How London-based designer, G Martin, ‘accidentally’ cultivated a sustainable fetishwear brand using industrial waste. 

By Lizzy Zarrello.  

London-based designer, G Martin, uses recycled tractor inner tubes and bouncy castles to create one-of-a-kind handmade fetishwear for her brand, Broke Boutique. Founded in 2012, Broke Boutique’s body hardware ranges from chokers, harnesses, and bras, all created from sustainably sourced materials. Martin has had a passion for creating recycled waste since her late teens. However, creating a luxury fetishwear fashion brand was never her intention. “It was really more of a stumble into the fetish world rather than being in the fetish scene prior to making the harnesses,” she tells Mission.

Martin’s inspiration for creating fetish gear began with the material, “I love turning trash into something unrecognizable from its original form. The fashion side was more accidental. It was really due to the rubber inner tubes being so suited to be turned into harnesses.” She has since expanded into working with reclaimed bouncy castles, warehouse curtains, flooring, paddling pools, soft play netting, and inflatables. All of which are materials that have “served their purpose and are destined for landfill or incineration.” Many of Martin’s works reference punk and DIY culture, like cult comics, including Tank Girl, Mad Max, and Heavy Metal. 

Martin’s creative process usually begins with cleaning wheels’ muddy and rusty inner tubes. She then cuts the material into different-width strips to create a pattern. From there, the material is punched, cleaned for a second time, and assembled into a garment. This process has saved between 3-6kg of rubber from going to landfill every week for the past few years. Any scraps left during the design process are saved and reused for smaller items, one of which is Broke Boutique’s hanging planters. The brand’s main focus goes beyond creating sustainable clothing but aims “to inspire someone to see the potential in materials that they may never have originally thought of.”

This year Martin was able to quit her job as a caregiver and begin pursuing Broke Boutique as a full-time career, “it was a big turning point in the business and my belief in myself being able to rely solely on the brand. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve stayed afloat and continue to grow each week.” Recently the brand began promoting a pop-up shop later this month featuring live art and workshops to celebrate and support twenty other independent artists and designers. Martin believes that “when we all do that for each other, we grow together and get to enjoy each other’s successes…If it goes well and we smash it, then I plan to keep running week-long pop-ups filled with events and workshops.” Just a few years ago, Broke Boutique’s materials were buried among the scraps in the industrial area of Norfolk. Now they’re serving as London’s more promiscuous (and environmentally savvy) inhabitant’s fetishwear.

Images courtesy of Broke Boutique brokeboutique.com