Words by: Colette Goldstein
Discard what you think you know about brothels. This is Siete Rojo.
It is the 80s. A neon red sign that reads “7” beams vibrantly over one of the most renowned Venezuelan brothels of its time, Siete Rojo. But it isn’t the fluorescence of the sign that draws us here—it is the legacy that this brothel breathes into our modern ideas of sex work.
Enter the brothel. Encounter the abundance of sex workers getting ready for another eventful night, and watch the way a workplace can mold into a home. This is Siete Rojo: a place that housed up to 100 consenting sex workers, a place where condoms were enforced, a place where mandatory, weekly health checkups were held, and the health of the workers was fought for.
It is beneath the neon red “7” where we find a story about brothels that is hardly discussed: the story of a brothel-owner/father diligently fighting to safeguard the health and wellness of the brothel’s workers—even in a time when this was deemed “bad for business”; the story of a brothel driven by familial bonds, attuning the workplace to respect and care; the story of a brothel that sought to redefine the way brothels were both construed and conducted, seeking to destigmatize sex work in the process.
That was the Siete Rojo legacy: a reconstructed idea of how sex work can prioritize the respect & health of its workers as much as it prioritizes the sex & pleasure of its clients. Legacies like these do not die easily. Forty years later, Siete Rojo lives on; however, not in the form you might think…
Reminiscent of the 80s sensation, the clothing brand “Siete Rojo,” carries the legacy of its brothel-predecessor to the present, shining with the vibrant light of the past establishment. With eye-grabbing phrases plastered on hoodies and hats (like a trucker hat that boldly states, “Mom I just Paid for Sex”), this red-hot clothing brand aims to promote conversations about sex work and destigmatize the negative social concep ions surrounding it .
In other words, Siete Rojo is, once again, rebranding sex work. Founded by the son of the brothel’s original owner, Alvaro Teran Landaeta, the clothing brand continues to uphold the importance of representation in the world of the taboo. This time, however, with a more modernistic approach.
For one, all clothing that is sold at Siete Rojo is sustainably sourced (in the words of its owner, “to keep the strip clubs open, we must keep the planet alive”). Additionally, a percentage of the brand’s proceeds are donated to SWOP-USA (Sex Worker Outreach Project - USA) a current organization that fights for the fundamental rights of sex workers in the U.S.. Siete Rojo also provides its top-purchasers with a VIP experience at a strip club, inviting customers to experience the sex-scenes of today.
The legacy of Siete Rojo has always been much bigger than a brothel, and today it is much more than a clothing store. Siete Rojo is a revolution—that is its legacy.
Wear the revolution. Wear Siete Rojo.