Marquis:
Verona Gummibaum is an unusual artist's name. How did you think of that?
Gummibaum:
This name was given to me five years ago by Stefan, one of the owners of Fetishuniverse. My initials "VG" were compared to German TV star Verona Feldbusch, and after a joint photo production, we came up with the name "Verona Gummibaum".
Marquis:
Where does your fetish for rubber come from?
Gummibaum:
I have always engaged in art, and I found latex to be a very inspiring, practical material, because it can basically be worked with like leather, but other than that it is washable and desinfectable.
Marquis:
Why rubber, and not latex?
Gummibaum:
I have first worked with latex, but because I found there were many firms catering to high fashion in regular strength latex, so I decided to specialize in industrial thickness rubber.
Marquis:
Some fetishists think that the makers of fetish fashion and media run around dressed in latex all the time. Do you?
Gummibaum:
Some may dream about this, but for me this is a bread and butter job. Okay, maybe not quite your ordinary profession, but if I was dominated by my fetishes, I could not sell my creations. It would all be rather obscure. Myself however, I can talk about it quite relaxed, and so my customers are quickly losing any inhibitions they may have about it. So I hear a lot and understand what their fantasies are, which enables me to come up with the "toy" of their dreams, and which in - the best case - has not been made before. That is how my business works. Surely, I work with rubber and wear it when I go out, but not at home, and not at work. I prefer regular clothing there.
Marquis:
Your life has probably had its twists and turns...
Gummibaum:
That's right. I come from an artist's family in Landshut - my father was a decorator, my mother had a fashion shop. They wanted me to work in a bank, but I never wanted to be any of what my family stood for! At the age of 14, I started to design my own clothes. Then I left the monastery school and went onto a school for fashion design. Unfortunately, I did not have any practical training because I was too much of a crazy girl for them. So I worked as a hairdresser in between, did a lot of styling and make-up. As an 18-year-old, I started my first own fashion business. Among other things, I created outrageous hats from leftover materials and fleamarket findings. In my opinion, true art is created just like that, when you have no money and are forced to improvise. I soon caught the eye of the Munich fashion firm who offered me a job as a designer - knowing very well, that I had not been through practical training. However, the owner thought she could use my unusual ideas to turn them into something wearable.
Marquis:
You as an employee - how long did that work well?
Gummibaum:
In the beginning it was great, because I could spontaneously create things from whatever materials and buttons I found in their warehouses and stockrooms, without doing any sketches before. Soon after, though, I quit because I felt exploited. I have many ideas, and often I'm ahead of the trends, of which this company wanted to profit. I felt empty and burnt out, and subsequently worked in gastronomy. First in a bar, then as doorgirl in renowned Munich clubs like the Parkcafe, P1, or Pacha, just to make some money. During this time, I also volunteered in a professional dungeon. It showed me a whole new, inspiring aspect of S&M reality, and allowed me to incorporate it into my creations. It was a logical step to become self-employed as a fashion designer. The temporary occupation in the domina studio, along with the knowledge I learned there, as well as the practical needs and preferences of the ladies and their guests, perfectly supplemented my fantasies. All I had to do was to use these impressions and experience to create my own rubber reality.
Marquis:
You see yourself as an underground designer. What exactly does that mean?
Gummibaum:
I sometimes make things which are really way out. That's my hobby. And that is supposed to stay that way. I don't want to be commercial! I don't want to waste my ideas on the mass market. My one-offs are kind of subversive, there is no advertising for my business, and so far I have never been to any trade shows. All I do is iely on word of mouth. Furthermore, my creations can hardly be offered in a boutique, because most often they are made to measure and include individual ideas.
Marquis:
Hasn't the so-called underground fashion long become part of the mainstream, just like punk, which has been used in their collections by Galliano, Gaultier & Co.?
Gummibaum:
Not exactly mainstream, because that is only seen in the street and in shows. But it is true that underground and subculture, which existed in the 80'ies, no longer exist today, and a lot of formerly shocking things have become acceptable - thank God. Let's be honest: Haven't we seen it all? You cannot create anything completely new and revolutionary anymore. Everything has been done before. All you can do is variations of what already exists.
Marquis:
Your creations really look like art objects and are mostly made of 2-4 mm strong rubber. Your trade mark is to add a lot of lacing, edges seamed with neoprene cords etc. What inspired you to this style?
Gummibaum:
I am a material waster who likes to work with a lot of material that I have accumulated in my function as an obsessed collector. I love all things round, playful, and all that requires a lot of work, patience, and attention to detail. If that is not possible, something else is generated, but it will always be laborious.
Marquis:
All the products in your collection are hand made and you only make them to order. How long does a customer have to wait?
Gummibaum:
80 hours or more are not unusual for a good looking, complete outfit, while you may still look rather naked in it.
Marquis:
Does that justify the relatively expensive prices of up to 989 Euro?
Gummibaum:
No. It is almost impossible to properly pay for the amount of work and dedication I usually invest into my one-off designs. If I counted all the hours of work, it would well have to cost twice as much. That's why I set my prices out of intuition, with a good feeling of what is justified and acceptable.
Marquis:
Who are your customers?
