Simon Rose
Simon Rose is the owner and head designer of Libidex Ltd.
He was born in Rinteln, West Germany in 1967, the son of a Major in the British Army of the Rhine. He was educated at the Duke of York’s School, Dover, UK and at the University of Lancaster, where he took an Honours Degree in Psychology. He subsequently studied at the London Institute of Art & Design, gaining City & Guilds qualifications in Pattern Cutting, Costume and Set Design, and a Diploma in Photography.
In 1992, Simon met Helen Saffery who employed him as a garment designer and maker for her fledgling latex fashion label Libidex. In 1998, in partnership with his friend Nigel Walker, Simon acquired Libidex and established it as a limited company. Its first studio and workshop was a tiny room in Shoreditch, London, which Simon liked to describe as "Tracey Emin’s broom cupboard", since the artist occupied the studio next door.
In 1999, Libidex moved to larger, but still compact, premises close to St. Pancras station in London. Simon expanded the workforce to half a dozen, and worked to develop new designs and to market Libidex to a wider audience. His philosophy was always that the world of 'fetish' latex should not be exclusive or cliquey, but should reach out to young and older customers alike who would appreciate classic, well-tailored designs. In 1999, the company launched its website, and ramped up its production for retail customers, assembling a team of well-trained latex garment makers.
Simon made a point of travelling widely to promote Libidex to a wider audience. In 2004, he visited Japan with Nigel and staged a memorable show at one of Tokyo's leading fetish clubs, featuring elaborate latex Geisha girl outfits. In 2005, Simon and Nigel toured the USA, with Libidex staging a show at the San Francisco Fetish Ball, and visiting customers in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington and Chicago. Between 2000 and 2006, they visited many customers in Europe, staging performances at the German Fetish Ball in Berlin and Wasteland in Amsterdam, and exhibiting in Berlin and Hamburg.
The stage performances devised by Simon for Libidex were always highly acclaimed and demonstrated a flair for showmanship that went well beyond the standard catwalk displays. Libidex rapidly became one of the favourite latex labels amongst aficionados of the latex scene at clubs such as Torture Garden and the Rubber Ball, and its performances at the London XPO and Erotica have been star attractions.
At this time, one of Simon’s ambitions was to open a latex boutique in London. Part of the workshop at St. Pancras had been converted into a small showroom, but as customers increasingly beat a path to this rather out-of-the-way location, Simon decided to search for a suitable retail space in central London. The result was the opening in October 2004 of the Libidex shop "Liberation" at 49 Shelton St., Covent Garden, London. The shop was fitted out with Simon's usual flair for the slightly bizarre, and featured a collection of what can best be described as 'kinky antiques' assembled from various expeditions by Simon and Nigel to antique fairs and markets both in the UK and overseas. But the main emphasis of the shop was on selling Libidex latex, and London’s Time Out magazine soon acclaimed Liberation as 'the coolest kink boutique in town'.
Having successfully developed the business thus far, Simon was determined to safeguard its future. One of the problems – or indeed dangers – that Simon identified for the latex business was the reliance of pretty well all latex manufacturers in the world on one supplier for their raw material – the 4D Rubber Company in Derbyshire, UK. Not only did this mean 4D could charge what they liked, since there was no competition – and their latex sheeting was becoming increasing expensive; Simon saw that, if 4D went out of business, or ceased to make fashion-grade latex sheeting for any reason, the whole industry could collapse.
Simon and Nigel therefore set out to find a new source of latex sheeting supply, and in 2005 made an expedition to India and south-east Asia. Eventually they formed a partnership with a factory making latex products in Malaysia, with whom they worked to produce latex sheeting of a standard acceptable to fashion designers and makers. This was no easy task, especially since Simon was determined to produce an entirely new range of colours and effects in latex – something 4D had been slightly reluctant to do.
The result was the launch in 2007 of 'Radical Rubber' – the brand name under which Libidex marketed the latex sheeting produced by its partners in Malaysia. This was broadly welcomed by the latex fashion industry, not only because it offered them a greater choice of colours, and an alternative source of supply; it also resulted in a dramatic fall in the cost of latex sheeting: Radical Rubber was up to 40% cheaper than 4D, and it soon transpired that 4D were able to reduce their prices too!
By 2009, Libidex and Radical Rubber were expanding rapidly, and the workshop in St. Pancras had been outgrown. At the end of 2010, the company moved most of its operations to a former Victorian factory in Bloomsbury, London, which Simon enthusiastically refurbished to suit the future needs of the company. The new premises comprise a warehouse for Radical Rubber, a much expanded workshop for Libidex, offices and a design studio.
The extra capacity enabled Simon to take on more garment makers, and to begin making a new Libidex range dubbed 'Instant Orders'. Most latex garments are made to order, and this can involve customers waiting weeks, sometimes months, for their garments to be completed. Simon recognised that, in the Internet world, instant gratification was the key to many customers' hearts, and many people who were interested in latex were put off by the long waiting time, and indeed the price.
With 'Instant Orders', Libidex built up stocks of some of its best-selling garments, which it offered direct from its warehouse at very affordable prices. Now the rubberist who couldn't wait for his rubber, or the couple who had at the last moment decided to go to a club but had nothing to wear, or the boyfriend who'd only just remembered his girl's birthday in time, could be sure of getting their rubber within a few days rather than wait weeks. Not that Simon sees this scheme replacing Libidex's traditional made-to-order and made-to-measure services – in the world of high latex fashion, he reckons there will always be a demand for customised garments.
Amid all this, Simon continued to lead the Libidex design team, creating new ranges of latex clothing every year. He believes that latex fashion cannot – and should not – stand still, any more than more mainstream fashion does. “Customers want variety, novelty and interest, and it’s important to offer new ranges and designs on a regular basis", he says. Much of Simon’s work is derived from classic designs such as jeans, t-shirts, stockings or dresses being given a fetishy twist. “It’s the sort of thing you might almost wear in street, but with some little feature that shows it’s just a bit out of the ordinary." He’s been inspired by designers such as Leigh Bowery, Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler and Alexander McQueen, and has been commissioned to produce designs for some leading fashion houses and celebrities such as Eminem, Caprice, Oasis, Lady Gaga and others.
It says something for his tenacity and vision, coupled with a good dose of optimism and sheer chutzpah, that he has built what was a very small and very specialised latex fashion label into one of the leading latex designers and makers in the world. But Simon is never one to rest on his laurels: for him, the future always look brighter and constantly beckons: he sees latex as becoming more popular and more sought after by future generations, as more people discover the sensual attractions of wearing latex, and wants to lead Libidex in that direction.
“Latex is a wonderful medium from which to create fashion – it’s entirely different from conventional textiles, leather, PVC or anything else. But I think there are still many techniques to be explored and many new things we can do: we can develop our techniques for printing on latex, combining it with other materials, developing new ideas and skills in the way the material can be used and so on. It’s still very underdeveloped in fashion terms, and as someone who simply loves to wear latex – and be seen in it - that’s why I feel very excited and optimistic about the future of fetish fashion."
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