How vintage erotica inspired Strapp Metal’s New Romantic campaign 

From contemporary art to fashion, the masters of gay erotica continue to inspire today’s creatives. That is certainly the case for Strapp Metal founders Colton Long and Lee Finnigan, who turned to archival physique imagery to shape their latest fetish wear campaign.

“The inspiration came from a deep love and respect for classic gay men’s physique photography and print media,” the duo tell me.

For their New Romantic collection, Long and Finnigan immersed themselves in decades of queer visual culture, drawing on the hyper-masculine codes of leather and rubber while simultaneously subverting them with feminine flourishes. The result is a campaign that feels both reverent and refreshingly irreverent. Muscular silhouettes styled with softness, fetishwear offset by feminine details.

“This campaign is a love letter to our queer art heroes like Bob Mizer, Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom of Finland, Harry Bushand countless others who dared to push boundaries so that Strapp Metal can exist today.”

In the 1970s, Physique Pictorial showcased what many considered the height of masculinity, often staging its models as modern-day Adonises. Oiled bodybuilders atop plinths directly reference the marble gods of antiquity, drawing a clear line between classical sculpture and contemporary queer desire.

By framing muscular men through an art historical lens, the publication elevated physique photography beyond pin-up culture, positioning it as both aspirational and subversive. This visual language would go on to influence generations of artists and designers intrigued by the tension between strength, spectacle and stylisation.

By the 1990s, that rigid ideal had begun to soften. Publications such as Colt Magazine pushed the conversation forward with spreads in which a leather-clad bodybuilders stand confidently in their prime. Together, these references chart an evolution in queer imagery, from stoic godliness to something more knowingly theatrical.

For Strapp Metal, the next evolution to this hyper masculine history was to explore the feminine dichotomy. “Exploring femininity can be freeing for gay men”, they explain. “Nothing makes us feel more playful and unconfined than dressing up, putting on a short skit, or pair of stockings. We would like to share this feeling with our community.” 

For Long and Finnigan, fetishwear has evolved far beyond a uniform of hyper-masculine codes. What once centred almost exclusively on rigid archetypes (the stoic leather daddy, the muscle-bound ideal) has expanded into something more fluid and expressive. For them it’s about reframing queerness outside the hegemony of hyper-masculinity.

“We believe that good fetish wear starts with being unique,” they explain. “Fetish wear relies on self-expression, and when done right, gives insight into who you are without saying a word.” In this sense, leather, rubber and metal become more than materials; they are tools for storytelling, allowing wearers to articulate power and vulnerability on their own terms.

That philosophy underpins every design decision. “At Strapp Metal, we do everything we can to make sure our pieces not only fit most bodies, but make everyone feel and look their sexiest,” the founders explain. Rejecting shortcuts in favour of craftsmanship and thoughtful construction, they approach each garment as both armour and adornment.

“Every piece is designed to make whoever wears it feel like it was made just for them.” In paying homage to the visual codes and pioneers of queer history while reimagining them through a more expansive, individual lens, Long and Finnigan position fetish wear not as nostalgia, but as a living, evolving expression of identity. In doing so, they honour the past while looking firmly to the future.

Discover Strapp Metal’s New Romantic collection at strappmetal.com.