Gummibaum:
Anybody who wants to stand out in a crowd. This person must not necessarily be part of the scene. Going hardly out myself, I don't really know where my customers wear their purchases. Anyway, I don't want to recreate the really special designs more than two or three times, really, if at all! It would surely be annoying for anyone who wears my outfit to run into a person wearing the same. In addition: You usually wear a spectacular outfit only once to an event. That's why many creations hang here in my wardrobe, and I rent them out for 25% of the purchase price.
Marquis:
Your fashion looks dominant, dark and martial, as you have visually demonstrated in your "World Of Warcraft" photo project with the Mannheim photographer Art-In-Black. Is this an homage to the well known online game?
Gummibaum:
Of course. When I once met the Fetishuniverse owners at their home and saw them completely absorbed with "World Of Warcraft", I immediately realized - even as a non-gamer - how well the creations that formed in my head would fit into this surreal universe. In order to avoid problems with the creators of the game, I called my photo series "World Of Witchcraft".
Marquis:
What is your business philosophy?
Gummibaum:
I am against commercialism, because if I was commercial, I would have to do something else. The way I run my business, few people take notice of me. I want to have everything under my personal control! I have no employees and do everything myself. I know of each and every piece, when it was made. If an employee had made it, I could not guarantee that is accords with my quality standards. I do not want to take responsibility for that. Furthermore, a typical online shop does not interest me, because it all happens by anonymous emails and mail order. I want to be in personal touch with my customers, consult them and make individual things for them.
Marquis:
You present your fashions with professional models like Miss Cheyenne and Saphira Spanks. Why don't you model yourself?
Gummibaum:
Because I see myself as not photogenic enough; I'm in my early fourties and don't want to pose half naked in front of a camera anymore. That's why I transform and style my models so that they look like I did twenty years ago. Many people actually think it is me, which does not surprise me. If you look at it that way, they are modified versions of myself, really.
Marquis:
Quite contrary to your underground fashions, you have this collection of little latex frogs, which are dressed in tiny fetish outfits, and for which you have even built a puppet sized S&M studio. Where does this love for Kermit the frog come from?
Gummibaum:
I have made the frogs before I started working in the domina studio. Like a child that plays with dolls, I have been able to live out my fantasies with them. Making such a frog takes up to 40 to 60 hours, by the way! All in all, I have invested a full year into this theme. I'm often asked if I sell the frogs, but I have really made these only for myself. Because the inquiries wouldn't stop, I eventually decided to put a price tag of 1200 Euro to a frog, which nobody would pay. That way, the demand has died off.
Marquis:
You've told me that you are not very active in the scene anymore, that it doesn't interest you that much anymore. Why is that so, and what do you think of today's fetish scene?
Gummibaum:
In the fetish scene there are various groups of people who have little or no understanding and tolerance for others. I find that ridiculous, even if it may be similar in any other scene. That's why I try to stay out of it, I'd rather have no contact at all or only to such people which are on my wavelength. I meet people like that anywhere, not necessarily in the scene. Everybody is so focused on the exterior and the image; I'm way beyond that for a long time. I've had enough of that during my club and partying times. I rather concentrate on what's inside now, and rarely leave my environment. This development is a logical step for me, because I have always done what I did consequently. Afterwards, it's finished. I avoid huge masses of people; if I have to, I would rather go to small events. I go to the latter ones as a private person, though, and it annoys me when people bother me with questions. Generally, I'm quite happy in my own little world in Munich, because this is where people know me. I'm not known much internationally, but if it ever happens, I will not be angry about it. I don't think I have any obligation whatsoever, to do anything I don't want to do.
Marquis:
Your homepage www.verona-gummibaum.de is screaming green, in crazy colours and design, almost like it was created by a child. How does that fit to your otherwise dark, martial fashion style?
Gummibaum:
My fashion is the underground, while my home and environment is colourful, and I can be a quite colourful human being myself sometimes. People have many facets. I don't only live in one world, but in many, most of which have nothing to do with each other. That should no surprise: I'm a gemini by star sign, which stands for duality. My ascendant is virgo, which stands for "maybe, maybe not..."
Marquis:
Consequently, you offer BDSM toys on your website www.VeronasSecret.com. Like your fashions, all these are specially made to order. How did you decide to do this?
Gummibaum:
I wasn't satisfied with the toys I found in the dungeons. I wanted more innovative and exciting toys. It really started when I found out about the preferences of all these men, for which no special toys existed. For example, a penis collar with 12 mm needles on the inside. You cannot put such a thing to practical use, because it would be too dangerous. Nevertheless, it is being sold in shops, quite well actually. That is true mind thing! Most users are happy to just have it at home, though, just the thought of it is enough...
Marquis:
How do you see your future, what are your plans or wishes?
Gummibaum:
I just let things happen. I really have no fixed plan. The way I lead my life, it is better not to. That's why I am always free in my decisions what to do, and what not. Why should I plan a future for myself? You never know what happens tomorrow. When I'm fed up with anything, I start something new. There are so many things in my head, trying to get out. If I wanted to realise all of them, one life would be not enough. That's why I'm trying to avoid to put myself under stress. I don't even do sketches to get a grip on my ideas. Admittedly, I forget names and phone numbers sometimes, but never my creative ideas. Generally: I do what I want, and when I want to.