When I was about eleven years old, my friend and I were going through his parent's wardrobe trying to find his Dad's porno stash and we found this well used leather gimp mask with a zip for the mouth. We didn't have a clue what it was for so we figured it was ok to borrow it and take it down the park and scare other kids with it by taking turns to run around with it on our heads. You should have seen his Mum's face when she came down the park with his little sister a few hours later.Our friend Kerry Whittle makes up-market leather goods for the well-respected Melbourne fetish store 'Lucrezia and de Sade'. We dropped by to check out her workshop and talk filth over a cup of tea.So you make cock rings and gimp masks for a living? Sounds like good work if you can get it?
Yeah I've been doing it about nine months now, it's alright I guess ha. I'm from Tasmania originally and I was working as a blacksmith as I'm trained as a metal worker but I got sick of shit down there so I came to Melbourne. I met a guy who works here in another blacksmith workshop and he asked me if I wanted some work on the side helping out so I did that for awhile and they eventually offered me this job.Are you really into the fetish BSDM scene or is this just work?
No not really. Maybe I'm just desensitized by all this stuff but I don't really see it as a sexual thing. I've always been into gothic and dark fashion and stuff so for me it's more about the look than anything. I'm not into going to some big group orgy in a dungeon and if I get up to anything like that it's going to be in my own bedroom. Although I do sort of want to go to some parties just to check out what people are wearing and stuff for work but the guy who can get us free tickets and stuff is always like 'You know everyone who goes to them is just fat, old, gay or married'.I heard this place used to be a play dungeon in its day?
Yeah we had like twelve mistresses at one point and a whole load of dungeon equipment for people to mess around with but then all the health and safety laws got tightened up and they started classifying stuff like putting a gag in peoples mouths as penetration and you need a brothel licence for that which is real hard to get. All our mistresses now just work from home or at some of the licensed dungeons around Melbourne.So do you ever work late and hang back just so you can try stuff on when no one is around?
Yeah I think we've all done that a few times! One time we had these full length latex stockings come in and I stayed back working late and I just couldn't resist. They must have been a couple of sizes too big because when I was pulling them on they kept filling with air and making all these gross farting and slurping noises. When I finally had them pulled up they looked like I had two huge balloons for legs. Would have been funny if my boss had forgot his keys or something and found me in the storage cupboard like that.What the fuck is this?
That's a 'Mister S'… it's our best selling item. I get so sick of pressing studs into those things. You put your dick and balls through that hole and then fasten it on like a pair of underpants with the leather harness bit and then you can fasten different cock rings and sheaths onto that metal bit. Or a big strap-on if you are that way inclined… Why can't people just have normal sex?Because people are creepy. What's the weirdest thing you have ever had to make?
Oh man. Once this woman came in and she wanted us to make her this Dildo attachment thing that fitted to her leg.Er… What?
Yeah she was real flexible right so she basically had us make this thing so she could sort of bend her leg like this to dildo herself without using her hands. Sort of like a hands free kit for dildos. I wanted to ask her what she wanted the other two hands free for. Cooking? Driving? Changing the kids nappy perhaps?
Yeah probably. People are weird aren't they?Go check out Kerry's handy work and other fun things to buy your loved ones at 441 Brunswick St. Fitzroy, Melbourne.www.lucreziadesade.com.au
Introduction, Photography and Interview by Langlo West
Advertisement
Yeah I've been doing it about nine months now, it's alright I guess ha. I'm from Tasmania originally and I was working as a blacksmith as I'm trained as a metal worker but I got sick of shit down there so I came to Melbourne. I met a guy who works here in another blacksmith workshop and he asked me if I wanted some work on the side helping out so I did that for awhile and they eventually offered me this job.Are you really into the fetish BSDM scene or is this just work?
No not really. Maybe I'm just desensitized by all this stuff but I don't really see it as a sexual thing. I've always been into gothic and dark fashion and stuff so for me it's more about the look than anything. I'm not into going to some big group orgy in a dungeon and if I get up to anything like that it's going to be in my own bedroom. Although I do sort of want to go to some parties just to check out what people are wearing and stuff for work but the guy who can get us free tickets and stuff is always like 'You know everyone who goes to them is just fat, old, gay or married'.I heard this place used to be a play dungeon in its day?
Yeah we had like twelve mistresses at one point and a whole load of dungeon equipment for people to mess around with but then all the health and safety laws got tightened up and they started classifying stuff like putting a gag in peoples mouths as penetration and you need a brothel licence for that which is real hard to get. All our mistresses now just work from home or at some of the licensed dungeons around Melbourne.
Advertisement
Yeah I think we've all done that a few times! One time we had these full length latex stockings come in and I stayed back working late and I just couldn't resist. They must have been a couple of sizes too big because when I was pulling them on they kept filling with air and making all these gross farting and slurping noises. When I finally had them pulled up they looked like I had two huge balloons for legs. Would have been funny if my boss had forgot his keys or something and found me in the storage cupboard like that.What the fuck is this?
That's a 'Mister S'… it's our best selling item. I get so sick of pressing studs into those things. You put your dick and balls through that hole and then fasten it on like a pair of underpants with the leather harness bit and then you can fasten different cock rings and sheaths onto that metal bit. Or a big strap-on if you are that way inclined… Why can't people just have normal sex?Because people are creepy. What's the weirdest thing you have ever had to make?
Oh man. Once this woman came in and she wanted us to make her this Dildo attachment thing that fitted to her leg.Er… What?
Yeah she was real flexible right so she basically had us make this thing so she could sort of bend her leg like this to dildo herself without using her hands. Sort of like a hands free kit for dildos. I wanted to ask her what she wanted the other two hands free for. Cooking? Driving? Changing the kids nappy perhaps?
Yeah probably. People are weird aren't they?
Advertisement