(1933–1991), known professionally as Etienne, was one of the most influential visual artists in the history of gay leather culture. Through photography, illustration, and graphic design, Orejudos helped define the erotic, aesthetic, and aspirational imagery of post-war leather communities—particularly from the late 1950s through the 1970s—during a period when visibility carried real personal and legal risk.

Early Life and Artistic Formation

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dom Orejudos was trained as a graphic designer and illustrator. His professional background in commercial art strongly shaped his visual discipline—clean lines, controlled compositions, and an understanding of how images communicate authority, masculinity, and desire. These skills later became foundational to his leather-focused work.

Etienne and the Birth of Leather Iconography

Under the pseudonym Etienne, Orejudos created a body of work that blended erotic realism with stylized masculinity. His photographs and illustrations depicted leathermen as confident, disciplined, and self-possessed—countering dominant stereotypes of gay men as effeminate or socially marginal.

Etienne’s imagery emphasized:

• Authority and presence
• Ritualized masculinity
• Erotic power grounded in consent and mutual recognition
• Leather as both uniform and identity

This visual language became deeply embedded in Old Guard leather culture, influencing how leathermen saw themselves and how the community presented itself to the world.

Work with Drummer Magazine

Orejudos was a founding creative force behind Drummer magazine, one of the most important leather publications of the 1970s and 1980s. His cover photography, illustrations, and design sensibilities helped establish Drummer as a defining voice of gay leather life—equal parts erotic showcase, cultural chronicle, and community connector.

Through Drummer, Etienne’s work reached an international audience, shaping leather aesthetics far beyond Chicago and San Francisco.

Relationship to Leather Institutions

Orejudos’s art is closely associated with institutions that shaped modern leather culture, including the early orbit of International Mr. Leather and the visual culture that surrounded bars, clubs, and contests. His images helped formalize the “look” of leather authority—vests, caps, boots, harnesses—not as costume, but as earned symbols.

Themes and Cultural Impact

Etienne’s work is notable for its restraint and dignity. Unlike later hyper-explicit erotic photography, his images often relied on suggestion, posture, and gaze. The result was eroticism rooted in respect, lineage, and structure—values strongly aligned with Old Guard leather ethics.

His art helped:

• Legitimize leather as a cultural identity
• Preserve visual records of early leathermen
• Bridge erotic expression with community respectability
• Create enduring symbols still referenced in modern leather imagery

Legacy and Preservation

Dom Orejudos died in 1991, but his influence remains foundational. His work is preserved and exhibited through institutions such as the Leather Archives & Museum, where his photographs and illustrations continue to educate new generations about leather history, aesthetics, and values.

Today, Etienne is remembered not merely as an erotic artist, but as an architect of leather self-image—someone who gave a community visual permission to see itself as proud, disciplined, and worthy of legacy.