

What do you most love about latex? What is the most challenging aspect about it?

I love its structural quality and solid appearance. It’s really fun to work with from a design perspective because it holds its shape well; making can feel more like sculpture, I find it so much more satisfying than sewing.

 Do you have a favourite design of yours? 

My favourite pieces are usually ones I've made recently because I’m always trying to improve my making and expand my knowledge of clothes. When I look back on old pieces I can see the things I would do differently now.

At the moment my favourite designs are a new corset shape and inflatable pieces I made for my recent Torture Garden catwalk show because I pushed myself to try some new techniques for the show and the results were really exciting! I’m looking forward to refining and pushing these ideas even further.

I'd say that looking for the outside, your clown hoods are pretty iconic and recognisable. What drew you to making those and exploring the clown image? 

I'm interested in the hood being a means of changing a person's identity, it allows you to take on a persona or behave in ways you might not usually as well as altering others perceptions of you. Changing the shape of the face or adding facial expressions to the hood creates different characters. I'd say my hoods often appeal to submissives as they are intentionally 'cute' and the O shaped mouth restricts the wearer's mouth. I definitely feel that when I wear one, a hood helps me enter a submissive role. I had a couple of requests for clown makeup hoods at the beginning of the year which were really well received, this encouraged me to create more latex faces. Through this I've really enjoyed exploring a more fun and playful side of fetish wear.

Do you have a background in studying or researching the history of fashion? Which eras are you fascinated by and why?

Beginning my career in costume design definitely solidified this interest, but I’ve always been into historical clothing, especially in theatrical settings. I’m particularly interested in 16th and 17th menswear and its display of power and sexuality – but my interests in historical fashion are quite broad and not restricted to one time period. I like structured garments like corsetry and tend to pick out elements from period clothing that I like or that work well within the context of fetish.

What is behind the choice of colours you offer in your store?

I like to offer a colour pallet which reflects the softer, more delicate side of latex. The shades I have chosen are really just a selection of my favourite latex colours that are available, which is why I think they work well with my designs.

I like to play with masculinity and femininity in my work and using pink is a great way to do that, it has such strong connotations of femininity; it’s definitely my favourite colour. I also try to include colours which complement different skin tones, to really emphasise the relationship latex has with skin and its fleshiness. I love using translucent colours for the same reason. I put a lot of thought and care into every aspect of my work, so the colour chart is no different; it's gradually expanding as I add more colours one by one, each is carefully selected.

 Do you feel like you're challenging the general concepts of sensuality and sexuality in your work - and how?

I’m definitely not creating work in order to fit in but I don’t think what I do is completely new or revolutionary. My work is heavily influenced by kink and queer culture and is more about satisfying a need within these scenes. These are the people that really challenge the status quo in terms of sexuality and I’m just happy to be a part of this through my work. It’s a pleasure to make clothes for people that share the same passion as I do.

Do you have new exciting projects coming up? 

My partner and I have a very exciting collaboration on the horizon with the Tom of Finland Foundation. This is an absolute dream come true as we are both huge Tom of Finland fans so we can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on this year! In general I’m just excited to keep moving forward with Soft Skin, to develop new ideas, work with different people and keep exploring!

Check out and shop for Soft Skin latex here. All photography by Ollie Dove.