Cover photo: Atlas kilt, Black Crystal Latex
Nicola Ragni, from Puglia, and Daniele Nocent, from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, approached latex design for personal needs. Among their favorite brands, they couldn’t find one that could meet their needs, so, in 2018, they founded their brand, Black Crystal Latex, training in specific courses in London. The two constantly research materials and accessories to create unique pieces of high quality for all kinds of genders, where innovation and tradition meet. One of a kind is the presence of embroideries in some collections, such as Diamante, a limited edition. The garments are handmade in their studio in Rome.
Ragni and Nocent have done powerful editorials with English and German fashion magazines (Hunger Magazine, Schön!, Kaltblut). Their garments were selected by the stylist Giorgio Andrea Branduardi for the 2022 advertising campaign of the footwear brand René Caovilla. They work with Muccassassina, one of the most significant nights for clubbing in Italy, for the costumes part. Soon their women’s collection will be released.
How do you tame a problematic material like latex?
At the beginning, I had many difficulties. I worked as a model embroiderer (Nicola Ragni is speaking, ed) in the high fashion sector and in producing collections. In the end, you have to question all your skills. I felt incompetent because, even if you know the technical aspects, it is a challenging job when you want to model a larger garment.
But you did not throw in the towel and became passionate.
It was the birth of a new passion. The move from end-user to producer has allowed us to fully understand this material and its potential.
Black Crystal Latex Lab
What is challenging to produce with latex that creates satisfaction when you succeed?
The most challenging part in making a garment is undoubtedly shaping. Create the piece and correct proportions and cuts, all based on the physicality of the customer. Then we move to the processing of the material, which takes a lot of time, from cleaning the surfaces of the material, where you will then apply the glue, to taking the necessary precautions. Everything must be clean, because even a grain of dust could compromise the successful glueing. Keep in mind that latex does not sew. Even wearing it requires its own process, a kind of ritual. Specific products such as odourless talc or silicone-based dressing aids are recommended for tight-fitting garments.
Can you wash it in the washing machine?
We recommend washing it by hand with specific detergents that are readily available and at very low prices. There may be parts of the garment that could be damaged by the washing machine. As for the first use of the garment, it comes opaque at the time of purchase because of the talc that allows it to keep it dry and ensure the surfaces do not stick together. Simply rinse it with water, and once it is dry, you can begin polishing. In this regard, you can meet people who like to polish others in play parties.
Is it possible to recycle?
Latex has its own life cycle and is biodegradable. It is of plant origin and is obtained from the rubber tree in liquid form. Subsequently, it is mixed with other ingredients, such as minerals, in the various processing stages, to give it elasticity, good hold and dyes. A good quality latex, however, undergoes protein removal processes that can cause allergies. We recommend doing some small tests before buying it.
Diamante jacket, Black Crystal Latex
What are your cultural reference models when you create?
We try to be attentive to what surrounds us and our experiences at a given time or period. Based on our work background, we bring back and reinterpret fashion elements in the fetish to make the garment wearable in any context. I like to reinterpret clothes that are part of other cultures, like the kimono, but also to be inspired by sportswear. Our creative process is also tainted and influenced by other artists we meet. It is a vehicle for creativity that we believe in and allows us not to be locked into our world.
Latex culture is now legitimate in the UK and the USA, but what attitude is there in Italy?
We are some of the very few to produce latex in Italy, and at first, when I said it, I did not find the same enthusiasm as when I said I was an embroiderer or a pattern maker. The first thought that it aroused was related to the fact that I could work with people’ from strange tastes’, but, in reality, being in contact with people more aware and above all free of prejudice, helped me a lot also in my personal growth, and to discover new parts of me. Today, latex is a trend, it has also been fully embraced in the fashion world. In Italy, however, it has not yet become a part of our culture. It will take longer than in Germany or the UK. I trust the new generations, they have a fresher approach to novelties. Fashion and fetishes are very close relatives more than you think: brands like Dsquared2 or Versace have built part of their identity on fetish. Demonizing it is useless.
You made a custom design for the single. What are the craziest demands that come to you?
I will always carry a project in my heart, making a dress, and I also created embroidery that recalled the feathers of a bloody crow. Very visceral, I identified with it. We created some of the most extravagant outfits for the Muccassassina events and enjoyed making Mardi Gras masks and an Art Deco-themed project. We categorically rejected the request to develop a Nazi uniform. Generally, we do not judge the fetish taste, but we did not feel like making such a garment.
Black Crystal Latex embroidery of bloodstained feathers
Where can you wear your clothes?
We create garments that can be used in different contexts to be easily worn. Our Anima dress, for example, can be worn by a specific type of Mistress, but also by any woman to go to a party or for her birthday. Before, this kind of clothing was relegated to sub-cultural environments (play parties, themed events, clubbing evenings), but now we can also find it exposed in a brand showcase. There are dedicated events, in different areas of Italy, where you can show them: in Rome there is the Torture Garden Italy or Khaus, in Padua there is one of the historical clubs of the Italian scene, Leather Friends Italia, with even an annual election of a gay fetish community ambassador.
Latex suits can be of various kinds.
Yes, there are the superhero, drone, skinhead genres, if we talk about strictly fetish clothing. The garments can also be inspired by Renaissance costumes. The clothing, in latex and not, is a vehicle to launch your message of what we are and how we feel now.
Anima dress, Black Crystal Latex
Are you working on a new collection?
Our collections are not seasonal. We have five and enrich them with new pieces every year. They are like travel diaries linked to moods, such as the collection ‘Innervisions’, which is more introspective and gloomy and reflects part of my character.
Vita Ninja walks in Black Crystal Latex in the Torture Garden Italy fashion show, photo: Filippo Hat
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