An Introduction to the ‘High Art Pop Culture’ Issue of Another Man

This article is taken from the Summer/Autumn 2020 issue of Another Man:

I hate editor’s letters, so this isn’t one. Instead, it’s sort of an explanation as to why this issue exists in the way it does.

This issue was done for my great, sharp-as-a-knife and supremely talented friend, Alister Mackie – Another Man really is his magazine. It is the 15-year anniversary of the publication Alister instigated, so it’s all his fault.

It mainly features people I have worked with, interviewed and known over the years, many of whom are my friends and most of whom are my great heroes – they are the reason I work in magazines and the fashion industry in the first place. All of them I think also say something about the here and now: the 20s. They are all icons of High Art Pop Culture. There are only a few that I haven’t met, but I have been obsessing over since I was a teenager. One of them is Cecil Beaton. My other great photographic hero and obsession, Don McCullin, I’ve had the privilege to know for a number of years. This is one of the extremely rare occasions he has allowed his war photography to appear in such a context – he’s an incredible man and, in my opinion, the world’s greatest living photographer.

It is the image-making process more than anything else that I am preoccupied by. I’ve been very lucky to work with incredible photographers and stylists over the years, a few of whom are here besides Don, namely Alasdair McLellan – my closest working relationship – here photographing Jake Gyllenhaal for the cover and Blondey McCoy in Prada. Then there are ‘the Belgiques’ Willy Vanderperre and Olivier Rizzo, with a shoot that sums up their personal, special fashion history. And there is the brilliant Mario Sorrenti – there was really nobody else who would be able to capture Sterling Ruby’s world the way it should be – and Sterling himself, one of the great artists, here also doing styling duty and dressing his lovely team in his designs. I am so glad to know all of them.

There are other people who are responsible for my obsession with imagery, namely Peter Saville – who has defined my taste through what he does probably more than anybody else. And then there’s Bryan Ferry, one of the few I haven’t met, but whose album covers and music live in my head. Both of them lead to Richard Hamilton – another great artistic hero.

God, is this all a bit self-indulgent? Well, yes.

Let’s talk about designers – my supreme heroine Miuccia Prada, what can I say? She’s just the best. The great Rick Owens, who also happens to be a great writer – I have written so much about him, now it was my turn to torment him for copy. Matthew Williams, who was always destined to be a significant designer, whether he believed it or not!

And then, last but not least, there are the writers. The special torture that is writing – you know I feel your pain. This is particularly addressed to Paul Morley, Mark Simpson, Tim Blanks and Chris Heath – who are utterly brilliant and inspiring and much better writers than me. There are very few journalists who are as good and as entertaining as they are. And growing up reading Paul and Chris, is probably why I am writing this, right now...

A big, special thanks to the Another Man team – of course this is an issue that belongs to all of us. Ellie, Hannah, Jo and Thea, thank you! Laura, David and Nick, thank you! And thank you Jefferson, for the wise words.

This issue is dedicated to Bryan McMahon – he should have been here complaining about the hell and torture I was putting him through.

The Summer/Autumn 2020 ‘High Art Pop Culture’ issue of Another Man is on sale internationally from Thursday April 2, 2020.

Sign up for a free digital copy below, which is out on Monday, April 6 2020.