This week Chicago's premiere LGBTQ publication Windy City Times celebrated the 40th anniversary of International Mr. Leather (IML).
If you're in town for the event or just following on social media, do yourself a favor and read up on the legacy of this longstanding, underground gay event.
Above, from the slideshow of historic IML photos from the last 40 years.
From the article:
Size matters at the daddy of all leather competitions with a total of 72 contestants—the largest number on record—competing at International Mr. Leather ( IML ) 2018 in Chicago, IL, surpassing the previous record of 66 contestants from 2002. IML draws an estimated 18,000 attendees from around the globe who will have a boots-on-the ground presence this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the event.
Those boots will also have the opportunity to receive leather care at the 26th annual International Mr. Bootblack competition, which takes place throughout the IML weekend and features four contestants this year.
IML began as a competition at the Gold Coast, a long-shuttered gay men's leather bar in Chicago owned by iconic businessman and IML founder Chuck Renslow. The contest became so popular it exceeded the pub's capacity, and in 1979, International Mr. Leather was born. Today, IML has evolved into a multiday event featuring fetish workshops, speakers and dance parties, with a Leather Market full of kink wares from chains to chaps...
Continue reading the full story on the Windy City Times website.
And speaking of the Leather Market, stop on by the Perfect Fit Brand mega-booth for deep discounts on our entire catalog. The sale will go sitewide as of May 25.
