Dolenta Debarna at Breathless

This article is part of our ‘Welcome To Somers Town’ feature

A LATEX couture shop in Somers Town got curtains twitching when it arrived in the neighbourhood 12 years ago.

Breathless had started as a market stall – first, in Kensington Market, then Camden Market – before moving to King’s Cross Road and eventually settling in Phoenix Road, opposite the Cock Tavern.

“Some of the neighbours thought it was a sex shop,” fashion designer Dolenta Debarna told the New Journal.

“So we invited some of the ladies for tea and coffee to show them what we were doing. “What we didn’t realise when we first came here is how lovely Somers Town is. It’s like a little village within London.”

Ms Debarna soon got to know her neighbours thanks to regular walks around the block with her dog, Hoshi, who also became a firm favourite with children in the area.

She set up her business in 1998, several years after attending her first fetish party, when she decided to turn her hobby into a full time enterprise.

But it is one of many misconceptions that latex clothing is exclusively for those in fetish communities or working in the adult industry, Ms Debarna explained – she has designed clothes for fashion houses like Balenciaga, as well as for advertising, theatre, and even an X-Factor Christmas special.

“People immediately think of crotchless knickers, but we get all sorts of people,” said Ms Debarna, whose bespoke outfits have been worn by women on their wedding days, at the Royal Ascot races, and for 60th birthday parties.

“There are a lot of people that just want to wear something different, and a lot of people who don’t even realise what the material is. I find it funny when kids come in and say ‘look mum, it’s made of balloons’, or ‘it’s the same as my swimming cap’. Latex comes from trees, it’s biodegradable, it’s good for the environment.”

The shop window at Breathless in Phoenix Road

Together with her team, she makes everything by hand in a room behind the shop – no sewing machines, just a spatula, a pot of glue, and plenty of hard-earned skill.

Ms Debarna added: “This kind of clothing is not something you need. It’s not food, it’s not heating or water. You buy it because it is great packaging – it’s going to make you feel great. People think it’s going to show everything, or you need a ‘perfect’ body, but it actually is incredibly flattering.

“People come in all shapes and sizes, and we can adjust for everything. Recently, we had a customer that burst into tears in the changing room. She said because of her age and her illness, her self-esteem had gone down and she hadn’t looked in the mirror and felt this good in such a long time.”