Template:Short description Template:Multiple image

Il lattice è usato in vari tipi di vestiti. Tradizionalmente la gomma veniva usata per l'abbigliamento protettivo, come per le maschere antigas e per gli stivali Wellingotn. Oggi è stata sostituita dalla plastica in molte applicazioni. Anche l'impermeabile ha la sua genesi nella stoffa gommata.

La gomma di lattice come materiale tessile viene usata frequentemente nella moda fetish e tra coloro che praticano BDSM, ed è spesso indossata nei fetish club. Il lattice ogni tanto viene anche usato dagli stilisti per il suo aspetto teatrale. L'abbigliamento in lattice tende ad essere molto aderente. Ci sono varie riviste dedicate a come usare e a come indossare il lattice. Meno frequentemente, i vestiti in lattice possono essere larghi.^[1]

Guanto in Lattice

Calzini in Lattice

Al mondo i produttori che fabbricano lattice adatto a stare a contatto con la pelle umana sono una manciata. Queste aziende vendono i tessuti prodotti (nella maggior parte dei casi) a un grande numero di produttori di abbigliamento più piccoli. Nel passato, alcuni mercati erano dominati da monopoli de facto, in cui un fornitore di stoffe poteva imporre requisiti restrittivi agli ordini dei propri clienti. Potendo solo ordinare lotti di stoffa lunghi almeno mezzo kiloemtro, del colore e spessore desiderati, i designers e i produttori di vestiti sono spesso stati costretti a cooperare, o a dover affrontare lunghi ritardi nel rifornimento dei propri clienti, se volevano lavorare nel mercato dei vestiti in gomma.

A partire dagli anni 2000, tuttavia, il mercato dei tessuti è stato esposto ad una maggior competizione grazie a Internet. Questo ha prodotto un'esplosione nella produzione su commissione dei vestiti in lattice.

I vestiti prodotti da tessuti in lattice vengono costruiti attraverso un processo in tre fasi. Inizialmente viene scelto un motivo per uno specifico capo d'abbigliamento and adjusted carefully to suit the measurements supplied by the customer. Then the sheet latex is cut out on a flat board, by hand: lastly latex glue (generally rubber cement solvent-based adhesives) is used to join seams together. Skilled latex makers can build a stocking, shaped to match the contours of a specific person's leg, made from latex only 0.2 mm thick, in under an hour.^{[senza fonte]} It is possible to use water-based glues such as Copydex to make latex clothes; however, the long-term durability of items made this way is somewhat dubious.

Latex moulded clothing is produced by dipping a mould into a vat of liquid rubber. Dealing with raw liquid latex is more difficult because of the extra effort that must be put in to keep the thickness of the latex itself consistent. Because of this, improper molding techniques can lead to inconsistent thickness in the latex, causing it to fail at the weak points faster than items made from sheet latex. This has led to a major stigma against molded latex garments, in favor of sheet latex versions. Unfortunately, this stigma has been detrimental to those few latex providers who have proper mold-making techniques. When done properly, a molded latex garment is just as durable as sheet latex, and it is a preferred method for skilled individuals making items with heavy contours like hoods or gloves. Despite any attempt to use sheet latex to make hoods and gloves, it is impossible to get solid sheets to fit complex contours as well as a molded latex item can. The belief that all sheet latex is superior to all molded latex is completely false, and ultimately it depends on the abilities of the creator, as even poorly made sheet latex can fall apart easily. Sheet latex is the preferred method for items like catsuits, that do not need such perfect form fitting, and are easier to create with sheets compared to the large molds required for body suits.

While there is little difference in latex clothing made from liquid latex versus sheet latex in the hands of a skilled artisan, liquid latex is cured via air drying while sheet latex is cured by being vulcanized.^[2][3] This makes the two forms slightly different. Due to the difference in curing, liquid latex can be applied to sheet latex clothing to add unique patterns and designs which can be peeled off the sheet latex afterwards.

Neither moulded, nor sheet-based, latex is amenable to large-scale mass production. Skilled manual artistry is an integral part of the process; this means that made-to-measure and special designs are much more accessible to the general buyer, in looking at fetish latex, than is the case with regular textiles.^{[senza fonte]}

Latex has been used to make leotards, bodysuits, stockings and gloves, besides other garments. Latex is also often used to make specialist fetishistic garments like hoods and rubber cloaks.

Latex clothing is generally made from large sheets of latex which are delivered in rolls. The "classic" colour for fetishistic latex clothing is black, but latex is naturally translucent and may be dyed any colour, including metallic shades or white. It can come in thicknesses which generally range from about 0.18 mm to 0.5 mm. Instead of being sewn, latex clothing is generally glued along its seams.

Because latex sheet is relatively weak, latex clothing needs special care to avoid tearing. While latex can be repaired using materials similar to those provided in a bicycle repair kit, the result is rarely as attractive as the original appearance of the garment.

Latex clothing is often polished to preserve and improve its shiny appearance.^[4]

Putting on latex clothing can be difficult, because latex has high friction against dry skin. To make it easier to put on, wearers often use talc to reduce friction against the skin when putting the clothes on; then, because stray talc is very visible against the rubber, wearers generally polish off any visible talc. Another method of dressing is using lubricant (or 'lube') which provides a slippery surface for the latex to glide over. A third method of reducing or eliminating the high friction of latex when dressing is to chlorinate the rubber. Chlorine in gaseous form is generated by the reaction of hydrochloric acid and sodium hypochlorite. This chlorine bonds to the first few molecules on the surface of the isoprene (latex) and transforms them into neoprene.^{[senza fonte]} This process affects metallic colours, but does not affect strength.

Latex may also be painted directly onto the body as latex in liquid form, which is also sometimes used to close seams in the creation of latex clothing. Removal of a painted on liquid latex garment can result in painful hair removal. Wearers avoid this by preparing the skin by prior hair removal, the use of release agents to prevent the latex adhering to the hair, or using products such as orange oil to weaken the latex during removal.

Use of latex clothing has been popularized by media appearances, such as the outfit of Catwoman, a cat burglar, in Batman Returns or the outfits in The Matrix which are mostly made of latex, like popular celebrities Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Kylie Jenner, Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Eliza Dushku, and Emma Watson has worn latex in publicity events or hangouts.^[5]

Template:Multiple image Latex clothing is a popular feature of the BDSM community. Latex or rubber fetishists sometimes refer to themselves as "rubberists". One reason why latex or other tight shiny fabrics may be fetishised is perhaps that the garment forms a "second skin" that acts as a fetishistic surrogate for the wearer's own skin. Thus, wearers of skin-tight latex or PVC garments may be perceived by the viewer as being naked, or simply coated in a shiny substance like paint. Latex can also be polished to be shiny and can also be produced in bright colours, adding further visual stimulus to add to the physical sensations produced by the material. The tightness of the garments may also be viewed as a kind of sexual bondage.

• Fetish fashion
• Leather subculture
• Lolita fashion
• Modest fashion
• PVC clothing
• Rubber and PVC fetishism
• Swim cap

Notes

Template:More references

• Wikimedia Commons contiene immagini o altri file su Einuage/Sandbox
• Mooney, Sian-Kate, Making Latex Clothes, 2004, ISBN 0-89676-251-3.

[[Category:BDSM equipment]] [[Category:Clothing by material]] [[Category:Fetish clothing]] [[Category:Paraphilias]] [[Category:Rubber products]] [[Category:Sportswear]]