Mike Romoth is a modern Renaissance man. He excels at hard science, writing advanced articles on biotechnology, artificial intelligence and climate change for leading science journals. He is also a published poet, a drummer and a talented artist who crafts distinctive wearable art in the form of intricate and exotic leather masks.
The back story: Romoth grew up in a design-oriented Denver family (his mother teaches pattern drafting and couture design at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School) and traveled extensively before returning home. He graduated from CU-Boulder with degrees in mechanical engineering and creative writing in 1986, then headed off to Nepal, India and Thailand, collecting jewelry, art and clothing from the various cultures along the way. He sold the items in open-air markets in London and New York City before landing in Seattle, where he gained his MFA in creative writing in 1997. He returned to Denver after grad school and opened his South Broadway gallery and workshop in 2000.
The company: “I try to show people, not tell people how it can be,” says Romoth of his business philosophy. “I’m always working on how to get people to value what I do as a creative person.” Romoth designed his boutique to be a progressive art installation, titled “Apocalypse Boutique,” where pieces of the show are always for sale. He typically spends his mornings writing, supplementing his income with lucrative freelance stories for science journals, with afternoons and evenings reserved for his art. He creates paintings and sculptures, but his favorite material
is leather, from which he designs
finely crafted items ranging from fringed deerskin jackets and beaded leather handbags to leather-bound
journals and picture frames. Two years ago, he had an artistic breakthrough when he started creating
his now-signature leather masks and discovered an artistic gold mine. He loves making the masks, and his customers love to buy them. “The masks are the one thing that I can’t make enough of, and it doesn’t matter what they cost.”
His inspiration: Romoth looks to traditional folklore and myths from American Indian, Asian, Latin American and European sources for inspiration. One series, called the “Vampire Killers,” is meant to invoke the feeling of a night hunter, with owl-like beaks and bold red, black or silver horns and feathers protruding from painted faces. His “Reybrujo” mask translates to “King of the Witches,” with a glaring red devil-like countenance and curling gold ram’s horns. The “High Lord of the Pumpkin Patch” mask suggests beautiful-but-fierce butterfly wings and includes a leather sunflower wall hanger, meant to transform the mask into a sculpture suitable for year-round display. Other designs are more sprightly, with purple-and-green “earth spirit” masks, and an entire line for women featuring exotic details like beaded veils, feathered plumes and matching beaded leather necklaces and bracelets.
The customer: Romoth’s designs appeal to collectors who value the artistic craftsmanship, and to adults seeking the perfect one-of-a-kind design to wear to a masquerade ball or Halloween party. “You are going to get nothing but attention with one of these masks on,” he says. “It’s just not like anything else out there.”
What it costs: “High Lord” mask and wall sculpture, $250; “Vampire Killer” mask, $120; “Reybrujo” mask, $160; “Earth Spirit” mask, $45; beaded
veil mask, $100, black leather vamp mask, $30; leather cuff with diamond cutouts, $50.
Where to find it: The Apocalypse
Boutique (108 S. Broadway, 303-777-3218) is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment.
