Avian Invasion is an American Progressive House act known for a captivating blend of trance and progressive house. DJ/performer Bird One blends live vocals and keyboards with modern dance music for a truly unique show. With sci-fi flavor and an emphasis on beauty and positivity, B1 has inspired fans from around the world seeking to escape their normal lives.

While Avian Invasion may be a relatively new name in the EDM scene, B1 has been named Guest of Honor or a performing headliner at over a hundred fan conventions in more than twenty states and parts of Canada. Where most artists spent their early careers in clubs, B1 cultivated his following among cosplayers, sci-fi fans, furries, and steampunkers.

Photo by Nakean Photogprahy

Pup Icarus (he/him) has been a part if the rubber scene in Chicago for over 9 years and has gone on to do many different things within the community since winning the title of Mr. Midwest Rubber in 2016. He is a sex educator with an emphasis on red hankey play. He performed in the memorable opening number on the stage of the Museum of Contemporary Art for MIR 22 the Art of Rubber. and was 2nd runner up at World Cub 2018. Now Pup Icarus performs locally with a bunch awesome nerds in the Crescent Moon Nerldesque as "Kid A. Icarus" where he shows off his shinny and nerdy side doing various burlesque acts. Pup Icarus is excited to return to help out the POC Rubber Meet-up at MIR26.

Antoin is the Brand Events Producer for Recon and is known to us as a very keen rubber man of colour. He's been working with the Recon brand and has helped to support parts of the global kink community for over 14 years.

Being the producer of Recon’s brand and promotional events, as well as their play parties, Antoin is very well-travelled, is a well-known face on the scene, and has experienced a lot of the diversity within the scene, globally. As a Brand Ambassador, Antoin is genuinely invested in empowering those he meets within the community to be themselves and live their best fetish life - whatever that means for you. He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and insight and is always happy to stop and have a chat.

boy Jason is a Chicago resident working on becoming a therapist.  Their pronouns are they/them.   They are non-binary, neurodivergent, and a big advocate for making the world a safer and better place in more equitable and inclusive ways.  They are a collared boy by their Daddy in Dallas.  They have worked all over the country in the world of kink usually in some form of education like teaching about consent or how to engage in healthy dynamics as a neurodivergent person.  They are thrilled to be a part of creating this space for Trans, GNC, and Non-Binary folks this year.  One which will hopefully continue for many MIRs to come!

Kai (he/him) is a queer transmasculine kinkster and leatherboy located in Chicago. He has been involved in the kink community since 2012 while attending munches in the Northwest suburbs. Kai is passionate about building community and giving back. He maintains a strong commitment to social activism as a member of several Chicago-based activist groups. Out of kink environments, Kai is an avid martial artist, gaymer, and cat dad.

Issa Arden has been a player for over 30 years and a community member for over 20. She serves on the Executive Committee of and as the head of Education for Mr. International Rubber. She is also newly on the Board of American Brotherhood Weekend having been the Contestant Coordinator for the event for 6 years. She is on staff for Internal Mr. Leather and previously held staff positions with Leather Hall of Fame and Illinois Leather Alliance. Arden is working on various PoC and Bisexual visibility projects, has judged numerous contests, including International Ms. Leather and International Puppy and Trainer, Mr. Midwest Rubber, Twin City Leather, ABW, and Mr. Ebony Leather. She has been a presenter on race and alternative gender modes in leather and an educator on topics from corsets to cigars to wax play. She curated Excavating Experience: The Presence of LGBTQ People of Color in Cook County and the Bay Area Leather History pop-up and co-curated the Chicago Leather Contests and Titleholders pop-up for the LA&M. Arden held two Louisiana leather titles, was an NLA-NOLA Board member, and developed and hosted numerous New Orleans fetish parties.

Aura (Mistress Polaris) is a Chicago resident, currently working as an Optician, but is working on getting back into the Engineering world. She/They pronouns, and started transitioning in 2019. They have been involved in the gear/kink scene since 2008, having worked with numerous organizations, and has taught classes as well. As a neurodivergent trans individual, they want to help other individuals feel welcomed into kink spaces.

