By Alexander Thatcher
LEATHER PRIDE
"Don’t be afraid of what other people think of you. Wear what you want to wear and be who you want to be!" As a proud Army veteran Axe Leito is a man that has worn his fair share of uniforms. From khaki to leather was a seamless transition for Axe, and there’s no doubt in this writer’s mind why he was chosen to be Mr. Leather Netherlands 2019. I spoke to him about his love for things leather. How did leather come into your life? At 18, my first job was as a bartender in a fetish bar in the Hague called ‘The Boss’, which actually still exists. This was probably the first time that I came into contact with leather. I didn’t do much with it at the time, but somehow though it kept simmering in the back of my mind. As I got older and started going out more, I went to different kinds of parties, some of which had strict dress codes. I discovered that the parties with a fetish theme, such as Wasteland in Amsterdam, always turned out to be my favourites. When I met my partner Robin a few years ago, my passion for leather really took off. He is a leatherman as well, and our collection is growing by the day. Have uniforms always been a thing for you? I am a Dutch army veteran and served in Iraq once and in Afghanistan twice. This has made uniforms an important and often defining part of my life. From a young age, I have always liked uniforms, they radiate a look of power and authority. Going from the military uniform to the leather uniform was a seamless transition for me. So whereas leather may not have played a huge part in my youth, it certainly has as an adult. Especially this last year, of course. What kind of responsibilities do you have as Mr. Leather? There are no official responsibilities, but a lot is expected from you, especially being proud and visible in leather.
I appeared on TV shows, and I was the first representative of the Dutch leather and fetish community allowed to lay a wreath during the national Remembrance Day of the Dead ceremony. Together with my partner and some friends, I also created Ms. Leather Netherlands, which I’m very proud of. It must be great that Robin shares your passion. Absolutely, and my boyfriend is a total gearnut. Fun fact, we have exactly the same size, so we get to share pretty much everything. Very handy! Although Robin’s not a competitor, he does all my PR (I’m Dyslexic) and was one of the presenters in the Inaugural Ms. Leather Netherlands 2019 competition. I’ve found that people in the kink and BDSM community seem more at ease with themselves. Do you think that fetish can improve peoples lives? Yes, I do. In the leather and kink community, most of us know what we like and aren’t afraid to show it or bring it into practice. We live our passion, and many of us are highly visible from the clothes we wear. I guess it takes courage to do this. Fetish, kink and BDSM can help to open you up and be more comfortable with yourself and others. What advice do you have for an aspiring leatherman? Don’t be afraid of what other people think of you. Wear what you want to wear and be who you want to be! So what’s next then? In January we plan to organise the Ms. Latex competition, in May I want to compete at International Mr. Leather in Chicago. Then the highlight of 2020 — Robin and I will get married. Probably in leather :-)
Axe and his partner Robin | Photos by Rene Zuiderveld
FUSETRAVEL INTERVIEW
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