Fetish Shop FF

Rubber Fist Hunks

Scenes from Cazzo Club's "Rubber Fist Hunks"

State of the Industry

From a discussion board on Fetlife in regards to non-Chinese companies that make latex clothing and gear with Chinese-produced latex sheeting, here is a comment by Smash, concerning the loss of European companies and the growth of Chinese-sourced companies:

The only thing that might bring PrettyPervy back would be a lot of people willing to pay what the labor is worth. The chinese undermined the market so much that it is impossible to make a living doing latex work without chinese product. The only people left do it solely for the art. I am sure even Robert from Pretty Pervy may still make something for personal art or for a close friend someday, but unless you can identify a market segment that will bring in enough money to keep the lights on for a shop, and pay employee salaries, insurance, etc, don't hold your breath.

As a studio owner and operator, I can tell you from first hand experience, it is extremely hard to sell any product that is hand made for enough volume, and profit to sustain the necessary shop space. Latex work in particular is very space and time intensive. You cannot rush the physics of the chemical bonding that has to take place. There is a literal "cost per inch" of latex seam you can calculate from a time and materials analysis. You need large layout spaces, proper storage, ventilation, etc. A small latex shop in a light industrial area of America can cost as little as $5000/month to operate, but if it takes you 2 weeks to build an elaborate custom commission that only nets you $1000 profit, after expenses, the model does not sustain itself. We ran the numbers for my local market, and there was just no way we could get rent per square foot to come out low enough to justify the market demand. Our own labor cost per hour of what we wanted to make to pay our own rent to live at home was just too expensive for the business to sustain. Even if I owned my own home, and had no rent I could not pay myself enough per hour to keep the business AND pay basic homeowner insurance, taxes, and food and health insurance.

Market demand has been decimated by rock bottom chinese prices. My old rubber fox for instance. It costs me more to order and import the sheet latex (4D) to make just the body suit than the chinese sell the whole finished suit for on ebay. That suit has about $300 in 4D latex in it after you calculate in import duties, shipping and taxes (it is taxed as a textile import, in the USA which is prohibitively expensive) Why would someone pay me enough profit to make an honest living if they can get it cheaper than my materials cost? I am sure there are a handful of people who would pay, but certainly not enough consistent buyers to support it as a viable business, let alone a comfortable living.

This is the exact same business model problem which makes me doubt that @blowup_boy will ever really get into the custom shop of his own. After doing a handful of $5000 custom suits, demand will dry up enough that he'll realize all his profits form the chinese suit sales are being eaten up supporting the local shop that will bleed his finances dry. He may indeed do some fantastic work in his shop, and if I like what he does enough , I may even commission him to produce something for me. but I know for a fact it will be EXTREMELY difficult for him to come up with a viable financial model for that unless he radically increases his chinese suit prices, and then the chinese will just sell his designs out from under him at a lower price through another outlet to get their volume numbers back up.

The mediocrity that has infiltrated the industry is sad. It is just another harbinger of the state of things in general, I'm afraid. The Chinese are great for copying everyone else's designs, yet they produce very little new and unique designs themselves. This just doesn't apply to latex design but to most industries in general. The Chinese model is to copy and undercut to win the game. The issue is that they are only responding to market demand; everyone everywhere is looking for the cheapest product possible due to many factors. It's interesting to think about when that tipping point was actually hit, I think it was somewhere in the late 80s, early 90s when people's incomes stopped keeping up with inflation, everyone started looking for cheaper alternatives for EVERYTHING and hit the latex industry later because at that time there was no cheap alternative. Everything is about how good a deal you can get; not whether you are supporting a local industry by paying a little more that will create local jobs and a possible growth of an industry sector locally or regionally.

Weird

Um, Justin, it doesn't work if you're the only one in the group doing it; you sort of stand out. Famewhore aside, put a bit more latex on that boy and he won't look too bad at all!

Terrible News :(

Posted on the Mister International Rubber Facebook page and Twitter:

In Memoriam
Jason Lynch "RubberJason"
Mr. International Rubber 16
February 24, 1975 - February 25, 2013

It is with great sadness and heavy heart that we report the passing of our current Mr. International Rubber, Jason Lynch, on Monday February 25th, one day after his 38th birthday. Jason's partner found him unconscious when he arrived home from work. Paramedics were unable to revive him and a cause of death is not known at this time.

Jason, was just three months into his title year and was looking forward to his first international trip as MIR16, to judge the Mr. Montreal Rubber contest this weekend. He had forged a strong relationship with the Rubber Men of San Francisco and was so very happy to bring the title back to the Boston area where MIR's predecessor, the Mr. Vulcan Rubber contest began.

This comes as a huge blow to all of us and casts a pall over our international rubber family. As is our tradition, we ask that you raise a glass this weekend while you are out with your rubber and fetish family in celebration of Jason's life, all that he was able to accomplish and the fun loving nature that propelled him to the top of his class at MIR16.

We will be replacing our website later today with a memorial page with pictures of Jason proudly representing the International Rubber community, having fun and representing our title so well.

