Skin Two magazine
Skin Two is the incorporated name of a series of latex fetish production companies. It originated with a magazine which started as an underground publication.
At its peak in the mid to late 1990s, Skin Two was present in book form, Music CD, movie/film, and several club events around the world.
Today the magazine and its various imprints as well as the major parties including the annual Skin Two Rubber Ball remain active. Most of the other general ventures such as movies and music devices have been abandoned with the return to the specific underground fetish focus.
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Magazine History
According to publisher Tim Woodward's listed history he recalls "The magazine started in a cellar in Soho, London, in 1983. There were just a few of us then - an underground fetish club. Little did we know at the time, but it really started something. This was the first of the modern generation of fetish clubs. People came from far and wide and now the Skin Two Rubber Ball Weekend is the world’s most famous BDSM/fetish event. We have run fetish parties in Australia and we sponsor events in the USA and Germany. There’s more information at the Rubber Ball Website."
In early 1984, Skin Two Magazine was founded by publisher Tim Woodward and photographer Grace Lau. The first issue was only 16 pages and was printed only 1,000 copies, in black-and-white, and was stapled together. This format was maintained for the first eight magazines.
Skin Two Magazine was later converted to a big and stylish glossy quarterly, sold around the world in many outlets including Tower Records (defunct as of 2008), Borders, etc., as well as by mail order direct from the Skin Two main website.
The magazine was stopped in 2008 with issue 60. Skin Two management cited that the magazine sales and paid advertisement were too low to continue publishing the magazine on the regular basis as it was.
The magazine was replaced with an annual issued hardcover book entitled "Skin Two Fetish Yearbook". The Yearbook was to replace the magazine, and position Skin Two to the more up-scale collector crowd. The Yearbook was stated by Woodward to be designed as a "coffee-table piece". The Yearbook was only issued for 2009 due its own limited appeal with the former magazine subscribers, as well with advertisers who needed more than an once-a-year promotion of their events and devices.
Magazine Restart
With the recent refocus and resurgence from the specific fetish club underground movement, editor Tim Woodward publicly announced that the main Skin Two magazine would be restarted with issue 61 which is currently scheduled to be released in October 2010.
The Yearbook series has been cancelled, and no Yearbook will be issued for 2010.
Magazine Imprints
Directory Annual
An annual Skin Two Directory was begun in 2003 and was published up to 2009, when the Directory and the general magazine was discontinued. As of July 2010, there has been no public statement if the Directory will be restarted now that the main magazine is to be restarted in October 2010.
LateXtra
Skin Two LateXtra, a general fetish club anc clothing listing, was begun in 2004 and is given away free in fetish clubs and shops across the United Kingdom as a promo for both the main magazine and the various retailers and club event promoters who were listed in the flyer. LateXtra continues to be released without ceasing since its inception on an infrequent basis of a few times a year.
Clothing Line
Skin Two also issued a fetish outfit series in the late 1990s including Rubber, shiny PVC and accessories for women and men through their Skin Two Clothing line. This clothing line was sold off and is no longer controlled by Skin Two management, though still retains the name of "Skin Two Clothing".
Website and Events
On the Skin Two web site, many like-minded individuals have used the forums to keep up with the BDSM/fetish news, view galleries, watch online fetish movies and find some very interesting links. If you just want to chat, express a view, start an argument, join an existing argument, or tell fetish people what you think, you can do so now via the Skin Two Forum.
Skin Two Personals were established to allow individuals to make contact with other fetish fans around the world and in your own town.
Skin Two continues to support and promote various club events and parties around the world including their primary event, the annual "Rubber Ball" in the United Kingdom, as well as the Skin Two Atlanta parties with Secretroom.net held in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. These events can be accessed on the Skin Two website as well.
