In 1990 Spanish fashion designer Dolenta Debarna moved to London, at the tender age of 20, to work with top British designer Katharine Hamnett. It was during this time that she discovered the fetish scene by attending clubs such as The Skin Two Rubber Ball, the inaugural Torture Garden and the legendary Kinky Gerlinky. - It was a revelation!
In 1998, after a few years working for High street labels and designing fetish outfits for herself, Dolenta decided to combine her expertise in fashion, with her passion for all things fetish and founded Breathless. She opened a shop in Kensington Market, with the aim of supplying a selection of the best fetish labels worldwide.
In 1999, when Kensington Market closed, Breathless moved to Camden Market where it continued to grow. Dolenta developed an immediate love affair with latex and launched her own Breathless Latex line. Designing and manufacturing ranges for men and women, introducing new designs, concepts and styles with a strongly tailored feel, great fit and an eye for detail. All garments are hand crafted to the highest quality and technical specifications by a very skilled team working in the London Studio.
In 2002, just before the international launch of TG Clothing at the Rubber Ball, founder Kaisu Paakola tragically died after completing the samples for the first collection. Dolenta was asked to join the original production team as General Manager and Designer to take TG Clothing forward as Kaisu would have wished.
In 2004 the demands of running two companies and the increased success of Breathless, forced Dolenta to make a choice and concentrate all her efforts on her own company leaving TG clothing in the capable hands of Anna Lander who she had recruited from Skin Two clothing a year earlier.
In December 2005 Breathless moved to a new location in London’s Kings Cross Road where the manufacturing and shop were merged under one roof, allowing Breathless to offer a much improved and more personal service to its clients, with the added advantage of having the designer in house for consultations and fittings.
This enabled the company to expand and enhance its bespoke service. From those clients who have in mind a particular design idea or who require made to measure, through to those who want to commission the design team to create something exclusive for a special occasion. Breathless has proven to deliver on time, on budget and guarantees that the client will not be disappointed.
Almost one year after the relocation, Dolenta was delighted to recruit Anna Lander from TG Clothing to join Breathless as her right hand woman. Having worked together before, she knew that Anna’s contribution would be invaluable to take Breathless to the next level.
In 2013 Breathless relocated once more to their current home (not far from the old one) and can be found at 48 Phoenix Road, London NW1 1ES.
Click to see Currrent shop
Breathless is going from strength to strength, cementing their reputation as one of the finest couture fetishwear companies in the world.
The new collections are meticulously crafted to the high standards that Breathless customers have come to expect. With designs proving impossible to resist to the large and loyal customer base that Dolenta, Anna and the Breathless team have built up over more than a decade.
