International Mr. Leather 2016 David Bailey and International Mr. Bootblack 2016 Erick Joseph. (Photo by Ruff Wray)
CHICAGO — David Bailey, Mr. New Jersey Leather 2016, took home the title of International Mr. Leather 2016 and Erick Joseph of Anchorage, Alaska won International Mr. Bootblack this past weekend.
David won out of a field of 59 contestants and is the first New Jersey resident to win IML. Erick won from a field of four contestants and is only the second international titleholder from Alaska.
Another historic note is both runner-ups are from Chicago. Mr. Chicago Leather 2016 Todd Harris won first runner-up and Mr. Midwest Leather 2016 Adam “Vino” Henderson won second runner-up. This is the first time in IML history that contestants from IML’s home city have placed in the top three.
The contest was the cap of a long eventful weekend in downtown Chicago. The Great Lakes and Midwest were well represented in the contest with five of the top 20 from the region.
Stay tuned to the Great Lakes Den for follow up stories.