We extend our condolences to his partner Stephen Perry, his family, his brothers in the New England Rubbermen & The Rubbermen of San Francisco, his classmates from MIR16 and to everyone whose life he touched and impacted.

Rest In Peace Brother.
You will be missed, but not forgotten.

With sympathy,
The Mr. International Rubber Family

Jason was supposed to be in Palm Springs this weekend as the fourth judge of the Mr. West Coast Rubber contest but couldn't make it at the last minute. This news comes as a complete shock to the entire rubber community. My thoughts are with his husband, Stephen, his family, and the New England Rubbermen, Rubbermen of San Francisco and Mister International Rubber organizations. RIP Brother.

WCR Update

I am at LAX waiting for my flight back to Vancouver after a wonderful weekend rubbering up in the desert with a lot of old friends and some new ones too! There is lots to report; there will be a full update and loads of pictures posted later in the week.
I'd like to congratulate Bouncer Pup Kyle as the new Mr. West Coast Rubber 2013.  He and Jeffrey did a great job and both are great representatives of the west coast rubber community.
Now that I'm finally able to step down, I have learned that I am now a 'was-ey' (a former title holder). Not sure where the term originated, but apparently it sticks because that is what I was called after Saturday night.
The weekend was full of play and pooltime, the dinner at Rainbow was great, and despite the cold temps in the evenings we still managed to have a lot of fun indoors.
Special thanks to my good friend and travelling companion C this weekend; I love you, guy!  The Oscar party and the travel time were really nice.

Rubberstud of the Week #252

We've Arrived!

Skylark Motel (formerly Camp Palm Springs) is the host of the 2013 West Coast Rubber weekend. We just got here and hung up the Rubber Wall!
Meet and Greet at 5; pics to come.

Weekend playdate with Higherlycra

My rubberboy Higherlycra came into town on Sunday so we took the opportunity to get together for a hard-core rubber play session overnight.  I'm still tired today two days later but it was so worth it!  We had a lot of fun putting on full rubber and engaging in bondage, breathplay, assplay, fisting, and a photoshoot or two.  He is a lot of fun to play with; for a guy in his mid-20s he is eager and energetic and isn't afraid to say what he wants.  He craves the experience and I am more than happy to oblige.  It doesn't hurt that he fits into all of my rubber too!  I'm still trying to figure out how to convince him to move back into Vancouver...

I really like him in position #1

I really like him in position  #2 as well....

Lots Going On...

First off, it looks like I might have a job!  I have been given an offer from a IT services company that so far looks like a great opportunity and is actually going to pay out relatively well!  I'm getting pretty excited!

It would be such a great relief to finally get back to work; now the issue is going to be balancing a new job that will take me between Vancouver and Victoria weekly (at least to start), trying to find time to work on Rubbout details, and in addition to that I'm starting a new Technical Writing course tomorrow night that runs right up to Rubbout as well.  Yikes!  I certainly seem to be able to cram my schedule as full as possible with great regularity for some insane  reason.

That's why I'm trying so hard this week to get Rubbout stuff confirmed and updated.  I need to get a lot of this settled and out of the way by March 4 as I have a feeling I won't have as much opportunity to work on this stuff after that point as much as I want or feel I might need.  At any rate, it will all fall in together for sure.

There are some big announcements coming up for Rubbout before the end of February; I'm pretty excited about what we have and are going to roll out for the event next week!  It's been a lot of work to get it into place but it is so worth it :)

So, despite all of this, I have to stay elated that I'm off to L.A. on Friday morning for another rubbery and sexy weekend in Palm Springs with all the regular suspects at West Coast Rubber 2013!  C is picking me up at LAX and we are buzzing out to Palm Springs almost immediately.  I am looking forward to the weekend, the parties, the play and all the rubber I can cram into 72 hours.  It will be the last break I get like that for awhile!  So, for those coming to WCR, see you in a few days; to the rest of you, come next year (or come to Rubbout instead! LOL)

Rubberstud of the Week #251

Full Rubber Pleasure

Frustrated Pup

Boy Trapped in a Rubber Latex Gimp Dog Suit  PupsTail.com brought to you by Tube8

Black Legs, Part 3

Here is the third installment of the thrilling visual feast that is muscular men's legs covered in skintight latex. Yum. Enjoy!

Rubberstud of the Week #250

Red Lantern

ALWAYS love Rubberskins videos!  He always looks so edgy and great.  Thanks for sharing, man!

You really get a good view of his liquid latex application and removal in this vid.

Ultimate Bondage Suit

Blackstyle is featuring a new super-hot looking High-end Bondage suit.  It looks amazing! HOT!

High-end bondage suit

The ultimate fantasy for every bondage-lover:

This suit is the perfect combination of functionality and bondage aesthetics. Lots of belts and D-rings offer unlimited ways of fixation.

A heavy bondage suit with cod piece. Black, made of 1,50 mm thick latex.

The suit has the following quality features:

- All belts are made out of two layers of Four D latex with textile reinforcement.
- All metal parts are reinforced with latex from the inside.
- All zips have a zip-guard strip.
- Cross seams, as the arm pits or the crotch are reinforced with an additional layer of latex.

