The historic Sax Fetish plays a role in Sydney's Oxtravaganza this year.
Managing Director Wayne Nicol reflects on the store's history and looks ahead to the future.
What part does Sax Fetish play in Oxtravaganza?
We have been trading on Oxford Street from the very same store for 39 years now. Sax has seen it come, seen it fly and seen it tottering on her heels. Sax Fetish is an Oxford Street icon which makes it a wonderful connection to the past and the history of Oxford. That we are still here all those years on is a timely reminder of the importance of embracing the changing face of Oxford Street. In 1979 Sax sold nothing but leather sandals, bags and belts. The '90s saw an evolution into a very different looking Sax. What we do now is nothing at all like what we did twenty years ago. We are looking forward to a bright future from our Oxford Street home. We want to do our bit to help Oxtravaganza write a whole new story that Oxford Street isn’t over. With some creativity, a bit of imagination and (yes a bit of actual effort) It can have an exciting future and is worth a second look.
What are you hoping people take away from an event like this?
Truthfully, I would like to see each and every one of the visitors to Oxford Street take a shopping bag with their latest purchase from Sax Fetish or any of the other wonderful Oxford Street traders. The day will be all about entertainment, excitement, friends and fun. These were words once routinely used in reference to people’s experiences on Oxford Street. Times change, people move on, businesses come and go. Oxtravaganza is an important opportunity to showcase the old girl again with a whole new community festival format. If people go away with some great new memories of the fun they had at Oxtravaganza it will hopefully start a momentum that Oxford Street can be fun again. You can’t turn back time. No matter how catchy the tunes might have been when we were all dancing on the bars, the old girl has life in her yet.
You guys have quite a lot going on at Sax Fetish… Including a Naked Barber! Please, tell us more.
This year we are doubling up on our efforts to help add to the fun and spectacle of the day. There will be plenty of flesh. Dick Savvy AKA The Naked Barber is a beloved local identity and a great friend of Sax Fetish. Dick is going to be relocating his Barber chair to Sax Fetish for the day of Oxtravaganza. Before you even ask, unfortunately we have had to ask Dick to wear his jock strap while he does buzz cuts and shaves. That is if you could still call it a jock strap. That thing is so old and worn it looks like it could fall apart at any time. For the day Dick will offer $10 buzz cuts and $20 shaves. Everyone loves Dick so we are encouraging advanced booking through Sax Fetish. From old jocks to new ones it’s a day that world famous underwear brands Andrew Christian and Addicted wanted in on. With the backing of these amazing brands we went out and four of the hottest underwear models Sydney has ever seen. So on the day of Oxtravaganza our boys will be roaming Oxford Street in nothing but their undies. They want to get as many selfies with you guys as they possibly can. So when you see the boys, and you will see the boys, go up and get some free lube samples and get your pic with them. To celebrate the launch of Oxtravaganza in 2017 we invited our good friends from Studio Kink to perform their amazing Shibari displays in the windows of Sax Fetish throughout the afternoon. You guys loved it. The requests to bring this back in 2018 were overwhelming. So the team will be at it again. Suspending their rope bunnies and dazzling you with their rope skills. So at 1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm the only place to be on Oxford Street will be standing right in front of the windows of Sax Fetish. Get there early to avoid being relegated to the back of the crowd!
There will be a second Sax Fetish pop-up store. What will be going on there?
This year we are doubling up on our efforts and our store numbers. So yes, there won’t be just one Sax Fetish there will be two with our Sax Fetish Pop Up only a few doors away towards Taylors Square.
As a sign of our faith and ongoing commitment to Oxford Street we rightly think two stores are better than one. We have brought in and manufactured a crazy amount of stock. There is stuff from all over the world. Every big fetish label that is anybody is represented. There has never been a bigger more diverse and exciting collection of fetish products brought together in Australia.. But the one thing we forgot was you. You can hardly get in the doors at Sax some days with the number of customers we serve. So much stock is still yet to even arrive. So, to make room for our beloved customers, we realised the only answer was more space. We needed a second store so we went out and got ourselves one. Sax Two is essentially going to be our non-leather store. It is your chance to explore new ranges and find what you couldn’t even see at Sax One.
What's the biggest misconception about a store like Sax Fetish?
None. The rumours are all true when it comes to Sax Fetish. We are bold, we are brash, irreverent and dirty as all hell in ways you could scarcely even imagine. You are absolutely right to be terrified about what will happen once you walk through our doors. Your eyes will be opened and your mind broadened and you may never be quite the same again. You see that we an extremely professionally presented retailers of one of the widest and wildest collection of fetish clothing, gear and accessories that you will never have encountered before. The staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. What you won’t find is the sleaze, the grubbiness and dodgy low end products. Your first visit is rarely your last.
