The always-innovative GEAR Berlin are coming over to London to open their second store.
What is GEAR LONDON?
GEAR London is the younger brother to GEAR Berlin. It’s a concept and a way of thinking that has enabled the brand to separate from the mainstream and really be a true purveyor of fetish.
How did GEAR Berlin start?
We were originally based in the Berlin locality of Schöneberg, 10777 (our owner’s hometown), where there’s a strong fetish scene and a lot of gay tourism bringing an ever-changing stream of people to the area. GEAR Berlin was the small store with the big fetish heart, which has grown into the 330sqm store we see today. It’s also heralded the opening of the new Shoreditch-based GEAR London Store.
What do you stock instore?
GEAR stocks an exciting mix of original fetish brands and is always the best you can get. We sell classic BLUF items, like Langlitz Leather motorcycle gear, which heralds back to the 60s and 70s and are known as the Rolls Royce of Leathers. It’s a key item for any true leather man! We’ve got more leather from RoB Amsterdam, Leather Boots from the likes of Wesco and Chippewa, rubber from the Berlin based Blackstyle and Rubaddiction, and not forgetting true stomping boots, from Belts and Braces. Add to this the now infamous GEAR T-Shirts with slogans that appeal to the true fetishist, such as Puppy, Analyst, Slave and Daddy, and you get the GEAR Concept!
How do you differ from other fetish stockists?
For a start, we’re not only a leather and rubber store, but aim to stock gear that appeals to the real fetish connoisseur. We believe that pure fetish freaks seek the real deal and get off on what really turns them on. Take sportswear for instance; GEAR Concept Stores stock brands like Adidas, Nike and New Balance. These are brands that have mass appeal to sports fetishists and we try to stock individual pieces that we know are going to appeal to our customers. Brands like Adidas get copied, but they simply are not Adidas.
So in essence GEAR seeks to take fetish back to its roots and stock the brands and items that may have been the incubators for the emerging fetishist. One of the things we have noticed is that some sports and fetish brands have gone down the fashion route and when this happens they lose the real essence of fetish. What we want for GEAR is to retain the authenticity of fetish and stock brands and exclusive products that you won’t find anywhere else and that appeal to our customers.
GEAR London is now open at 75 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3RY