Mr. West Coast Rubber Contest

ABOUT THE MR. WEST COAST RUBBER 2013 CONTEST

West Coast Rubber Weekend is two weeks away!

West Coast Rubber Weekend 2013 is about two weeks away! Amidst the cocktail parties, pool events, gummi dinner, etc is the Saturday night Mr. West Coast Rubber 2013 Contest. This year's event will take place around the pool while cocktails are being served. In between watching hot geared up guys having fun and putting on a bit of a show, we'll be socializing in between segments of the contest. The contest is as much an entertainment as it is competition. We hope the guys entered will enjoy being playful and strutting their stuff for an appreciative crowd. The man picked as Mr. West Coast Rubber 2013 is given full reign to appear and serve as he sees fit! Though it is hoped he will compete in Mr. International Rubber, even that is not a requirement. The most important thing for Mr. West Coast Rubber is that he be a good representative for other men who enjoy rubber or who are hoping to explore integrating rubber play into their lives. It's just that simple! The deadline for entering the competition is February 15th. We are pleased to introduce you to our remarkable contest judges...

Brian Conway is the co-owner/producer of the Thunder in the Mountains leather event now in its 16th year in Denver, CO., and sole producer of the Rocky Mountain Leather SIR/boy and Community Bootblack contest also held in Denver on the same weekend in July. He is the founder of the Rubbermen of Colorado group, whose goal is to bring new rubber kinksters into the rubber/kink lifestyle as well as helping to introduce new men into the BDSM scene, to help encourage that he also runs rubber play parties every other month. Brian also produces the long running Denver Gay Leathermen’s Dinner which brings together all the local gay leathermen for a formal dinner and good conversation. As an offshoot he also created a similar community wide Colorado Community Leather Dinner event for everyone of every sexual orientation as a means for all leather people to socialize and visit with each other in a non-sexual setting. He continues to reside in his home in Denver with his husband Rich Dockter and their 3 male Sharpeis.

Jason Lynch is a New England gay kink activist. He's been in the gay kink community for over 15 years, but has become more active in the past 2. Happily partnered and married for over 13 years. Jay prides himself on being a husky cub who is into among other fetishes, latex and rubber. This passion lead him to become Mr. New England Rubber 2012 and Mr. International Rubber 16 (2013). In 2012 he organized the founders of the New England Rubber Men into their CORE group. Since then he's hosted events, demos and group trip for the New England Rubber Men.

Outgrowing the rubber gloves and snow boots of his pre-internet youth, Aqualaboy has gone on to be an unabashed public rubberman, wearing full latex on the train, at the market, at the theatres and museums (from "Wicked" in London to "Cats" in San Antonio, and from Opera in Cologne to the Vatican Museums in Rome), and any other place he can across two continents. Aqualaboy co-founded the Lone Star Rubber Corps, the first rubber social group for men in the south-central and Gulf states. Together with his partner and pup, they cart their rubber cube and other toys across the south in an effort to educate and inform the curious. He is a proud supporter of the local leather and furry communities, including local fundraising functions and membership in the National Leather Association (NLA). He is also founder and co-producer of the Gulf Coast Gummbalaya Rubber Weekend held each June in New Orleans. He is an accomplished rubber writer, including authorship of the first chapter ("Rubber Wear and Care") in Tim Brough's rubber fetish book "Skin Tight." He is most grateful for the opportunity to serve and wishes the contestants a great show!

Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2013, Scott is International Leatherboy first runner up 2010, Gulf Coast Leatherboy 2010, a PSLOD Pledge, a member of: Desert Fetish Authority, Leather Knights, Dallas Bears, DFW Leatherboys, Discipline Corps, BLUF and the Leather Archive & Museum. He enjoys volunteering and fundraising for groups benefitting GLBT youth, elderly and those living with HIV/AIDS. Locally, he provides pro-bono marketing services for: Palm Springs Pride, Desert AIDS Project, The Center of Palm Springs, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission and American Cancer Society of the Desert. Scott volunteers as a peer educator on the Leather lifestyle, participates in demonstrations at local Leather community events and believes in the importance of Leather origins, traditions and protocol.

FOR CONTESTANT INFO AND APPLICATION, EMAIL INFO@WESTCOASTRUBBER.COM

Events

Rubbdown Weekend starts up today in San Francisco.

Mr. Florida Rubber contest weekend takes place Feb. 15-17, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale.

Toronto Rubbermen Network is having at Rubber Night at the Black Eagle in Toronto on February 16.

And of course, West Coast Rubber kicks off the following weekend, on February 21-24!  Enjoy the early kickoff parties of 2013, boys!

The Ultimate Latex Penis Sheath Guide

3XL has posted a great overview of penis sheaths on the Lust Love Latex blog.  Check out the comparison of sheaths and find the perfect one for you!

Busy

Sorry for the lack of posting recently...I am in the middle of job searching and interviewing, setting up networking meetings and informational interviews, running, swimming and going to the gym in the evenings to lose my fat.  Gotta look good for West Coast Rubber, and hopefully be gainfully employed shortly thereafter!

Rubberstud of the Week #249