Clonezone’s Topher Taylor talks inclusivity
When people typically think of Clonezone, they think of the stereotypical images that are provided to us by the underwear brands we stock. The bronzed, rippled, muscular models with packed pouches and flawless skin – a mix of model agencies and careful retouching plays into an illusion which often alienates many people that are looking at our products. I get it. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve sat in our boardroom and asked the brands to use a different variety of models. Trust me, if it were up to me, we wouldn’t use these images as much as we do but the truth is, we don’t really have the time and resources to photograph every range that hits our warehouse. I wish we could but we are a small team and professional quality shoots are time consuming. It’s definitely something we have our sights set on, however. Watch this space.
This is also why I LOVE it when our customers send us selfies, representing different tribes, body types, skin colours, genders, and abilities. Our social media is often covered in these images. I often beg for them – as I know how important it is. As a young, sexually-confused boy, I was insecure about my body as I came from the emo scene where being skinny was everything. I was slim but with a big bum and big thighs. I couldn’t find anyone else who ‘looked like me’ – especially advertising clothes. Wearing skinny jeans was a mortifying experience next to people that seemed to be half my size. I hope that the efforts we make to encourage people to pose for us, lets customers and followers know how our gear will look on them. You really don’t need a gym fit body to pull of fetish wear, you don’t need a flat stomach to rock a crop top, and you don’t need to be male to wear clothes from Clonezone.
One step we’ve taken as a brand, is to expand our own brand ‘Fetish Gear’s sizing up to XXL, fitting up to a 40-inch waistline. Since our new buyer took over, we take brands up to XL as standard and we include XS where available – especially with the American brands which have a tendency to come up larger than our European and Asian manufactured gear.
With the introduction of brands such as Project Claude, Ruben Galarreta, alongside new arrivals from STUD and Barcode Berlin – we are seeing a wave of different types of people showing off in gear from our shops. And I love it. I’m always encouraging people to send in selfies, and I hope that anyone reading this will do, too. Please don’t be shy as your pictures might just encourage someone else to do the same. I actually have some projects coming up in 2019 where I’ll be making an active effort to promote the different types of bodies that wear our clothes. If you want to be involved or have suggestions, get into contact.
You can contact me at topher@clonezone.co.uk or tweet us @ClonezoneUK
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