You first became interested in corsets when you were a boy and you have been creating amazing pieces for many years, what inspires and motivates you after so many years?
 
Each end product has such a definite presence and this, above all, is what is most gratifying for me.
 
How long does it take to create a corset for a client, from start to finish?
 
The time it takes to make a corset to wear as foundation can be measured in a matter of weeks but as outerwear it would take months. Much also depends on the fittings as clients often require major changes during the process.
 
You have spoken about personally wearing a corset for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, how does this affect the way that you make them?
 
I am no sadist. Wearing a corset myself means that I can empathize with my client - making a corset becomes a shared experience rather than the imposition of an overly exacting couturier. Perhaps this makes me some kind of feminist?

How would you describe the feeling of wearing a corset to someone who has never had the opportunity to put one on? What fascinates you so much about the way they repress and transform the body?
 
"Permanent embrace" just about sums it up. There are also ways to behave when wearing a corset. Clients often have ideas or fantasies about this before the commissioning stage and later there is much to explore vis a vis heightened social interaction. In fact, the body becomes voluptuous and palpably "there" rather than repressed.
 
 You have worked with many of the great names in haute couture, such as Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano and Christian Lacroix. What has been your most challenging project to date?
 
Mr Mugler and Mr Lacroix often turned to me when the runway creations we had worked on were ordered by clients. As a result, my atelier faced the challenge of reproducing some brilliantly complex pieces, which was an almost Himalayan task at times, but also extremely satisfying.

"Mr Pearl is the most extreme and extraordinary tight-lacer I have come across. His corsets are masterpieces in both construction and design - he has created so many but each one is a work of art. One that stands out for me is a mauve design which he made for Christian Lacroix - it is so simple but the expertise lies in the perfect lines and how the corset faultlessly hourglasses the body."

Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
 

Is there a client that you have worked with who you would consider the perfect corset-wearer? What was it about them that appealed to you so much?
 
My interactions with clients are private and exclusive - there is no league table (only a cutting table!). However, I can freely state that Dita Von Teese is an extremely adept couture corset wearer. Her status is special due to the diversity of her public display and professional needs. Similarly, the late Leigh Bowery became an expert, due to the sheer mass of his astonishing public appearances.
 
The corset is often associated with the fetish world, why do you think they appeal particularly to this subculture?
 
A fetish object, by definition, is conjured as a compensation or spiritual comfort for something that is absent. The item, whatever it might be, evokes a virtual world of experience laced with longing and nostalgia. Corsets are good for this - just think of being squeezed by invisible hands.
 
At CoutureLab we are keen to support the traditional techniques of skilled artisans, do you think it is important to promote the longevity of these handcraft skills and why?
 
As an artisan, I am largely concerned with supply and demand. I have evolved my methods through experience rather than core craft training. In relation to longevity of traditional craft, I suppose it is like anything else - we humans are probably not supposed to become useless beings.

"Mr Pearl's corsets are unlike any other modern-made version - they are true works of art, absolute haute couture. I began wearing corsets when I was 18 years old and over the years, I had heard about the mysterious corset master Mr Pearl but it was impossible to find out much and even more impossible to arrange an appointment with him.

We finally met in Paris through Hamish Bowles at Vogue and it was one of the most touching moments of my life. We had an instant adoration for each other - I found him to be the most elegant man I had ever seen. I was photographed wearing two of his corsets and when he laced me in, I could feel and see why his creations are legendary.

Soon after, I commissioned him to make a corset to be worn underneath my wedding gown. I loved the whole process: the intimate fittings by candlelight while sipping violet scented champagne, chatting for hours about our favorite corseted ladies throughout history; he educated me about books that I should read and glamorous women that I should know about.

I feel very fortunate to know this man who lives for glamour and keeps this lost art of corsetry as it once was alive and well. In this era when everyone wants everything quickly and cheaply, Mr Pearl is here for those of us that comprehend the true art of haute couture, understand the value of it and are patient enough to take the time to let it happen." Dita Von Teese