Overall title
GEAR ICON 2026
The night’s overall title, chosen by the judges from across every category. Deliberately not Mr and Ms GEAR: this is an all-genders event, so everyone competes for the same title.
- Show off your gear.
- Compete for a title.
- Meet the makers.
- Find your people.
Friday 18 December 2026 19:00 to 22:00
Spectra, 5 Perfecta Road, Paarden Eiland
All genders welcome · Any dress code · 18+
- R150 Guest, early bird then R200, including at the door. FIXR adds a booking fee
- FREE Competitor first category free, R200 per extra category. Your entry included
- R300 Stall power included, bring your own setup
New date, new venue
GEAR and FLTH. One bigger, filthier night.
GEAR has moved from 21 November to Friday 18 December, and joins our December FLTH party under one roof at Spectra, a bigger venue in Paarden Eiland.
- 19:00 GEAR: the showcase, the competition and the market. All genders, any dress code. GEAR tickets get a green armband
- 22:00 FLTH: raw, real, filthy. Men only, strict fetish and kink dress code, until 03:00. FLTH tickets choose a yellow YES SIR or red NO SIR armband
Your ticket
- Bought a GEAR ticket before the move? It is valid on 18 December and now includes FLTH at no extra cost, subject to FLTH’s men-only entry policy.
- Bought both? We refund your GEAR ticket in full. Your FLTH ticket covers both.
- Only want GEAR? Your GEAR ticket covers GEAR, until 22:00.
- Cannot make the new date? Email us for a full refund of your GEAR ticket.
- Buying now? A GEAR ticket covers GEAR only. A FLTH ticket covers both.
What is GEAR?
The gear is the event.
From the organisers of FLTH comes something different. GEAR is a social event built around fetish, gear and community. No dance floor, no play spaces. This time, the gear is the event.
It is an easy-going space to wear the gear you love, show it off, meet people who are into it and find the makers behind the scene. Come dressed up, hang out, browse the market, find something new.
And if your look deserves recognition, enter the competition. Pick your category, step up, show us what you’ve got. Titles, prizes and bragging rights are on the line.
Competing is completely optional. You don’t need to enter anything to be part of GEAR. Turning up in your gear is already taking part.
We judge the gear, creativity and presentation. Not your body.
On the night
What is happening.
Doors at 19:00. GEAR runs until 22:00, then FLTH takes over. Everything below is included once you are through the door.
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19:00Market
The GEAR Market
Leatherworkers, latex designers, artists and independent makers, selling and taking commissions from 19:00, and trading until midnight at the latest. Come to browse, come to buy, come to get measured.
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20:30Competition
The GEAR competition
The runway starts at 20:30. Six categories with performers between them, then GEAR ICON 2026 and a People’s Choice vote the whole room takes part in. Final awards at 22:00.
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All nightSwap
GEAR Swap
Bring gear you no longer wear, hand it to the GEAR SWAP Daddy, take a token, and swap it for something new to you. The rack stays open until FLTH closes.
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All nightPhotobooth
Get your look shot
A proper setup with lights and our photographer, shooting your look at your request. Guests do not take photographs anywhere at GEAR.
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All nightSound
A DJ, not a dance floor
Music runs all night to keep the room moving, but GEAR is a social. Dance where you stand, or stand where you can be seen.
The night, in order
- 19:00 Doors, and the GEAR Market opens
- 20:30 The competition starts, with performers between the categories
- 22:00 Final awards: GEAR ICON 2026 and People’s Choice. GEAR ends and FLTH begins, men only
- 00:00 The GEAR Market closes, sooner if stalls sell out
- 03:00 FLTH and GEAR Swap close
Compete for a title
Think your gear deserves attention?
Enter the competition and show us what you’ve got. Compete for titles, prizes and bragging rights. We judge the gear, creativity and presentation. Not your body.
How it works
- 01PickChoose the category you want your look judged in.
- 02RegisterEnter the competition and claim your spot.
- 03Show offTake your moment and show the room your gear.
- 04WinJudges choose the category winners and GEAR ICON 2026. The crowd chooses People’s Choice.
Your first category is free and includes your entry to GEAR. Each extra category is R200, paid by EFT. Places are limited, so entering is an application: we email you the details.
The entry form collects your details so we can run the competition and the door list. We do not share them. How we handle your information.
