Leather Social Berlin

Just when you thought Berlin couldn't be taught anything about being sexy, Schöneberg imports a simple but horny London-made concept invented in early 2013 by the inspired Simon Allen, bent on appealing to a cross section of generation-straddling leather interests. On the third Sunday evening of the month, men in leather gather in a relatively casual setting to drink and chat, but with a certain cruisy subtext. The London original happens upstairs at leather-friendly, sordid-vanilla pub Comptons of Soho while this Berlin offshoot, which kicked off in August 2015, alternates among private apartments (and occasionally in clubs), previously located within the stomping ground around Nollendorfplatz but now more often than not near Bayerischer Platz, two stops south of Nollendorfplatz on the bite-sized four-station U4 line. Desiring Socialites become members online, then are provided with details. Or they just show up unannounced. In September 2016 Berlin organiser Johannes Knebel staged two special (and well-attended) events for Folsom Europe and charged €10 entry – a definite break with Leather Social tradition. But Leather Socials staged in peacetime (ie not Easter and not Folsom) come free. Sally Bowles [see entry] has been known to stage Socials during the Easter and Folsom fetish weekends. As of 2002 Fetish Social Berlin (FSB) had usurped the original Leather Social in popularity, with the latter now staged seemingly sporadically rather than regularly.