Ian Cole Brings Client Mag to the U.S.

Client Magazine, the self-described "unconventional" British menswear magazine, is celebrating its 3rd year in publication, and in advance of their 10th flagship issue, the magazine, which was founded by photographer/editor Ian Cole (who we featured not too long ago), has launched Client Style Guide USA. Originally reserved for the UK audience, Client mag's Style Guide is debuting in the U.S. with three seriously strong covers, featuring Paul Boche (shot by Alexandra Leese), Travis Smith (shot by Ian Cole, himself) and Client favorite Sebastian Sauve (shot by Aitor Santome). This issue is set to be released on December 9th in print and digital versions. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy here, and in case that's not enough, Client is working with ISSUU.com to release a special digital version, featuring not only editorials  of some of our favorite models, but it also features the most notable designers and e-commerce sites in the US. We caught up with some of the individuals involved with the project, who talked about Cole, Client and more ...

Of the project, London-based photographer Alexandra Leese said, "Client is amazing" and has been "one of [her] favorite magazines to shoot for so far." The twenty-five year old's impressive resume includes shoots for Hero, i-D, Hunger, Harper's Bazaar Hong Kong, Elle China, Wonderland, Vision, and that Fault Magazine cover of Michael Shannon. Leese told us that when Cole asked her to shoot model Paul Boche in New York, she was flattered. He was an absolutely lovely subject: "So easy, very natural and comfortable. Just easy going." As for Cole, she had similarly kind words, saying: "Ian has always been supportive of my work and given me complete trust and creative freedom."

Photographer Aitor Santomé, who is also based in London, echoes similar sentiments for Ian Cole, saying: "I really love all the work Ian is doing with Client and all the magazines he manages. It’s pretty cool to have the possibility to work with him and of course, I guess we have something nice to show through our shoots. I think we have a same feeling and I’m happy to keep working with him." As for how he got involved in shooting one of Style Guide USA's inaugural covers (the one with Client Mag favorite, Sebastian Sauve, which was shot about a month ago in London), it actually happened quite organically. Santomé says: "I worked for Client once and just published two stories for CCMag so I said: 'Hey Ian, I have the possibility to shoot Seb' and he told me, 'Of course, I’m working in this new project for Client Guide Style in USA.' And that is how the shoot came about! I'm so excited as it’s my first cover!"

We also caught up with cover model Travis Smith, who shared quite a bit of love for Cole and the magazine: "Ian is an cool guy! He works really hard and the outcome is Client Magazine. Most people would give up or hire someone else to do all the tough work he does. But he's motivated and Client Magazine is climbing its way too the top!"