The categories
You choose how your gear gets judged.
Fetish gear overlaps. A leather military uniform is legitimately Leather or Uniform. A leather pup is Leather or Creature.
So you pick. Enter that uniform in LEATHER and the material, construction and styling get judged. Enter it in UNIFORM and the identity and interpretation get judged. Same outfit, different lens.
We are not categorising the person. We are categorising the presentation.
Leather
Leather as the dominant material and expression. Traditional, contemporary, biker, harnesses, chaps, leather uniforms, constructed looks.
Rubber
Rubber and latex fetishwear. Judged on material, styling, construction and overall rubber presentation.
Uniform
Where the uniform or role leads, not the material. Military, service, workwear, sports kit, racing, moto, Lycra, tracksuit.
Creature
Pup, furry, animal play and creature-inspired presentations. A category in its own right, with room to grow as the community does.
Skin
The body as a creative canvas, not the body itself. Body paint, adornment, tape, chains, minimal gear, makeup, harnessing, temporary body art.
Not a body competition. We judge concept, creativity and execution. Never physique, weight, muscle, age or attractiveness. A six-pack is not an advantage. The question is what you did with the canvas.
Avant-Gear
Experimental, hybrid and category-defying: gender-fuck, fetish fashion, handmade construction, conceptual looks, people pushing what gear can mean.
Not an Open category or a leftovers bin. This one is for innovation specifically.
Your first category is free and includes your entry to GEAR. Each extra category is R200.
Two titles sit above the categories
Audience award
People’s Choice
Separate from the judges. Everyone at GEAR votes for the presentation they connected with most. The room can recognise something the judges did not.
Prizes
What you can win.
Prizes across every category and both titles, put together with people who make things.
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Professional photography
A studio session with your gear, shot properly.
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Custom gear
Made for you by makers from the GEAR Market.
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Art
Original work and prints from artists in the scene.
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And more
More is being confirmed with our partners.
The full prize list will be announced before entries open.
The panel
The judges.
A panel drawn from the fetish and kink community: makers, performers and people who have spent years in gear.
The panel is being put together. Judges announced soon.
Meet the makers
Find out who makes the things we wear.
Leatherworkers, latex designers, craftspeople, artists, photographers, independent creators, and people making very strange things in spare bedrooms. The GEAR Market brings them into the same room as you.
Browse. Try things on. Ask questions. Commission something. Buy something you absolutely did not budget for.
Make something?
You do not need a shop or a big product range. If you make something that belongs at GEAR, talk to us. A stall is R300, includes your entry and a power point. Bring your own setup and lights. Space is limited, so applying is not a confirmed stall: we email you the details and you pay by EFT.
Make it. Bring it. Show it. Sell it.
GEAR Swap
Old gear. New home.
Got gear you have outgrown, stopped wearing, or bought and never really loved? Bring it to GEAR SWAP and give it another life.
Clothing, leather, rubber, harnesses, underwear, jewellery, accessories, cock rings and more are welcome, provided they are clean, sanitised and in good condition. No anal toys. Everything is checked by the GEAR SWAP Daddy before it makes it onto the rack.
This is not about buying more for the sake of buying more. It is about keeping good gear in circulation, making gear more accessible, and helping something you no longer use find somebody who will.
How it works
- 01Bring your gearClean, freshly washed and, where appropriate, sanitised gear that you are happy to permanently part with.
- 02Daddy checks itThe GEAR SWAP Daddy checks cleanliness, condition and suitability. Daddy has final say on what gets accepted.
- 03Hand it overOnce accepted, your gear becomes part of the SWAP. There is a R10 handling fee towards the care and running of the stand.
- 04Get your tokenDaddy decides how your items are grouped and how many tokens you get. Tokens are not issued per item: a pair of socks, a matching set or a handful of small pieces may count as one.
- 05Spend itYour token is your currency at GEAR SWAP. Browse the rack and exchange it for something you want.
- 06Take it homeOnce you choose something, it is yours. Your old gear gets another life and you leave with something new to you.
Swap it. Wear it. Keep it in the community.
Before you come
The rules, and the questions.
- Any dress code Guests wear whatever they like, full gear, everyday clothes or nude. Competitors must match the theme of the category they walk.
- Consent first Gear is not an invitation to touch. Ask.
