48 Hills is proud to be the 42nd annual Folsom Street Fair‘s exclusive San Francisco media partner. Up until the Fair itself on Sunday, September 28, we’ll be guiding you through the history, looks, parties, and people of the world’s largest kink and fetish celebration. Check www.48hills.org/folsom-2025 for updates.
At Folsom Street Fair (Sun/28), amid the booming bass, stomping boots, and cracking whips, sunlight ricochets off chains, piercings, and mirrored shades as the air thickens with the mingled scent of sunscreen, sweat, and leather polish.
The crowd packs in tight, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, and nobody flinches. Proximity isn’t an accident here—it’s the point. Outfits cling to bodies, or barely cover them at all, until body and costume blur into the same exhibition of desire.
San Francisco’s annual kink, leather, and all orientations fair is far more than a party. It’s a living archive of queer resistance, a carnival of fetish, and a pulsing celebration of radical self-expression.
The stages and play spaces may catch the gawkers, but the vendor booths are the fair’s true erogenous zones.
Here, designers strip down their imaginations and dress them back up in leather, lace, and fringe. Every harness, cape, and bralette is less an accessory than a manifesto—each piece a dare to be seen, desired, and defiant.
This year’s vendors tell stories that stretch from pandemic sewing projects to decades-old leather legacies. Taken together, they form a kaleidoscope of visions: garments as armor, accessories as identity, and lingerie as liberation.
Wandering through their stalls is less like shopping than it is like cruising—a pilgrimage through endless, tantalizing possibilities.
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Five and Diamond
The Five and Diamond booth is impossible to miss, a gleaming row of fringe, hot pants, and avant-garde silhouettes set against a black base. For Haley Lynn, who has been vending here since 2008, the booth is as much a gathering place as it is a business.
“For me, personally, it’s an annual reunion of some of my favorite people,” she says. “I love the spirit, kindness, and openness of the folks who attend.”
Over the years, Five and Diamond has carved out a space that mirrors the fair’s ethos. “We both recognize that all bodies are good bodies, consent is mandatory, nudity does not equal consent, and we both have a mutual love for black, slutty clothing,” says Lynn.
This year’s offerings range from femme hand-cut leather fringe dresses to best-selling masc Cage Hot Pants, complete with cheeky peek-a-boo backs.
Sizes run XS through 5X, a fact Lynn treats as central to her mission.
“It is most important to showcase a diverse range of human sizes and ethnicities,” she says. “That’s why we do it—for the love of dressing people to make them feel their best selves.”
The brand thrives on avoiding boxes by featuring designs that are far from traditional and defy classification. The refusal to be neatly categorized resonates with attendees searching for fashion that breaks molds instead of enforcing them.
“Radical self-expression is the most effective act of resistance in the world today,” she says. “Kudos to Folsom for creating a space where all of us weirdos can express ourselves.”
Love Lorn Lingerie
At Love Lorn Lingerie, gold hardware catches the sunlight and sequins wink in every direction. Founded by Jessica Ding, the brand offers an aesthetic that’s unapologetically femme.
Ding sees vending at the fair as a rite of passage. “It really makes you feel like you’ve made it as a designer,” she says. “The people, the culture, and being around the giants in this community are very inspiring.”
Her collection combines bestsellers with one-of-a-kind creations and exclusive new designs that fairgoers will see for the first time. Some are subtle enough to wear out to brunch; others are meant to stop traffic on Folsom itself.
At its core, Love Lorn is rooted in kink and BDSM, yet it brings something different to a scene often imagined as leather-heavy and masc-centered.
“Folsom Street, at first glance, might seem to be a male or masc-only space,” says Ding. “It’s not, of course. Having a more visible presence of femmes can be a way of inviting those who were unsure about the festival beforehand.”
For Ding, visibility is political. In the current political climate, it’s a way to be out and proud, to demonstrate that the community will not shrink down or hide away.
She wants her customers to feel sexy and empowered in her lingerie, with its delicate straps and golden accents, offering a perfect blend of fragility and ferocity.
“I want people to feel beautiful—sparkling, shining, and the center of attention—but at the same time incredibly armored and intimidating, like a diamond-encrusted sword,” says Ding.
Selling here is less about moving product than adding dimension to the fair’s visual story.
“Being able to bring my high femme viewpoint just feels like adding another shade of color to this giant mural,” she says.
