Thursday, October 3, 2024
ClothingLeather

BEAR meets… Wolfstryker Leather

Wolfstryker Leather is one of the most popular leather clothing and accessories companies in the bear community. We love seeing them at so many of the Bear events, and as we launch, we wanted to check in and find out a lot more about them. Check out my interview with them below:

David Goodman: How long has Wolfstryker been around?

Wolfstryker Leather: We officially incorporated in November of 2012, so we’ve been a company for just shy of 11 years now. Last year was our tenth anniversary which was a lot of fun. Prior to that I was doing leatherwork as a side gig, or I guess you could call it a monetized hobby.

I got my start in leatherwork way back as a Boy Scout with leatherwork being my first merit badge. Living in Philadelphia and wanting to get into the leather/bear scene once I turned 21, I was unable to afford the gear I wanted as a ‘starving artist’ (now that I make the gear and know the labor involved and cost of materials, I totally understand why it’s as expensive as it is, but I can definitely understand seeing that price tag just starting out and being daunted). Being crafty I decided to make it myself and put some basic pieces together. People saw what I made, asked where I got it, and just started ordering from me and it sort of snowballed into a business.

Things changed when I met Mason Stryker. He asked me to make some vests and saw that I was struggling to manage all the various aspects and decided to help me out. With his guidance Wolfstryker Leather was formed into a full-blown business I could devote my full time to.

DG: You offer bigger sizes for guys – what are your biggest sizes?

WS: As big as we need to. We’ve fit some rather large men and women. I think there is a tie for my two largest. The first is a belt we made for an individual who at the time had an 88” waist. Thankfully our strapping when we cut them from sides can be up to 100” long and we had a piece of strapping with our Bear Flag pattern that we were able to turn into a belt for him. The other was for a dominatrix who wanted a strap-on harness. She was a curvy individual and the final harness was a series of panels and straps that were designed to curve around her snuggly and adjust as needed (and with a handy quick release system built in for easy on-and-off).

DG: What Bear Events are you usually vending at?

WS: We do a circuit of events up and down the East Coast and throughout the Midwest. Some of our biggest ones we visit every year are ‘North American Bear,’ ‘Texas Bear Round Up,’ ‘Bear, Bikers and Mayhem,’ and ‘World Bear Weekend.’ We also attend a number of leather/kink events like Mid Atlantic Leather and International Mr. Leather, while supporting a number of contests and events like Women of Drummer, Virginia Bear, Woods Leather, and others.

DJ: What are the most popular items you sell

WS: That’s a tough one. Our ‘most popular items’ tend to change from event to event, though harnesses and suspenders are always flying off our shelves. At events we custom size them to you right there and build in extra features, like our suspenders being able to turn into a half harness (harkening back to my ‘starving artist’ days. I am well aware of how much my custom leather costs and want to make sure our clients get the best piece for the price).

Recently a regular hot seller are our new line of Kilts. We obtained the KiltedBros brand after the prior owners, Nick and Jefferson, decided to retire it after the Pandemic. Folks were devastated to see them go so we stepped up to continue the brand, and make improvements to their designs. (all the kilts, even the traditional ‘tartan’ style kilts, now have built in pockets!)

DG: What are the sexiest items you sell

WS: Our ‘sexiest’ item is very subjective. I may make a custom jock for one person and when they put it on it’s jaw dropping, but on someone else it just looks meh. It’s all about matching style to a person’s mood or body. For example, I’m personally not big into wearing corsets, but we’ll have guys try them on and suddenly you’re looking at an up-n-coming adult film star. Other times a lady comes in, puts on a muir cap, locks eyes and you suddenly want nothing more than to call her Mistress. Those are the kinds of gear I find to be the ‘sexiest.” We once had a young man put on a harness, look in the mirror, then gasp and start crying, telling us he’s never felt sexy and desirable before.

DG: What’s the most unusual request you have ever had?

WS: It’s hard to say what my most unusual request is. After 11+ years making gear what others may consider to be extremely kinky becomes just another day in the workshop. Restraints, harnesses, etc, it all becomes ‘normal’ after a while. It’s actually pretty funny when a client who has a secret fantasy gets up the courage to ask for something they think is outrageous, like “I want a red sling with purple edges and tassels” and we just say “ok.”

The unusual pieces tend to be very specific. For example, I’ve made suspension leg harnesses for someone into ariel play, or replicated costume pieces from video games such as the Soldier 76 jacket or Azreal from Arkam Asylum games. I think one of my favorite pieces of unique bondage gear was a special request for a ‘toe bondage’ harness that could individually tie up and stretch each of a person’s toes for tickle torture.

www.wolfstryker.shop

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