Meet Jeff of LA, resident latex designer of JT’s Stockroom, in an interview with the Stockroom’s resident Kink Spondent, Lucky Lana:
Lucky Lana: Let’s get to the nitty-gritty, shall we? Why is rubber sexy?
Jeff of LA: Rubber is sexy! It’s perfect for bondage, the feel, the texture of the material is so sensual. It really embraces your body. I like the super shiny look of it, the way it stretches and even the smell of it.
The first time I tried latex, an old boyfriend of mine locked a rubber hood over my head. It was the most intense experience! The rubber blocked out all the light, the smell was so sexy and it fit like a glove. And unlike leather, you don’t have to worry about making a mess! Ha!
Lucky Lana: Well said! How did you start working with latex?
Jeff of LA: It was kind of a fluke. I received a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and didn’t know what to do next. Art doesn’t usually pay the bills, you know. I then had a series of jobs that weren’t at all art related. I got bored with that.
At that time I had a very stressful job as the buyer for the largest bookstore in New York City. After several years of visiting, I fell in love with San Francisco, so I decided to say “Fuck it all†and moved there.
I moved there without any idea of what I was going to do for a living. I just knew that I wanted to do something more creative than ordering books. I saw an ad the in one of the gay papers. There was a company looking for a latex prep person. I went for the interview, and it turned out to be Mr. S. Leather. It was every gay boy’s fantasy job to work at Mr. S.
It was a basic introduction to latex. Excellent training. I was cutting, gluing zippers, whatever they needed me to do. The latex department was very new at that time. But within the first month, I was moved from prep into production.Lucky Lana: How did you cross over into design?
Jeff of LA: I wanted to start designing for Mr. S, so my first project was rubber hoods. I was extremely naïve! I had no idea how complex a hood design could be. The face has so many different planes to it. Getting the fit right on the hood is really tricky. But I surprised myself, and it came out really well. They liked the hoods so much they asked me to design some more items.
Six months after that, the latex department’s supervisor went back to school, so they made me head of the department! In less than a year I went from the prep guy to designing latex and running the department. I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of serious rubber bondage gear at that time. Since bondage is one of my major kinks, I decided to focus heavily on designing more latex bondage gear. I designed the majority of the latex bondage items that they still sell. The latex items that I didn’t design, I repatterned or tweaked the design while I was there.
Lucky Lana: I heard you did designs for a few celebrities.
Jeff of LA: While I was at Mr. S, I made a whole line of outfits for Joan Jett for two of her tours. She is so nice, really down to earth. And I made all the rubber clothing in the movie 8mm. Joaquin Phoenix wears a t-shirt I designed, that was cool to see on the big screen! I’d love to do more of that. Now that we own Syren, I’ve been getting to do a lot film and television work. We’ve done several things for the ABC TV show Ugly Betty, one of my favorite shows.
Lucky Lana: How did you come to work at the Stockroom?
Jeff of LA: I decided to leave San Francisco because I had been spending more time in Los Angeles. I loved the weather in LA and was tired of all the fog and rain in San Francisco.
I was always a fan of the Stockroom site, but I noticed they didn’t have any latex items. So I approached Joel (the owner of the Stockroom) and proposed starting up a latex department from scratch. JT’s Stockroom gave me the freedom to design things the way I thought they should be designed. I was able to use my 7 years of experience at Mr. S to design a line of latex bondage gear for JT’s Stockroom that was one step better than what I’d designed before. I saw a lot of room for improvement. I was able to create more functional, better looking, more efficient gear. I really believe that we make the best latex possible.
Lucky Lana: You’ve designed so much latex gear that we see all over the place, why don’t people know your name?
Jeff of LA: I am the famously anonymous latex designer! Ha! I’m pretty low key. I think there a few people out there that know about me, but I’ve never really promoted myself. My designs are everywhere, but no one knows who I am. It’s kind of cool to be anonymous! It’s also nice to get some recognition after all these years!
The first time I saw someone wearing one of my designs out in a bar I went up to the guy and told him how excited I was to see him wearing my design. The guy just gave me that look like, “ right buddy, sure you designed this!â€
When I go online, I see my designs all over the internet. I love seeing pics of people enjoying my gear, I proud of my work. Most of my designs from Mr. S. and the Stockroom have been knocked off. I guess that old saying is true…. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.†But of course, they are not as well made. They take a lot of shortcuts and do it on the cheap.
Lucky Lana: What makes the Stockroom gear so special?
Jeff of LA: With my 12 of years of experience, I always want to improve on designs. I try to design all the items to fit better, with stronger construction techniques and, of course, to look sexier.
We use a lot of the high grade garment latex from a company in London. It’s a lot more expensive, but you just can’t compare the quality. We have a top secret exclusive source for our latex glue! We worked with a glue manufacturer here in the states to find the perfect glue. It lays smoother and has a much stronger bond. If I told you their name I’d have to kill you!Lucky Lana: Oh my, then don’t tell! What’s new for the latex department?
Jeff of LA: We are working on our next line of Syren clothing which should be ready in a few months. We are involved with a lot of fashion shows this spring and we have more Movie and TV coming up.
I’m really excited about expanding our wearable section. Working with the Syren line has been lots of fun, we have some great new Military Style designs for men and women’s designs based on the latest fashion trends. Stylists have started flocking to our Syren store in LA, so our new items have been appearing in MTV Videos, Magazine spreads as well as runways.Lucky Lana: How does the Stockroom give back to the rubber community?
Jeff of LA: We have been very supportive of the rubber scene. We always donate prizes to local rubber clubs, events, parties and groups. Our rubber customers are very devoted, they are the coolest! There are lots of great rubber fetish sites like rubberzone.com, rubberist.com and worldrubbermen.com that we support. The feedback that we get from people on these sites helps us with our designs, we love to hear new ideas.
Lucky Lana: Do you have any last words for our rubber enthusiasts?
Jeff of LA: A common misconception is that rubber doesn’t last. It’s not true at all. You just need to invest in a quality latex products that are well made. That means the edges are hemmed, that areas that are riveted and reinforced, and it’s made with good quality latex. If a latex garment is washed after use and stored properly, it should last for years and years. I have items that are over fifteen years old! I take good care of them and they are still in great shape.
Lucky Lana: Thank you Jeff for your time, and for making the rubber world a better place.
