A fetish centered on leather clothing, gear, or the scent and feel of the material itself, often tied to the visual power and texture of jackets, pants, harnesses, and boots. For many people the attraction is to the material as well as the aesthetic and cultural traditions surrounding it.
Leather has deep roots in mid-century gay motorcycle clubs and later in gay and pansexual BDSM communities, so it carries both erotic charge and a sense of shared history. Some people are drawn to the smell, weight, and creak of the material, while others are drawn to the visual language of authority and masculinity it often conveys.
Worth knowing: Leather should be broken in gradually and kept clean and conditioned, since poorly fitted gear can restrict breathing or circulation; make sure anything that buckles, straps, or binds can be quickly released.
Also called: leather fetishism, leatherman, leatherdyke, leather gear, leather harness, bootblacking, leather culture, old guard leather
