There’s a magnificent profile of CHRISTIAN COOPER in our latest issue. The New York City birdwatcher and former comic book author speaks of his love for birds, for gay bar The Eagle, Ukrainian breakfasts, and about that day when a racist incident in Central Park ended up on the news the world over. ■ He now has his memoir out, even though “I had never even read a memoir. It’s my least favourite genre of books,” he says. It’s a story by MICHAEL BULLOCK and BENJAMIN FREDRICKSON took the photos, styled by IAN McRAE. 

Last Sunday, 8am, I had a swim in the ice-cold and incredibly beautiful Lake Fuschl in Austria, where the Rosewood Hotel group has recently opened their picturesque Schloss Fuschl hotel. Some of us didn’t last longer than 10 seconds in the freezing water, but British fashion designer BELLA FREUD clocked several minutes submerged! ■ And then, over a cup of tea, our conversation turned to FREUD’s recently launched podcast series, Fashion Neurosis. Do listen! ■ Her debut episode, an hour-long analytic session with RICK OWENS on the sofa (BELLA isn’t SIGMUND FREUD’s great-granddaughter for nothing) is just mesmerising. RICK describes his personal style as a protest against airport chic. When he’s getting dressed he puts an emphasis on shoes, trousers, hair, and “the rest then falls into place” and somewhere calls himself “a silly old queen.” When fancying people he thinks an ostentatious logo bag “kills the attraction,” whereas if people wear butt-ugly clothes “I’m intrigued; they clearly have other priorities, and that’s hot.” I mean, the entire chat between FREUD and OWENS is so quotable, I could go on. ■ BELLA sometimes namechecks “my father, LUCIEN” while RICK loves listening to SHIRLEY HORN and speaks of “the glamour and sophistication of sobriety” – he gave up drinking (RICK did not give up smoking, according to his contribution in the new issue of Fantastic Man). This podcast is a true recommendation, readers. 

There always seems to be intriguing PRADA news – the company designed the new space suits that looks not unlike the label’s great Linea Rossa sportswear line. Now we really want to go to the moon! ■ Also, open since yesterday in PRADA’s Aoyama building in Tokyo is a new show called ‘It Waives Back’ by American artists RYAN TRECARTIN and LIZZIE FITCH. “The world was changing, and we were noticing it,” said FITCH in Fantastic Man, four years ago, of their films that are bizarre and so to the point at the same time. We interviewed them back in rural Ohio, where they’d bought a farm, and where the films, installations and sculptures for this first Japanese solo exhibition were made. Go if you’re in Tokyo! ■ And so there’s also PRADA’s eye-catching Buckle Bag, above, which I’ve noticed a lot of people are carrying around with the buckle undone and the belt flapping about – just a detail. The photo is by BLOMMERS/SCHUMM.

At our HQ we’re literally awaiting the delivery of the new splashy issue of BUTT, number 35. In it, a fantastic interview with legendary author GARY INDIANA, who, we just heard, passed away earlier this week. If GARY somehow hears or reads this, thank you for taking time to talk to us, and rest in peace.

I swung by the pop-up store of KASSL, the Dutch label who makes such fetching rubber raincoats (and lots more). They’re now teaming up with TRETORN, a Swedish specialist in the kind of practical shoes you snap up at the DIY shop. ■ Interestingly, even before the pop-up officially opened, everything was pretty much sold out – there’s only few sizes left of the BART model, above, named after KASSL’s founder and spirited leader, BART RAMAKERS. ■ With fashion’s luxury league currently in a bit of a crisis, thumbs up for the type of brand that KASSL is: neither cheap nor unaffordable. “We catch customers on their way up,” BART said of people wanting to spend a bit more on what they wear, “and customers on their way down,” as in, people who don’t always want to spend a monthly income on a bag, or a pair of shoes.

Thank you again for reading and subscribing to this newsletter on all things Fantastic Man-y, the editing and programming of which is done by NATHANIEL FELDMANN, while our Instagram is magically managed by LEENDERT SONNEVELT. ■ We’re also pleased to have a brand new team member: stylist GERRY O’KANE is joining Fantastic Man as Fashion Editor. His sunny signature will definitely be all over our next issue, for Spring Summer 2025, which is our 40th issue, so that’ll be extra special!