Wildcat Shadow is a BDSM practitioner, performer, and educator based in Chicago. In the default world, they’re a social worker and sound artist whose work operates at the intersection of health, queer sexuality & gender, and culture. As a member of the American Association of Sex Counselors, Educators, and Therapists (AASECT) and the Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, they have written about and workshopped on bisexuality and gender variance particularly among people of African descent. 

In the fantasy realm, Wildcat Shadow is a rubber clad supervillain using its hypnotic powers to reprogram subjects to thrive outside the default settings in sexually dysfunctional culture by playing within the greater queer and kinkier imagination. They live the lifestyle 24/7, most known in the scene as a pet play trainer and regular performer of kink demos and fetish fantasies appearing on radio, tv, and stages internationally. It’s dead on the outside but still horny. When the cat boy isn’t napping, that strange punk is out looking for pleasure, praise, healing, and hell raising.

Preston “wexx” So (he/they) is the first Asian international fetish titleholder and the first Mr. International Rubber (MIR) of color. He is Mr. International Rubber 20 (2017) and Mr. New England Rubber 2016.

Preston has been interested in latex rubber since 2007 and has actively practiced the fetish since 2010. He taught other students about leather, latex, neoprene, spandex, and other similar fetishes at Harvard College Munch, the BDSM student organization at his alma mater, at a time when the group was publicly vilified by Bill O’Reilly and the Harvard College Republicans as a university-funded “sex club” on Fox News.

Preston was honored to judge the International Mr. Leather (IML) 2019 and International Pup and Handler (IPAHW) 2019 contests, representing fetishists of Asian heritage. He has appeared in mainstream, LGBTQ+, and kink media in German (BOX Magazin), Brazilian Portuguese (iGay no iG, BLUBR, Rádio Agita Planeta), and English (Vice.com, Alphatribe Magazine, JOY 94.9, Watts the Safeword in 2017 and 2020, NoSafeWord) to promote latex fetishism, inclusion, and representation in the gay and kink communities. Previously, Preston judged and delivered the keynote at International Olympus Leather 2018 in San Diego, where he spoke about the importance of visibility as a fetishist of color. He also gave the keynote at Secret Talent of Pets 2020, where he shared his experiences with anti-Asian racism in the kink community.

Preston is a co-founder of the Mr. Rubber Mexico (est. 2017) and Mr. Rubber Brazil (est. 2019) contests, respectively the first rubber competitions in Latin America, and served as bilingual emcee for Mr. Rubber Mexico in 2018, 2021, and 2022; Mr. Rubber Poland in 2018; and Mr. Rubber Brazil in 2019.

As a globally recognized kink educator of color, Preston is a contributor to Recon.com and Recon Magazine, writing about latex fetishism and the Asian experience in kink and fetish, and the founder of the Asian Leather and Kink Alliance, an antiracist, intersectional, and pro-decrim grassroots collective for folx of Asian descent in the kink and fetish community. As a professional event organizer and well-known advocate for anti-harassment policies and codes of conduct in kink spaces, he co-created Melbourne Rubber’s inclusion policy in 2021, considered the gold standard for enforceable policies and processes at kink events, and maintains a spend guide for marginalized folx and those new to the community.

During his title year as Mr. International Rubber 20, Preston evangelized latex fetishism in 13 countries and 24 cities around the world. The first MIR to visit Latin America and East Asia, Preston wears latex in public regularly, especially where fetish gear is taboo or seldom seen, and believes everyone should feel confident to gear up in public.

He enjoys mentoring new rubberists regardless of their gender or sexuality, especially through workshops at Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend (2017, 2018, 2019) and DV8/Purple Passion (“Latex Fetishism 101”) about latex care, latex fetish practices, and the experience of people of color in the fetish community.

As Mr. International Rubber 20, Preston’s mission is to rubberize the world—to bring the latex fetish to places further afield and especially to unawakened rubberists. He still gives his time to these efforts today as a co-producer of new events, volunteer interpreter in multiple languages, and organizer of emerging communities around the world. Preston is based in New York City.