In recent years, there is an ongoing debate about how print media will soon be replaced by online media. From my perspective, having worked extensively with both medias in the field of publishing, I actually think they can coexist and complement each other. In this new age of technology, online media has changed the way that people acquire and absorb information, but the tangible connection of a print piece has yet to be substituted by the digital format. A printed media has the sensibility to suspend time and gives out a sense of comfort derived by the reader holding and appreciating the stories and images through a printed piece; on the contrary, online media is constantly changing. Nonetheless, there are still people who believe in the competitive edge of traditional media and remain determined to carve out a career in the industry. With this degree of nostalgia for the written word, it is safe to say that digital will not make all print media extinct.
Nevertheless, the current situation of the industry has made it harder for launching a new print magazine; it requires not only sufficient financial support but also requires courage and luck. With that being said, a fashion magazine that has stood strong over the past decade is definitely worth celebrating. With Dutch men’s fashion magazine “Fantastic Man” reaching its 10th-anniversary last year, Phaidon published “FANTASTIC MAN: Men of Great Style and Substance”, which celebrates its significant milestone with a compilation of interviews which were featured in the magazine over the past decade.
Founded by Jop van Bennekom and Gert Jonkers in 2005, “Fantastic Man” has become one of the most significant fashion magazines of the last decade. One notable point that is immediately obvious is the magazine’s unique editorial style; it is edited entirely in the “Times New Roman” typeface to create a simple and neat layout. “FANTASTIC MAN: Men of Great Style and Substance” contains 69 interviews with some of today’s most stylish men, including Raf Simons, Thom Browne, David Beckham, Tom Ford and Steve McQueen. A selection of the magazine covers as well as the layout design graphics are also included in the book. For a finishing touch, the magazine invited its long-time collaborators Dutch famed fashion photographer duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, who shot some of the magazine’s greatest covers, to contribute a foreword to this book – “FANTASTIC MAN: Men of Great Style and Substance” is definitely a good read and a definite reference for those who are ambitious for success in the fashion and print industry.
Get your copy at Amazon now.
