Sealwear Catalogue and Sample Chart
Scarce rubber couture ephemera from the Avengers-inspired catsuit pioneers.
Near fine.
Price: $375.00
Sealwear Catalogue and Sample Chart
Founded in 1959, Sealwear was born of the innocent desire to supply rubberized deep-sea fishing garments to human customers whose desire to clothe themselves in the manner of the sleek seal was a matter of practicality and industry. The company soon learned that the industrious and the practical of the earth were far outnumbered by those inland customers who wished to dress like seals, not to dive like them, but for reasons of their own. Meanwhile, designer John Sutcliffe, a man "very interested in women on motorcycles" (Trunk), had begun to sew innovative leather and vinyl costumes — his most famous commission was Marianne Faithfull's leather suit for GIRL ON A MOTOCYCLE, rivaling Diana Rigg's Emma Peel as a late-sixties catsuit icon — and distributed a variety of brochures and early fetish publications (Atomage, The Rubberist, and Dressing for Pleasure). The intersection of Sutcliffe's design vision with Sealwear's technical capabilities produced rubberized versions of these earlier leather models and an ever-more baroque selection of specialty latex apparel.
This late-'70s lookbook was originally printed by Centurian of California, though all mentions of Centurian are covered by Sealwear stickers, and advertises a wide variety of latex garments, some more suited to the medium than others: schoolgirl pinafores, flight suits, corsetry, swimsuits, and evening gowns. Whether Sealwear acquired Centurian or acted as partner/distributor is not evident from existing records. The Sealwear sample book is considerably scarcer, and includes samples in all colors and multiple weights of Sealwear latex and rubber fabric options. A rare set of vintage ephemera.
Read more: Trunk, Dressing for Pleasure: The Best of Atomage.
The Object
(Bournemouth, Dorset): (Sealwear Ltd), [circa 1970s]. Have fun with Sealwear. With: The super feel of Sealwear: material, colour, texture and thickness sample chart. Catalogue, 8.25'' x 5.75''; Sample chart, 3.25'' x 8.25''. Saddle-stapled color pictorial wrappers. [13] full-page color photographed captioned in English and German. Blue and white Sealwear stickers to front and back covers and all pages. With: Sealwear sample chart, containing six stapled rubber and latex sample stacks. Minor edgewear and some scattered foxing to both items.
The Fine Print
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Ground Advantage. International orders over $1000 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
