IML History
As I look back, the history of International Mr. Leather reads like the history of the leather community itself, though it was never planned that way. It simply grew with the community as we all did, and reflected the best of what the leather community had to offer.
In 1979 no one knew that International Mr. Leather would become a phenomenon. I certainly didn't. Together with my then lover and partner, Dom Orejudos, I simply wanted to take a good thing a bit further. ...
Back then, if you were a leatherman coming to Chicago you were coming to the Gold Coast. One of our most popular promotions, the "Mr. Gold Coast Contest," often drew out-of-town contestants. It was so popular it outgrew the bar so we made plans to move it to one of the Michigan Avenue hotels. Dom thought our change of venue called for a change of name. I suggested "Mr. World Leather." Dom, my artistic genius, didn't like the sound. He suggested "International Mr. Leather" and that was that.
--IML founder Chuck Renslow, from the book International Mr. Leather, 25 Years of Champions
The event that, in 1979, outgrew the Gold Coast bar it originated in, has over the thirty years since then outgrown a number of Chicago hotels; expanded from twelve contestants the first year to now drawing regularly over 50 or 60 from a number of countries; and now yearly draws thousands of assorted leather folk of all ages, races, genders and kinks to what is now felt by many to be the Leather Family Reunion.
Here, we've brought together the names of all our past contestants and sponsors, along with photos of all the winners, and posters and logos - many of them originally drawn by Chuck Renslow's partner Dom Orejudos, aka Etienne.
Choose a year below to view the lists of winners and contestants:
