While visiting Paris, a Swiss couple added to their sadomasochistic wardrobe at the Métamorph'Ose boutique, a stone's throw from the Pompidou Centre. Monsieur went for a leather thong, madame for a red harness. They'll be back at Christmas, they said. Throughout the day regulars and novices alike, of all ages, come and go in the basement of this renowned address. A young woman tried on her first latex dress as her partner looked on, a dominatrix bought a medium-sized whip for a friend's 40^th birthday, a submissive tried on a silk-lined poodle suit. Martine, the owner of the shop, played dolls with her customers, and her husband, Jean-Pierre, a former executive and a foot fetishist, knelt in front of shoppers to massage their toes.

On the eve of their retirement, the couple, both 49, were happy. Their business, launched 34 years ago, had never been healthier, and had found two young buyers. BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism) has been all the rage since the success of Fifty Shades of Grey (2012), the first volume of the erotic trilogy by British author EL James, which was brought to the big screen three years later. It featured a young, handsome, seductive billionaire with a penchant for banter and handcuffs. "We hesitated to sell the boxed set of accessories from the [film] franchise because we thought it was a bit cheap," recalled Martine, but they eventually gave in. "The nipple clamps were very refined."

In 2020, Kim Kardashian donned a Balmain latex jumpsuit for fashion week, an event chronicled in an episode of her reality show. "We saw a whole new population arrive for fashion week and the Cannes Film Festival, sometimes asking for four sizes up to go oversized, even if that's not really how it's worn," said Jean-Pierre.

Subverting power

With BDSM asserting itself on catwalks and in films (Life According to Ann, 2024) and TV series (Bonding, on Netflix since 2019), sex shops no longer relegate leashes and gags to the back room. On Instagram, Alexandre Contart (@mr_alexandrecontart), "dominant influencer and romantic daddy," relieves his subscribers of guilt. While sado-masochistic know-how has long been passed down in the shadows of clubs, there are now playful workshops where you can learn how to use a whip or partake in shibari (Japanese bondage, traditionally using hemp or jute rope), tickling, fornipile (human furniture) and using needles. There are spanking tea parties where participants learn to tease the hindquarters with a feather.

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