Second Skin Leather Company (New Orleans Leather and Fetish Shop/1984-2005)

Second Skin Leather Company — New Orleans  Leather & Fetish Shop Tee

Located at 521 St. Philip Street in the French Quarter, Second Skin Leather Company was a legendary destination for leather enthusiasts, fetish lovers, and anyone whose idea of shopping involved a little more hardware than the average clothing store.

And this wasn't your typical French Quarter boutique.

Second Skin stocked an impressive assortment of leather harnesses, pants, vests, hoods, masks, cuffs, corsets, whips, and bondage accessories, along with clubwear and other wonderfully specialized merchandise. Whether you were looking for something to wear to a leather bar or something best kept behind closed doors, chances were good that Second Skin had a few suggestions.

The shop was part of New Orleans' distinctive leather and fetish culture, which flourished alongside the city's famous gay bars, motorcycle clubs, drag shows, and wonderfully uninhibited nightlife. The French Quarter had long been a place where conventional rules were treated more like friendly suggestions, and Second Skin fit right in.

The store was also connected to the larger Southern leather community through its owner, Jay Borne, remembered as an important supporter of the New Orleans and Southeastern leather scene. His death in 2005, while making repairs following Hurricane Katrina, was a loss to a community that extended far beyond the shop itself.