What is Darlex?

Darlex holds you tight and keeps you that way.

Although commonly spelled Darlex, the fabric more properly known as Darlexx® is a Shawmut Mills sports performance fabric originally designed for use in products such as gloves, boots, hoods and ski apparel.  It's specifically designed to keep a person, "Warm when the environment is cold and cool when the environment is hot." 

Now also used for a nice range of fetish and bondage garments, Darlex is a versatile fabric made up of two layers of Spandex fused together around a very thin layer of synthetic rubber (also known as a proprietary thermoplastic film laminate.)  

Here's the product description courtesy of Shawmut Corporation's website:

Darlexx® Stretch Barrier Laminates
Darlexx® is an omni-directional spandex warp knit with a layer of a highly breathable elastic monolithic membrane. Windproof, waterproof, and breathable, Darlexx® provides solutions across a broad spectrum of end-product applications, such as warm water diving suits, ski racing suits, clean room hoods, boots, and gloves.

How did I ever live without a "monolithic membrane"?  

I certainly hope the Shawmut Corporation's research and development department was behind that description.  If it was the company's advertising department, I suspect that a Don Draper like character would have all belongings from their desks packed into a cardboard box.

Let's try again, this time quoting darlexx.com:

NEXT GENERATION DARLEXX CAN TAKE YOU BEYOND THE LIMITS OF YOUR IMAGINATION.

Experience the feelings of being covered from head to toe with superior elasticity, recovery and comfort. With gloves, boots, hoods, ski apparel, wet suits and more -- Darlexx does it all.

You probably already know Darlexx as the "miracle" stretch fabric that keeps you warm when the environment is cold and cool when the environment is hot. Next generation Darlexx Fabrics is four times more breathable and consistently more elastic.

Never before has there been a sports performance fabric with such unmatched diversity. So dive, pedal, ski and sweat to your heart's content.

New Darlexx - it's the only performance fabric that won't quit before you do.

Now that's some terrific ad copy worthy of the old wizards of Madison Avenue.

No, that's not a can of tennis balls in my pants pocket.  Yes, I'm already excited just thinking about buying some Darlexx, aren't you?

All kidding aside, Darlex can be an attractive fabric for fetish wear. It's performance is somewhere between leather and spandex, and so is it's price.

The fabric is cooler and more breathable than leather, neoprene, or latex. It's elasticity, recovery and durability are all significantly superior when compared to spandex.

Darlex can feel very restrictive for the submissive encased in it's tight grasp, yet still be comfortable enough for extended wear.

The Darlex Hood we recently purchased from WinterFetish.com is really much nicer than the lace up leather hood that has inhabited my toychest for more than a decade.

I'm very excited about adding several more Darlex items to the collection of fetish and BDSM gear here at Samadhi House.  Next on my wishlist, the Darlex Straightjacket Dress as illustrated to the right of this post.

It's a stylish straightjacket and a restrictive hobble skirt put together in a single package.  

Va-va-voom!

PS - Don't you want to tickle those toes?

All images associated with this post are property of Darlexx and/or Winter Fetish.  Images and Trademarks are used here for education, demonstration, and review purposes only..