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EST. 1983 · FERNDALE · MOTOR CITY
Noir Leather —
Detroit's Original
Alternative Boutique
Forty years of fetish fashion, punk attitude, and Motor City spectacle. From a 1981 wholesale leather operation to a flagship at 175 W 9 Mile Rd — this is the long version of the story.
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About Noir Leather
What Noir is today: Detroit's original alternative boutique and sex shop — an institution where fetish fashion, clubwear, and adult products meet under one roof at 175 W 9 Mile Rd in downtown Ferndale.
WHAT NOIR LEATHER IS TODAY
Noir Leather is Detroit's original alternative boutique and sex shop — a flagship destination at 175 W 9 Mile Rd in downtown Ferndale. Under one roof you'll find fetish fashion, clubwear, gothic and punk apparel, footwear, accessories, and a full adult section of toys, restraints, and educational material. It is at once a fashion store, a kink shop, a craft studio, and a cultural living room for Detroit's alternative community.
BRAND PILLARS
Sex-positive and kink-friendly. Punk, goth, and alternative fashion roots. A community hub, not just a store. Every product, party, and window display is in service of those three pillars — keeping fringe culture visible, welcoming, and unapologetic in metro Detroit.
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Origins and Evolution
From a 1981 wholesale leather operation to a 1983 Royal Oak storefront, to a multi-shop empire across the city, and on to today's Ferndale flagship — this is how Noir was built.
WHOLESALE BEGINNINGS (1981)
Noir began in 1981 when Keith Howarth started a wholesale leather business, supplying punk and S&M-inspired accessories to retailers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Long before the storefront existed, Noir's hand-cut collars, cuffs, and harnesses were already moving through the global underground.
ROYAL OAK STOREFRONT (DEC 17, 1983)
On December 17, 1983, the first Noir Leather storefront opened in downtown Royal Oak. It quickly became the default meeting point for Detroit's hardcore punk and alternative scenes — a place to dress for the night, find each other, and find the gear nobody else carried.
THE NOIR EMPIRE YEARS
Through the late '80s and '90s, Noir expanded into a small empire: Noir Leather, Vintage Noir, Faith Couture, and Noir Windsor across the river. Bondage-themed fashion shows ran in shop windows and at venues like the State Theatre, blending runway, performance art, and party into one signature Noir spectacle.
CONSOLIDATION TO A SINGLE FLAGSHIP
Eventually the empire consolidated into a single flagship location — first on 4th Street in Royal Oak, and today at 175 W 9 Mile Rd in Ferndale. The decision was deliberate: deeper inventory, a more curated experience, and one cultural anchor instead of many — a museum-like store where every rack tells part of the story.
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Noir and Royal Oak
Before Royal Oak was a destination, Noir was already drawing the city's nightlife and subculture downtown. Forty years later, it remains one of metro Detroit's longest-running independent businesses.
ANCHORING DOWNTOWN ROYAL OAK
When much of downtown Royal Oak was still quiet, Noir Leather helped pull nightlife, subculture, and foot traffic to 4th Street. It was an anchor boutique in the early downtown revival — proof that an alternative store could carry a neighborhood.
SURVIVING WAVES OF CHANGE
Rising rents, the arrival of chains, and the disappearance of independent shops have reshaped downtown Royal Oak more than once. Through every wave, Noir Leather has remained — one of the longest-running, truly independent businesses in the region.
FROM "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" TO OFFICIAL HISTORY
Local press once called Noir "Royal Oak's dirty little secret." Today, the store is included in Royal Oak Historical Society displays as part of the city's official cultural history — the secret has been written into the record.
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Culture, Community & Values
Sex, punk, and rock 'n' roll — the attitude that built the store and still runs it.
"Sex, punk, and rock 'n' roll."
PUNK, FETISH & GOTH ROOTS
Noir is the bridge between Detroit's punk history and modern fetish and goth culture. The aesthetic is consistent across decades: black leather, hardware, theatrical silhouettes, and a refusal to soften the edges for anyone.
INCLUSIVE, QUEER-FRIENDLY SPACE
Noir is welcoming to LGBTQ+ communities and to people of all genders and orientations. Service is built on respect, consent, and zero judgment — whether you're shopping for your first collar or your hundredth. We also pledge our continued support of women, BIPOC, and anyone looking for a place to be themselves.
A LIVING SUBCULTURE MUSEUM
Walk in and the store reads like a curated environment: fashion, art, archival imagery, and theatrical displays. Window installations and in-store vignettes are designed to challenge norms and keep fringe culture visible on a busy downtown street.
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In the Media
Four decades of press, profiles, broadcast segments, and local lore — Noir has been written about as often as it's been worn.
