Bootblacks take care of the boots, and garments such as leather jackets, vests, chaps, harnesses, as well as other gear of Leatherpeople and the BDSM community. With the establishment of local, regional and international bootblack contests in the 1990s and early 2000s, bootblacks have gained visibility as a subculture in their own right.[1] Nowadays, bootblack stands as well as classes on bootblacking are common fixtures at events, contests, conferences and parties. Bootblacks are not only preserving the physical items (many of which have been gifted, earned or inherited) but are also collecting the stories of their wearers.[2] Therefore, bootblacks play a central role in the oral history of the leather scene.[3] While outsiders often link bootblacking to service-oriented submission, Bootblacks might take on any role in a BDSM dynamic.