- No guest photos Phone cameras are covered at the door. Only our photographers shoot, at the booth and on stage.
- 18+, all genders Everyone welcome, nobody under 18.
What do I wear?
Leather, rubber, latex, pup, sportswear, uniform, neoprene, harnesses, boots, masks, hoods, fetish streetwear, custom gear. Not an exhaustive list: if your fetish is not on it, it is still welcome. As a guest there is no dress code, so everyday clothes are fine too, and so is nude. Walking the runway is different: your look must match the theme of the category you enter.
Staying for FLTH at 22:00? FLTH has a strict fetish and kink dress code, and the FLTH door can refuse anyone who does not suit the night.
I do not have anything to wear. Can I still come?
Yes. GEAR is open to any dress code, so come as you are. We all start somewhere. This is not a space to giggle or make jokes about the people around you.
Is GEAR men-only like FLTH?
No. GEAR, from 19:00 to 22:00, is open to all genders. A GEAR ticket gets a green armband. There is not one correct way to look fetish. What connects everyone here is participation.
At 22:00 the night becomes FLTH, which is men only. A FLTH ticket gets a choice of a yellow YES SIR or a red NO SIR armband.
Is there a dance floor, a darkroom or a play area?
No darkrooms, no play areas, no sex spaces, and no dance floor, though there is a DJ keeping the vibe going. Dance where you want and have fun.
GEAR is sex-positive but it is not a play party. Flirt, cruise, exchange numbers. What happens afterwards is between consenting adults.
Which ticket do I need?
Three tickets, and you only need one. Guest tickets are sold through FIXR.
Guest is general entry: R150 early bird, then R200 once the early birds are gone, including at the door. FIXR adds its own booking fee at checkout. Competitor entry is free for your first category and includes your entry to GEAR. Each extra category is R200. Competitor and stall places are applied for, then confirmed on the details we email you; extra categories and stalls are paid by EFT. Stall is R300 for a table at the GEAR Market, power included, and you bring your own setup and lights.
Competitor and stall tickets already include your entry to GEAR, so do not buy a guest ticket as well.
A GEAR ticket covers GEAR only, until 22:00, whoever you are. A FLTH ticket covers both GEAR and FLTH, subject to FLTH’s men-only entry policy.
I bought a GEAR ticket for 21 November. What now?
You do not need a new ticket. Your GEAR ticket is valid for 18 December, and it has been upgraded to include FLTH at no extra cost, subject to FLTH’s men-only entry policy.
Bought tickets to both? We refund your GEAR ticket in full, because your FLTH ticket now covers both. Cannot make the new date? Email us for a full refund of your GEAR ticket.
Do I have to compete?
No. Entering is completely optional, and turning up in your gear is already taking part.
Can I take photos?
No. Guests do not photograph or film anywhere at GEAR, and phone cameras are covered at the door. Nobody should attend a fetish event worrying about turning up online.
Only our professional photographers shoot, in two places: the stage during the competition, and the photobooth where you can have your own look shot.
Our photographers shoot the stage and the photobooth only, never the room. Entering the competition means being photographed on stage, and the entry form asks how you want your face handled in published images.
Will I end up in a photo?
Only if you choose to. Our photographers shoot two places only: the stage during the competition, and the photobooth. Stay off the stage and out of the booth, and you are not photographed.
What if something feels wrong?
Find the GEAR team. Harassment, intimidation and deliberate boundary violations will not be tolerated.
Ask before you touch anyone, and that includes their gear: some pieces are expensive, some are handmade, some carry meaning.
Can I come alone?
Absolutely. The social side exists to make meeting people easier. You do not need scene experience or to know anyone in the room.
Can I sell my work at GEAR?
Yes. Makers, artists and designers can apply for a stall in the GEAR Market. A stall is R300 and includes your entry.
- Show off your gear.
- Compete for a title.
- Meet the makers.
- Find your people.
Whatever your thing is:
Gear up.
Buy tickets Compete Apply for a stall
Friday 18 December 2026 · GEAR 19:00 to 22:00 · FLTH 22:00 to 03:00
Spectra, 5 Perfecta Road, Paarden Eiland, Cape Town
All genders · Any dress code · 18+
GEAR terms · Swap terms · Judging rules
GEAR is presented by FLTH