PRESS COVERAGE & AWARDS
Metro Times has repeatedly named Noir Leather Best Adult Novelty Shop, with multiple write-ups across local media positioning it as a cultural icon and metro Detroit landmark.
FEATURES, PROFILES & TRIBUTES
The Detroit Free Press and others have profiled founder Keith Howarth as a quiet provocateur — a designer who pushed boundaries without cruelty. Tribute nights and retrospectives have continued to honor his impact on the scene.
TELEVISION & BROADCAST MOMENTS
FOX 2 Detroit covered Noir's kinky XXXmas party and the 40-year anniversary celebration on air. Estate-sale coverage later highlighted the depth of the archives — decades of photographs, slides, memorabilia, and erotica.
NOIR IN POPULAR IMAGINATION
On Reddit threads, Instagram posts, and in local lore, Noir keeps surfacing as a must-see Detroit "treasure." The store has become shorthand for the city's kink and alternative fashion scene — a landmark you point newcomers toward.
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Events and Experiences
Hellbound, XXXmas, fashion shows in shop windows — Noir has always been a producer of nights, not just a retailer of clothes.
HELLBOUND FETISH PARTIES
Hellbound is the signature Noir experience: dungeon furniture, dedicated play areas, and a strict dress code. These parties helped support and normalize the local fetish scene over decades, and remain a tentpole of the calendar.
EROTIC FASHION SHOWS & SPECTACLE
Bondage-themed fashion shows in shop windows and nightclubs. Burlesque, fetish performances, and hybrid events that blur runway, performance art, and party — done in a way only Noir does it.
ANNIVERSARY & HOLIDAY PARTIES (XXXMAS)
The 40-year kinky XXXmas party became the template: themed contests, spanking booths, pole dancing, and a holiday-meets-fetish atmosphere that has been covered on local TV.
COLLABORATIONS & OFF-SITE EVENTS
Partner events at venues like Northern Lights Lounge and other regional clubs. Noir operates as promoter, sponsor, and cultural producer — not just retailer — across the metro Detroit nightlife circuit.
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Products and Services
Clubwear and corsets. Restraints and harnesses. Hand-made leather. Judgment-free service. The full Noir catalogue is broader than any single label.
FASHION, FOOTWEAR & ACCESSORIES
Clubwear, corsets, gothic and punk clothing, exotic footwear, wigs, jewelry, and outerwear. For performers, DJs, and nightlife regulars, Noir is a styling resource as much as a store.
BDSM & ADULT PRODUCTS
Restraints, collars, harnesses, whips, toys, lubes, and specialized kink gear — alongside educational books and magazines for people exploring BDSM culture for the first time or the hundredth.
IN-HOUSE CRAFTSMANSHIP
A staff leather crafter produces custom collars, cuffs, harnesses, and other S&M accessories on-site. Hand-made, made-to-order, and built to outlast anything mass-produced.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE & STAFF
Discreet, knowledgeable, and judgment-free service. The team helps beginners and experienced kinksters alike find the right gear, the right fit, and the right answers. Our Ferndale store carries over 1,800 products. Alongside clothing and leather goods, we offer embroidery services, custom T-shirts, and vintage and consignment shopping. Contact the store to discuss a custom project or ask about consigning.
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Visit Noir Leather
Brick-and-mortar first. A real room you can walk into, with hours that align with the nightlife it serves.
LOCATION & HOURS
175 W 9 Mile Rd, Ferndale, MI 48220. Our regular opening hours are listed below. Check with the store for holiday hours.
Monday–Thursday: 11:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 11:30 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
ONLINE & SOCIAL CHANNELS
The website is the gateway — brand story, events, and a curated selection of products. Instagram and Facebook handle new arrivals, event announcements, and behind-the-scenes from the shop floor.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Noir is a must-stop for anyone exploring Detroit's alternative or kink culture. Pair it with nearby dining and nightlife along 9 Mile and Woodward for a full downtown Ferndale evening.
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Founder & Legacy
Keith Howarth — the quiet provocateur — and the archives, collaborators, and ongoing influence that make Noir more than a single storefront.
KEITH HOWARTH — THE QUIET PROVOCATEUR
Founder Keith Howarth was profiled in the Free Press as a quiet provocateur — a designer interested in "creating a fervor" and pushing boundaries without cruelty. His personal style and editorial eye shaped four decades of Noir.
ARCHIVES, COLLECTIONS & ESTATE
Howarth's estate sale revealed the depth of what Noir had been quietly collecting: photographs, slides, memorabilia, and erotica spanning decades. Together they form a private archive of Detroit subculture as much as a personal one.
ONGOING INFLUENCE
Noir continues to influence fashion, nightlife, and kink culture in metro Detroit. Younger generations keep finding the store through events, social media, and word-of-mouth — and the next chapter is already being written.
SINCE 1983