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The People Dropping Serious Cash on Outfits For Europe’s Biggest Fetish Party

We vroegen bezoekers van het grootste fetisjfeest van Europa hoe duur hun outfit is

This article originally appeared on VICE Germany.

Picture the scene: It’s 30°C, you’re dressed head-to-toe in latex, and you’re wandering through the streets of Berlin. You’re not alone, though, there’s 20,000 other people doing the same. Some are dressed as foxes, some as puppies and one as a motocross rider. No, this isn’t a weird dream, this is Folsom Europe, Europe’s largest fetish festival.

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In September 2023, we attended the festival’s 20th edition with photographers Till Milius and Anton Roentz to capture the wide variety of leather, uniform and masked looks at the festival. And with such a vast array of DIY inventiveness on show, we desperately wanted to know the answer to one burning question: How much did it cost to make that outfit? For privacy reasons, all of our interviewees preferred to talk to us using aliases or first-names only.

Hallobiker, 59

A man wearing a blue, white and green motocross outfit with helmet and an orange ski mask.
Hallobiker. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“This is the tenth time I’ve been to Folsom. I spent about £600 on my outfit and I think it looks really cool. It fits tightly and makes me stand out.”

William, 40

Two photos side by side. Left: A man in a leather police uniform. Right: A person wearing a mask and assless leather underwear kneels down on the street.
Left: William. Right: A typical scene at Folsom. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“It’s my third time at Folsom. I travelled here from Amsterdam. My outfit costs £2,500 – the most expensive part was the pants, they cost £850.”

Thorsten, 54, and Marc, 46

Two people drinking from bottles, one is dressed in cycling lycra and the other is in an orange jumpsuit with a choker around their neck.
Thorsten and Marc grab a refreshment. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

Marc: “We’ve been here over ten times, and we always meet friends from the fetish scene. I wanted to come in a full rubber outfit today, but I opted for lycra because of the heat. This one wasn’t that expensive, maybe £170.”

Close-up of a man wearing an orange jumpsuit, leather gloves, hand restraints and a choker.
Marc. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

Thorsten: “It’s so nice to see people living it up under a clear sky. My outfit was pretty cheap, it must’ve been under £100. I also wanted to wear leather originally, but it was just too hot.”

Sam, 27

A person wearing white shorts, lace bodysuit, a choker with nipple chains, and a play bunny face mask.
Sam. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“It’s my first time at Folsom and I have to say, I’m a bit overwhelmed. I spent about £50 on my outfit all in all. My favourite bits are the choker and the nipple chain.”

Okami, 35, and LabWolf, 37

Two people wearing orange and beige fox latex outfits with small dog collars.
Okami and Labwolf, which are their puppy names. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

LabWolf: “Our outfits cost about £500.”

Close up of the crotches of two people wearing orange and beige fox latex outfits.
A closer look at Okami and Labwolf’s outfits. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

Okami: “We had to wait a while for the latex masks – they’re quite in demand right now and there’s many suppliers.”

Niclas, 26

A person in a short-sleeved, black latex jumpsuit with shorts and a black and blue harness.
Niclas. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“I spent £230 on my outfit. It’s my third time here and it always feels like
Pride, but kinkier.”

Leo, 44

A man in a khaki police uniform, complete with a backpack, black cap, black boots and gloves.
Leo. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“It’s my first time at Folsom and I spent £400 on my outfit.”

Mittens, 26

Close-up of a person wearing a green and black latex mask with animal ears, an orange and black choker, and black puppy gloves; looking at the camera.
Mittens, their puppy name. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“Everything all together cost over £400. It’s my first time here and I couldn’t help but notice a lot of people are in chains. I also saw someone getting peed on.”

Laurent, 61

Photo of a man in a wheelchair, wearing a black full leather outfit with leather pants and vest, plus a black graphic tee.
Laurent. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“It’s my first time here, and I spent about £1,700 on my look.”

Ingolf, 64

Close-up of a man with a thick grey beard wearing a leather studded crown, a harness and a thick chain around their neck.
Ingolf. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“My outfit has something royal about it. I spent about £250 on it. I’m actually not that into fetish stuff, but I like to dress up and watch people. And today, there’s quite some eye-catching stuff around here.”

Armin, 23

A person in short-sleeved black latex outfit, wearing a red and black mask, collar, bandana and harness; crossing their arms and looking off camera.
Armin, whose puppy name is Kami. Photo: Till Milius and Anton Roentz

“I came all the way from Austria to attend Folsom. Here, we can all be free. Everyone can express themselves however they want. I spent about £600 on my outfit.”