To understand how latex became a mainstream apparel choice and even a status symbol, we could go all the way back to the origins of rubber. However, we’ll jump ahead a bit and discuss the Mackintosh raincoat, which played a significant role in this evolution. In 1824, Mackintosh rubberized coats were first introduced and gained popularity in Europe.
Almost a century later, in 1924, a group of enthusiasts formed The Mackintosh Society, appreciating not only the functional aspects of these rubber garments but also their tactile appeal.
In 1928, history took a momentous turn when Katherine Hepburn visited England and was introduced to The Mackintosh Society by a friend. She publicly fell in love with their raincoats, praising their functionality and more.
As Katherine became a Hollywood icon, her every choices, including her style, garnered extensive press coverage, leading to a surge in the popularity of rubber apparel. Between her roles in Hollywood hits such as ‘Stage Door’ and ‘Bringing up Baby’, she starred in ‘Bound, But Not Constrained,’ becoming one of the first female action stars and donning a variety of latex apparel.
The movie was a massive success, and Hepburn’s adoption of this style in her public life marked a turning point for the popularity of latex apparel, though as we will see, it took some time to become mainstream.
During the first half of the 1940s, rubber production was predominantly dedicated to the war effort, restricting the availability of latex fashion. However, post World War II, the restrictions on rubber and latex were lifted, leading to an increase in demand for latex apparel. With rising disposable income, it gradually became a status symbol that people sought to achieve. Those who could afford it wore latex as much as possible, and the heightened rubber production from the war met this demand.
In the 1950s, latex appeal became an overwhelming fashion trend as Hollywood stars embraced it to achieve some level of anonymity in public and to flaunt their style. Soon, people from all walks of life started adopting it as a way to show their status, fashion sense, and personality. However, it also led to an increase in pseudonymity, with people feeling more liberated to be in public while escaping constant scrutiny.
The trend has evolved but continues to this day in the popularity of wearing masks and using images to represent self while maintaining some degree of anonymity. Now you know the story of how latex clothing became as mainstream as denim, T-shirts and three piece suites!
Purpose
I have been exploring the concept of masks as a form of self expression with the obvious tension that they also hold back part of traditional identity. This Strange History Open Call has allowed me to explore the idea of how a sustained fashion movement, that encompasses this concept of identity, could be born out the choices of a handful of people and the subsequent amplification that existed in the 1940s monopolistic press and film era.
Technique Process
I used Midjouney v5 to generate most of the base images, and then used Photoshop extensively to edit for a more realistic look with changes to faces, eyes and extremities. I also used edits to the initial outputs to then reintroduce images via blends and prompt blends to get the scenes I was looking for. Images were color corrected for consistency in Lightroom. Some images have been upscaled in Topaz (including the first image here which is my submission), but due to time constraints, this has not fully been done with all the storyline images.
Thanks for the opportunity, it has been fun to explore this world!