Craft, community and custom designs from Leather Masters

Master Leathersmith Aaron Barbee gives the Passion stores something that very few other adult retailers can offer: custom, hand-crafted leather pieces made on-site for everyone to see.

(Note: This article appears in the February 2026 issue of SE Magazine.)

Leather Masters operates at the intersection of craftsmanship, adult retail and community connection. Housed inside Passions Kansas City Adult Boutique, the brand’s street-visible leather studio invites customers to watch pieces take shape in real time, a transparency that reflects Leather Masters’ ethos: accessible, educational and deeply rooted in lived experience.

One of the designers behind the brand is Master Leathersmith Aaron Barbee, whose connection to leathercraft predates his career in adult retail. Raised in a leatherworking family by his grandmother, Barbee brings generational knowledge to a modern studio, producing leather goods for Passions Adult Boutiques across Missouri. Since joining the Kansas City operation five years ago, he has helped carry forward a legacy dating back to 1989 while shaping its evolution for a new audience.

In this interview with StorErotica Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Barbee reflects on his path into leather design, the history of Leather Masters and how customer interaction, education and real-world use continue to influence the line.

SE: Is Leather Masters a separate company, or a part of Passions?

Barbee: Leather Masters has been around since 1989. This building originally housed a store called Video Mania. The former owners bought that business and turned it into EmCity, which eventually became Leather Masters. When they retired, the plan was to close the store. Instead, we reached out to Jimmy and Eugene, who purchased both the retail and production sides of the company along with the Leather Masters name.

Today, we’re essentially a business within a business. We manufacture leather goods for all of the Passions locations in Missouri and for the Tool Shack store at Sirenity Farms. Most of that work happens right here in our Kansas City studio.

SE: How did you get involved in creating leather goods in the first place?

Barbee: I grew up around leather. My grandmother was the owner of a leather supply shop called American Handicrafts, which was a division of Tandy Leather. She taught my siblings and me how to work with leather when we were young. Later, after spending years in the adult industry, I worked for a leather wholesaler in Springfield, supplying artists but not really creating pieces myself.

That changed when I attended the grand opening of the Kansas City Passions store. I connected with the owners and a Leather Masters representative and told them, “This is like owning a restaurant without anyone in the kitchen who has a food handler’s license.” They agreed and waited a year for me to finish my contract in Springfield. I moved here five years ago to run the studio. My fellow Leathersmith, Ryan Bonte, and I are the only two remaining from the original crew.

SE: What goes into designing a Leather Masters leather piece for Passions?

Barbee: It depends on whether we’re working on retail pieces or custom work. Our retail foundation is based largely on the original Leather Masters operation in Dallas. When the business was purchased and moved here, we inherited close to 1,000 patterns. So while you might see only 10 or 20 harnesses on the sales floor, I actually have patterns for about 60 different styles.

On the custom side, Ryan and I lean heavily on our own creativity. We can see a design online, reverse-engineer it and recreate it ourselves. There’s always some trial and error, but we can usually figure out just about anything.

SE: How much custom work do you end up doing?

Barbee: Ryan handles custom work full-time. I used to do that as well, but when Jimmy expanded the company to multiple locations, my focus had to shift. I went from doing nearly all custom work to about 10 percent. Ryan takes on the high-end apparel, custom shirts, pants, shorts and jocks. I stick to accessories and core pieces like harnesses, cock rings, wristbands and collars.

“I love seeing people out in public wearing our gear. When I see people actually using it, I start thinking about comfort and function. How can I make this feel better during play? Is there a structural change that would improve performance? Seeing our pieces in real-world situations constantly pushes me to improve the designs.”

— Aaron Barbee

SE: How does being in the adult retail environment influence your craftsmanship compared to traditional leatherwork?

Barbee: Honestly, it ruined me for traditional retail, in a good way. I worked for Romantix previously, and we used to joke that the freedom ruined us. It took a while to retrain my filter for the outside world.

But that same environment makes me a better craftsman. I love seeing people out in public wearing our gear. When I see people actually using it, I start thinking about comfort and function. How can I make this feel better during play? Is there a structural change that would improve performance? Seeing our pieces in real-world situations constantly pushes me to improve the designs.

SE: What role does the Kansas City Passions store play in the local queer and kink community?

Barbee: This building has been part of the adult community since the ‘90s, with roots that go back even further. It’s always been a gathering point. We act as a hub for connection, and I keep a list of local leather groups posted both in the studio and at the front entrance so people can find clubs, dungeons and other community spaces.

We joke that we’re the gateway to the Kansas City kink and BDSM scene. No matter what group someone belongs to, or what rivalries exist, everyone eventually shops here because we serve the entire spectrum. I’m even an honorary member of one of the local clubs myself.

SE: How do you balance function, esthetics and self-expression in the pieces you make?

Barbee: I always start with function and try not to overcomplicate things. We get customers who want all the bells and whistles, from lasers to glitter, but it comes down to figuring out what’s most important in each situation. Sometimes that means scaling an idea back to find a simpler solution that still delivers.

Some concepts are too far out to fully execute, but we can usually meet people partway. Then there are those moments when someone brings in an idea that really inspires us. Something we hadn’t thought of. When that happens, we experiment, and sometimes those ideas become top-selling pieces.

SE: You partially answered my next question, but what feedback from customers has most shaped how the leather line has evolved?

Barbee: A lot of the feedback we get is immediate and happens right here in the studio. Our big bay windows let people see us working, which draws them in. Since the streetcar opened, we’ve seen even more foot traffic. People walk by, see Ryan or me at the bench and come in asking, “Can you make this?” or “Can you fix this buckle?”

SE: I assume what jobs you take on depend on your mood and their attitude?

Barbee: Absolutely. Sometimes we take those projects on, sometimes we don’t, but those everyday interactions really shape what we do. We joke that there are two kinds of customers: the “Ew Girls” and the “Woo Girls.” The Woo Girls love everything, while the Ew Girls react to everything with skepticism. You can usually tell pretty quickly which type you’re dealing with, but we love the laughter. Hearing people laugh in the store always brightens the day.

SE: What do you want customers to understand or feel when they wear a piece of Leather Masters leather for the first time?

Barbee: I want them to feel comfortable, confident and sexy. More than anything, I want people to realize that the piece they’ve been dreaming about isn’t as unattainable as they might think. We’re not a big chain store; you won’t find another place like this until you get to cities like Chicago or Denver.

Education is a big part of what we do, too. I always tell customers, how are you going to know if it fits if you don’t try it on? Even if they can’t afford a piece right now, they leave knowing what works for them. That knowledge gives them confidence, and if we’ve helped them feel more informed and comfortable, then we’ve done our job.

Larry Kaplan is a broker specializing in the sale and purchase of adult retail stores and adult nightclubs, and the Executive Director of ACE of Michigan, the state trade association for adult nightclubs. For 25 years, Mr. Kaplan has been the Legal Correspondent for ED Publications. Contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or email larry@kaplanstoresales.com.