FANTASTIC MAN. THE FIRST ISSUE WITH MR RUPERT EVERETT ON THE COVER OF THE GENTLEMEN'S STYLE JOURNAL. WE HAVE A

RUN: ONE TO TWENTY IN A

HOT DECADE. THE AMAZINE THAT REDESIGNED THE

WORLD OF MAGAZINES. IF IMITATION IS A FORM OF FLATTERY, THEN GERT JONKERS AND JOP VAN BENNEKOM CAN FEEL VERY FLATTERED INDEED :)

First issue. Spring & Summer 2005. Iconic now. Totally breakthrough outstanding then. We remember it so well. The difference it made. 
 

Mr. Malcolm. This whole Mr. Business really did cut through, certainly as far as the advent of Mr. Porter and their eponymously titled magazine some five years later. 
 

The Matthias Vriens photographed chest story from the first issue. Six sexy pages that went a long way to defining Tom Ford's fragrant erotics and David Beckham's Armani underwear sensations just a year or two later. Of course Fantastic Man could also be considered responsible for the terrifying conjunction of these two words: male, grooming. [SHUDDER].
 

For Gert and Jop, Fantastic Man followed, and coexisted alongside, their legendary amazine Butt. That title was a little light on clothes (none). Fantastic Man was always a fashion magazine: the men were mostly dressed. Although, the first issue does have this brilliant bedtime story - the Delightful Pyjamas shoot styled by Mattias Karlsson and shot by Benjamin Alexander Huseby. 
 

The second issue. Almost as rare now as the first. Extraordinary Giles Deacon cover story shot by Viviane Sassen. 


Can't not include this fourth issue cover. Helmut Lang photographed by Bruce Weber cradling a (carefully worded) black rooster. 



Wolfgang Tillmans by Alasdair McLellan. Most beautiful morning light. 
 

And another all time favourite. No.17. Jeremy Deller in his high street pink hoody. By Alasdair McLellan again. Decidely ungroomed too. 

We have the first twenty issues. 2005-2015. A decade of excellence and futher decades of influence. Own them all by clicking on the green button below. 

Let's go!