KINK3D On the Road: Chicago

The more I get to travel to stores and events for in-person sizing, the more I appreciate that every event has its own personality. IMLBB (formerly International Mr. Leather) is no different. It’s not only one of the biggest gatherings in the leather community, it’s also one of the oldest. It brings thousands of leathermen, bootblacks, kinksters, and vendors from around the world together every Memorial Day weekend in Chicago for a massive four-day event.

This year marked only my second visit to Chicago, and once again, the city and the people made it an unforgettable trip.

Starting the Week at Men's Room Chicago

Before the main event even began, we hosted an in-person chastity sizing event at Men's Room Chicago, one of the city's best-known leather and fetish stores.

The staff at Men’s Room showed themselves to be truly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what we do. They knew our products inside and out, and spoke about chastity the same way we do here at KINK3D. If you’re ever in Chicago and looking for a cage fitting, stop by Men’s Room and they’ll be able to help.

When the time for fittings was over, we wrapped up the day in the best possible way by heading out for drinks in Boystown. It was my first time there, yet it somehow felt familiar. That’s one of the things I love about this industry. No matter where you travel, you’ll find people and neighborhoods where you fit right in.

A Little Time to Explore Chicago

Before IMLBB officially kicked off, I had a couple of days of free time to explore Chicago.

Looking at dinosaur bones at the Field Museum, watching a Broadway show at the CIBC Theatre, appreciating some art at the Art Institute, and taking an architecture cruise all added up to a welcome break before the days of nonstop vending.

One thing that surprised me this year was just how much was happening around the city during the same weekend. Directly across from the Congress Plaza Hotel, Grant Park was hosting Sueños Music Festival, bringing even more people to the area. Mixed in with the festival crowds were groups of teenagers dressed for what I could only assume were their proms.

Nevertheless, Chicago has become inseparable from the leather and fetish community.

From Mr. Gold Coast to IMLBB

Many people still know the event as International Mr. Leather (IML), but it has now been rebranded as IMLBB, an effort to show appreciation to the bootblack community.

The event began in 1979 as an expansion of Chicago's local Mr. Gold Coast leather contest. What started as a small competition quickly evolved into the world's premier leather event, attracting attendees and vendors from all around the globe.

Today, IMLBB is much more than a contest. Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of members of the leather community gather in Chicago for competitions, educational classes, social events, parties, and one of the largest leather vendor markets anywhere in the world.

IML was also where the Leather Pride Flag was unveiled for the first time.

Working with Mr. S Leather

For events like IMLBB, Darklands, and Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL), we’ve often worked alongside the amazing team at Mr. S Leather.

By now, many of us have worked together at enough events that it truly feels like a family reunion every time we meet. On the Wednesday before Memorial Day, the crew starts arriving from all over the world, with many of us staying at the Congress Plaza Hotel, where the vendor market is hosted.

Wednesday night, we all meet up for dinner, catch up, and enjoy one last relaxed evening before the busy weekend begins. Then, bright and early on Thursday morning, it’s time to get to work setting up the booth. Over the next 12 hours, grid walls go up, lighting gets installed, and thousands of products are unpacked from boxes and hung up for display. By the end of the day, an empty convention space transforms into one of the largest leather marketplaces on Earth.

Four Days of In-Person Chastity Sizing

Unlike many events that last only a weekend, IMLBB means four full days of vending, including Memorial Day. Most of our meals happen behind the booth in the rare moments between helping customers! But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

The long days are worth it because my favorite part of every event is meeting all of you, seeing everyone’s passion for what we do, and for a lot of you, your first step in a chastity journey that could take you places you never imagined.

Some visitors stop by to say hello while wearing a KINK3D chastity cage they've enjoyed for years. In fact, one person at this event turned out to have one of the first cages we ever sold, which was still going strong after seven years! Other visitors arrive with questions, often curious about male chastity for the very first time. We’re there to help, making sure you leave confident that you've found a good cage fit, or that you have the answers you were looking for.

So anytime we’re in town at a store or an event, if you have a question or want to get sized (even if you don’t want to immediately buy a cage), come by! Meeting people in real life is a huge part of what makes these trips worthwhile.

A Different Kind of Event

Every leather event has its own atmosphere.

Compared to some other events we attend, IMLBB tends to attract an older crowd, the leathermen, many of whom have been active in the leather community for decades.

One thing I hope for the future is that IMLBB will find a way to bring the parties in the evening closer to the host hotel. After a long day of work, many of us who are staffing the event don’t go to the parties, as it’s extra work to get to them. (Even the contest itself is held about 20 minutes away. Congratulations to Honey Davenport for winning IML this year!) Instead, we simply head to the hotel bar downstairs, where truthfully, some of the best memories from the weekend tend to happen.

The Perfect Way to End the Weekend

Out of the four days that we are vending, Monday (Memorial Day) is always the slowest, as many people choose to leave early and travel back home. Vending closes early, and as soon as the doors shut for the public, the booth comes down, products are packed away in boxes along with the gridwall, and everything gets shipped back home.

As we head back to the hotel, we decide to take a walk to Memorial Fountain and then hurry over to The Bean before it closes.

Along the way, I look around and see the pups in our group running around and chasing each other, while content creators take photos in the middle of a closed street in Chicago so they can later post to their socials. It’s one of those unexpected moments where I stop and think: I never imagined I’d find myself here, surrounded by such incredible people, doing something I’m truly passionate about.

It was the perfect way to end an incredible week.

Thank You, Chicago

So, what was my biggest takeaway on this trip? Events like IMLBB are about so much more than selling products.

They're about reconnecting with those friends who you only see at these events; about meeting new people, helping so many begin their chastity journey; and about hearing stories from customers who've trusted us to provide a cage even before we built a modern website.

Every event reminds us that KINK3D is part of something much bigger than just the products we make. It’s about the people, the conversations, and the community that continues to grow around us.

To everyone who stopped by our booth, shared your experience, asked a question, or simply came over to say hello, thank you! We’re incredibly grateful to be part of this community, and we can’t wait to see you at the next event.