Tom of Finland Store Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary With Blow-Out Sale
Celebrating its fifth anniversary, CULTUREEDIT/Tom of Finland Store is clearing the shelves to make room for the next wave of sex-positive collaborations. Since 2017, the hybrid online and brick-and-mortar shop has been carrying on the legacy of Tom of Finland with works that specialize in queer art, fashion, erotica, and more.
Tom of Finland (aka Touko Valio Laaksonen) was a prolific artist of the male form, specializing in homoerotic art and destigmatizing sexuality. The Tom of Finland Foundation carries on that legacy through its dedication to protecting, preserving and promoting the erotic arts.
The archive sale will be held January 22-23, 11 a.m. — 6 p.m. at the Tom of Finland Store, 1105 N. El Centro Avenue in Los Angeles, and will feature designers including Walter Van Beirendonck, Bernhard Willhelm, Julian Zigerli, MSGM, Orange Culture, and more.
Those with a keen eye will notice a through-line with model Terry Miller, chosen as the foundation's first U.S. ambassador. The real-life daddy, co-founder of It Gets Better and husband of legendary sex columnist Dan Savage has been a proud promoter of Tom of Finland.
"When I go to leather events such as IML [International Mr. Leather], Dore Alley, Folsom Street Fair or Folsom Europe in Berlin, I can walk around and, in my full leathers, look pretty close to a Tom of Finland model," says Miller. "It's just a good way of spreading the word about Tom of Finland, his art, his life, how he's created this leather lifestyle, the image that, as leather guys, we try to attain."
The archive sale is only accessible via the L.A. store, but Tom of Finland fans can check out hundreds of sale items from current collaborators online.