John Sutcliffe

Who was John Sutcliffe?

John Sutcliffe was a British fashion designer and fetish photographer, famous in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as a designer of clothes for aficionados of leather, rubber and PVC fetishism, with an emphasis on rubber and leather catsuits, cloaks, and gasmasks.

After service in the RAF, he set up a workshop at 10a Dryden Street in London.

It is a popular misconception that he designed the leather outfits for The Avengers. He did not They were designed by Michael Whittaker for Honor Blackman and by John Bates for Diana Rigg, although they may have been made in John's workshop. He did design some costumes for the stage version of the Avengers which appeared later. He did however design the leather outfit worn by the main protagonist in the movie The Girl on a Motorcycle which influence the look portrayed in the Avengers.

At one time he designed a boot suit, which comprised a pair of thigh-length boots, which carried on to join at the crotch, and then upwards to become an entire catsuit with a hood.

He was also the publisher of the fetish magazine AtomAge, which featured many of his clothing designs.