Keep up to date with yarness at yarness.me. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make it happen for us. We are so overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement for the future!!!

As Seen on:

Our Goal:

To set up a big human machine to create Yarnesses, a cute fashionable take on fetish wear.

The story behind Yarness

Hi I'm Ryan.

I moved to San Francisco to study Human Sexuality in 2004. A big part of SF gay culture is leather and fetish street fairs such as Folsom and Dore Alley. I enjoyed the fun and sexy nature of these street fairs and liked how the leather harnesses looked on the people around me. What I also noticed was a good chunk of people just enjoyed dressing up in harnesses and fetish gear without actually intending to use the garments for sexual purposes. I saw fashion accessories and my mind started buzzing. Around this time I learned to crochet.

In 2009 I crocheted a soft pink harness and wore it to Folsom. The harness got an immediate, strong and positive reaction, people took pictures, and I was hooked (crochet pun intended). Each year after, I produced another crocheted harness. I experimented with different styles and colors (including a jock strap). I amassed a good number of these harnesses, and I realized that I was designing a fashion line. 

Fast forward to now, and I’ve assembled a team to make a go of this. We named the dang things, and narrowed our line down to three Yarness styles (for now); we’ve fine-tuned designs, sourced yarn, figured out marketing and developed a production model to pay crafters for their time (see below for more details on that).

Yarness is fetish and fashion, and most of all fun. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

THE PERKS

The Hater Tee ($25) - added 7/10

The Folsom Splash ($20) - added 7/9

We are planning to make a giant splash at Folsom Street Fair on Sunday, September 21, 2014. We want to make the biggest, most amazing Yarness event yet, and we'd love to get your ideas and have your input. If you donate at this perk level you'll have an opportunity to work with us to design our Folsom presence, you'll help defray the costs of yarn, hardware, models, social media exposure and anything else it takes to build this soft-fetishy work of art. You'll also be contributing to the fun, creative, quirky and artistic spirt of Yarness.

The Lock ($75) - added 7/8

Yarn Jewelry. Yup. We’ve transformed that s/m symbol of a master/slave relationship, the chain and padlock, and turned it into the softest, cutest necklace this side of the Folsom Street Fair.

The 3 Yarness Designs ($80)

The Classic is the fundamental Yarness, a simple but effective "X" across the chest and back.

The Bulldog Yarness crosses your chest and back, rests high on your body and draws attention to your chest. A good choice for broad fellows.

The Trucker Yarness goes around your shoulders and crosses in back, then attaches to your front belt loops. OMG it holds up pants like suspenders! 

Yarness All-over Tee (Custom Tee Perk) ($65)

It's like you are wearing Yarness but you are wearing a t-shirt. It's thrilling, we promise. These shirts are printed using dye sublimation to allow for full frontal action. Choose from from the below designs and we plan to add additional designs later. 

DIY Yarness Kit, make a Yarness yourself! ($29)

We will send you everything you need to make your own Yarness including the a pattern for the style of your choice, a crochet hook, the yarn, adjusters and rings. You will also have access to a Google Hangout with  Ryan  where he will teach you how to crochet. There will be 5 scheduled hangouts for you to choose from. 

Yarness Tank ($39)

A comfy tank from American Apparel that allows you to rock your Yarness persuasion. Sizes XS - XL available.

Custom Yarness ($222)

You and the Yarness team design a Yarness just for you. We'll figure out a design and then make it. It will be one-of-a-kind and unforgettable. Let's talk.

Yarn(ess)Bomb ($1234)

We are prepared to yarnbomb something of your choosing in San Francisco with a mega crochet creation. Don't you worry, we will document the creation and installation of the piece extensively on social media. Your idea must be able to be crocheted in under 25 hours and be feasible to install IRL. 

Yarness San Francisco Adventure ($2500)

We want to welcome you to our beautiful city and make you a one-of-a-kind Yarness. 

You get:

• Roundtrip tickets to San Francisco (domestic flights only, we decide on a date together and we book it)
  
• 1 night stay in San Francisco
  
• Fun night on the town with the Yarness crew
  
• Personal measurement session
• Custom Yarness designed and made just for you
  

FAQ

Don't these Yarnesses stretch?

Yarnesses are made to fit tightly to your body. When you first wear them they will be snug, then stretch a bit as the knots sit into themselves. We incorporate this into our measurements. 

Additionally, each Yarness has adjustable sliders, so you are able to tighten the garment as much as you would like. 

A Yarness is not a leather harness, and should not be expected to behave as such. But trust us, you can pull on them, play with them and they are not going to break anytime soon.

How should I wear a Yarness?

You can wear a Yarness tight on your skin like a fetish garment or over your clothing as a accessory. A Yarness can dress up a outfit, especially if you pick a color that pops.

Do Yarnesses behave like leather harnesses?

Yarnesses are inspired by leather harnesses, but while light, durable and fun,  they are something else entirely. But don't worry, you can play with a yarness just like you would a harness. Did we just blow your mind?

When can I expect my Yarness? 

Depending on the size of this campaign we will produce yarnesses on a first come, first serve basis. We guarantee an end-of-year delivery for Yarnesses, but if you want your Yarness now we have the special "InstaYarness" order option. 

Do you ship internationally? 

We do, but for an additional amount for shipping. After you make your order, we will follow up with you with the additional cost.

How do I order the Yarness? 

Place your order on Indiegogo, and once the crowdfunding campaign has finished, we will direct you to an online form where you can indicate your style, color, and sizing preferences.

The Yarn

We are using Universal Yarn, a anti-pilling acrylic yarn that has a solid hold and a great selection of bright colors. Yarnesses are vegan. 

How are Yarnesses made?

Our production model recycles money back into the hands of local skilled crafters. We have a team of crocheters and we pay them a fair wage for their time making Yarnesses. We could have outsourced production, but we are committed to supporting local makers for work that they rarely get paid for. 

The price of a Yarness includes the cost of our manufacturing model. You are buying a US-made handcrafted good. 

If you are interested in becoming a maker, please visit: http://yarness.me/make/

Why Crowdfunding?

After wearing Yarnesses for years, countless people have asked where to buy one. This is only anecdotal evidence, and without any large investors in the project we decided to crowdfund Yarness to help us:

1. Gauge demand - How many people actually want this? Doing this campaign will help us understand the scale of the project.

2. Build capital - The money we make with this campaign will help us buy supplies/inventory, pay makers and market the product.

3. Establish urgency - Look, we could go open an Etsy store but that's hard to get the word out about. With only 43 days to purchase a Yarness we are hoping to gather all orders at once to make production a lot more manageable.

Any other questions? Email us at info@yarness.me