Bearly Covered Clothing
Bearly Covered Clothing, created by Red Lewis, is all about joy, gender expansiveness, and body positivity.
Lewis began sewing during the pandemic, teaching himself the craft to make clothes that fit his plus-size body. Drag provided the inspo.
“The performance of such an extreme of gender expression, from Queens to Kings, is just so much fun,” he says. “I always want to bring a drag blueprint into my work.”
Each garment begins with a hunt for the perfect fabric, which Lewis conducts in person, caressing all potential material to assess its suitability prior to purchase. That attention is evident in the macramé shibari-inspired capes and sequined boleros on display, pieces that instantly transform the wearer.
“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had someone try on one of these capes, and their personality seems to change,” says Lewis. “You can really see the confidence and power just spring forth.”
Bearly Covered is also a rebuke to narrow definitions of kink and leather fashion that the designer traces back to Nazi aesthetics.
“The queer history behind these motifs is fantastic and incredibly subversive, but I’m ready for more,” Lewis says. “Fuck that! I’m making things for everybody.”
Krakenwhip
A different energy hums at Krakenwhip, where utility belts and holsters line the racks. Initially designed for Burning Man, these pieces were created to solve simple problems—such as where to stash a phone when one’s outfit has no pockets.
Now run by Molly Conway and Win Wallace, Krakenwhip is evolving while staying grounded in function. Both worked for the company’s founder for a decade before purchasing it in 2024.
“We’ve been refining and elevating the existing product line for the last two years,” Conway says, “including adding specific colorways and customization options for our Folsom community.”
The designs balance form and function. Slip pockets and sneaky zippers abound, paired with high-aniline finish leathers that make cleaning easier. Everything is adjustable, designed to fit different body types comfortably.
“We joke that folks can walk into our booth naked, and still leave naked, but better accessorized,” says Conway.
Accessories, she insists, are central to subcultural fashion.
“Modern mainstream fashion teaches us to start with the basics and use accessories to express our ‘personality,’” says Conway. “Subcultures are often more ‘accessories first’ because accessories don’t just signal personality—they signal community affiliations, social roles, cultural alignments, and more.”
The brand’s latest highlight is the “Brick by Brick” collection, crafted from heritage leathers belonging to late New York leather tailor David Samuel Menkes.
The name is a nod to the resisters of the Stonewall uprising, and every piece holds the legacy of ancestors and transcestors.
For Conway and Wallace, vending at Folsom deepens a relationship with their community.
“Now that we’re a queer and trans-owned company making high-quality, unique products right here in the Bay, that relationship has really grown,” says Conway.
CantiqLA
The CantiqLA booth gleams with elastic harnesses and mesh bralettes in playful hues. Founder Chelsea Hughes sees the fair as the perfect expression of her brand’s mission.
“For me personally, Folsom represents freedom, visibility, and joy in self-expression,” she says. “For CantiqLA, it’s an opportunity to show up authentically in a space that values boldness, queerness, and unapologetic confidence.”
The brand was built to celebrate all bodies, breaking away from restrictive sizing and gender norms.
“We want to show that lingerie can be both beautiful and accessible,” says Hughes. “That style and sensuality aren’t limited by size, gender, or stereotype.”
CantiqLA pieces are durable enough for all-day wear under the Folsom sun. Breathable mesh, sturdy hardware, and soft yet durable elastic allow fairgoers to move, dance, and sweat without worry.
Hughes wants wearers to claim their place: “Whether someone is in a delicate bralette or a statement harness, I want them to feel bold enough to take up space and be proud of how they look.”
For her, vending here is more than commerce—it’s a form of solidarity. “Being at Folsom feels like standing in solidarity with a community that has paved the way for visibility, acceptance, and joy,” she says.
Taken together, these five vendors embody the spirit of Folsom Street Fair. Five and Diamond offers reunion and rebellion. Love Lorn Lingerie brings femme armor into the spotlight. Bearly Covered Clothing channels drag-inspired joy for everybody. Krakenwhip elevates accessories into identity markers. CantiqLA reframes lingerie as liberation.
In these booths, a different kind of future is stitched together: more inclusive, more daring, and more unapologetically alive.
FOLSOM STREET FAIR September 28. Folsom Street (between 8th and 13th Streets), SF. More info here.
