Since 2007,  Daniel Trese has photographed the city of Los Angeles, documenting its coming of age art scene, unique urban landscape, iconic fashion personalities, and current queer culture. Trese recently released a book titled Surface Streets, which has been adapted as an online exhibition at Tom of Finland Store. Almost entirely shot on film, Surface Streets is a poetic tribute to a decentralized city that has recently attracted a new breed of creatives excited by LA’s cultural future and up-for-grabs identity.

At first glance, one might mistake Ondi Timoner for an actress. When we met, her blonde lion’s mane was piled on top of her head and her eyes were hidden by enormous designer shades. In reality, she is the mastermind behind numerous documentaries as a director, writer, camera operator, and producer among other things (I wouldn’t be surprised if she acts too!)  The charismatic filmmaker is the real deal. Over the last two decades, she has collaborated on numerous documentary films and television. Ondi is a rare two-time winner of Sundance Grand Jury Prize for DIG! and WE LIVE IN...

Slick It Up is a fetish brand that transcends fetish boundaries. Peruse their products online and you are affronted by a nontraditional wash of vibrant colors and gear that caters to a wide variety of audiences. Besides their wide spectrum of colors, there is a spectrum of masculine and feminine presenting garments. When my femme identifying friend first stumbled upon the website, he threw his dainty hands in the air and proclaimed, “Where have you been?! SLICK ME UP!” I got a chance to talk to the creator about the brand and their missions is centered around positivity and inclusion....

I met Sharp in 2016 via my residence at Tom of Finland Foundation. Sharp is the Vice President of the Foundation and a permanent resident/fixture at TOM House. He is the kindest, most lovely gentleman, and though it seems that he is perpetually smoking cigarettes on the front porch, he actually fills his days dedicating himself to the Foundation and Tom’s legacy. He’s got a heart seven sizes bigger than your average enthusiast and serves as the jovial liaison between artist and the machine that is TOM House. To watch Sharp give a tour of the property is like watching...

Ruben Esparza and I met through a mutual friend (Stuart Sandford) at TOM House in 2015. At that time Ruben was working on the second Queer Biennial, Yooth Lost & Found, which looked at the AIDS scourge by asking “yooth” to respond to it. Ruben and I became chummy pretty quickly. He was trying to bring on creative people to fill out the show, but as a writer, I’d never considered myself a visual artist. We were dancing at Motherload one day when his eyes lit up. He asked if I wanted to recreate a Felix Gonzalez Torres piece at the...

We live in the age of the sneaker. From sneakerheads, to competitive resale culture, to sneaker painting and artwork, there has never been a bigger time for this once commonplace item. Countless designers are trying to capitalize on this cultural phenomenon, but few are managing to say anything new. Then there’s Eytys. Founded by two childhood friends with a mission to create reliable and exceptional wardrobe staples, Eytys (pronounced “Eighties”) is a footwear and apparel brand based in Stockholm, Sweden. The cult sensation first made waves with The Mother design, a plimsoll sneaker with a significantly  thick rubber sole  and minimal...

Rinaldo Hopf is a world renowned artist and long time friend of Tom of Finland Foundation. Before living at TOM House, his large format portrait of Tom was donated to the Foundation by a collector. Ever since it’s hung proudly in the stairwell— the first I ever knew of Hopf. He has done artist residencies all over the world, and continues to travel and make sexually liberated art. I met Rinaldo in 2017, when he came to live at TOM House as the Artist-in-Residence. He’s a charming fellow who is immensely talented with a diverse ouvre. Since 2005, Rinaldo has...

What happens when you combine street art with gay thematics? You land somewhere around Homo Riot, the one man street art project, whose goal is to challenge institutional homophobia, while also inspiring a sense of gay pride. The artist has displayed his work on the streets of every city from New York to Hong Kong, as well as on the walls of major international galleries. In anticipation of the release of Homo Riot apparel on the Tom of Finland Store, we caught up with the man behind the moniker to learn more about the origins of Homo Riot, and how...

Merging pop culture with high-end craftsmanship is no easy task. Just ask Jonathan Johnson, the jewelry artisan based out of Hamburg, who has perfected the technique with handmade gold plated and sterling silver pieces that manage to retain their sense of luxury despite their tongue-in-check designs. Putting a twist on everything from gay iconography, to the practice of jewelry making itself, Johnson’s latest venture is a collaboration with the Tom of Finland Foundation, which see the craftsman translate symbols from the Tom universe into statement jewelry pieces that are at once luxurious and fun. Central to the collection is the...

Henzel Studio is a Swedish luxury rug manufacturer whose ethos is based on the artistic practice of Calle Henzel, founder and creative director. Over the past twenty years, he has translated his artistic practice as painter and collage artist into the medium at hand, positioning Henzel Studio as one of the most progressive luxury rug brands in the world. Their collection Henzel Studio Collaborations expands on the Henzel Studio brand by bringing together some of the most notable names in contemporary art in the creation of limited edition art rugs. To date, they have worked with everyone from Richard Prince,...

Beverly Hills Cowboy is a sexy apparel line conceived out of an equal fascination with cowboys and Beverly Hills culture. The line currently carries form fitting t-shirts with cheeky, in your face phrases and words, like “90% Angel 10% Devil” or “Butch”, as well as briefs with the word “Cowboy” inscribed on the waistband. We caught up with the designer behind the label to learn more about the items available through the Tom of Finland, and a very exciting upcoming collaboration with the Bob Mizer Foundation.

Qualities: Musk and leather on the nose. In the mouth, Terry shows firm, muscular tannins, pleasurable, robust, and well-balanced fruit, with dominant high notes. Submissive, smooth, and silky on the back-end, he lingers on the palate through a long-lasting finish. Not overly sweet, with a slight bite. Smooth and sassy, deep and down to earth. Great legs...