Who we are
Der Feine Herr was founded in 2020 by Bernhard Roetzel, Martin Smolka and Tommi Aittala.
Bernhard Roetzel is a writer and journalist focused on classical menswear. His book Gentleman: A Timeless Guide to Classic Men’s Fashion has appeared in 17 languages and is regarded as a definitive reference. For more than twenty years he has written about bespoke tailoring, bespoke shoemaking, and men’s craftsmanship, given lectures, and worked with brands and educational institutions. He is a regular contributor to Permanent Style, one of the most important international online magazines for classical menswear.
Tommi Aittala is the magazine’s photographer. He documents the workshops, ateliers and outfits that appear here, and oversees the magazine’s digital side.
Martin Smolka is a co-founder of the magazine.
What we do
»The content of most blogs is redundant« — an assertion I made a while ago in an interview. Most of what is offered on the internet is hardly new. So why run an online magazine? Certainly not to supply more redundant content. Der Feine Herr is about getting directly in touch with my readers. I grew up with rotary phones, vinyl records and the Walkman. I am not a native of the digital world. But I use the means of the digital age to tell my story about products made using techniques of the record player era and before.
The online magazine is about educating, giving insight and telling the story of people who are devoted to classical menswear. Tailors, shirt-makers, shoemakers. Tie makers, makers of leather-goods, hatters. Manufacturers and retailers.
I do not copy and paste press releases into my stories or give room for surreptitious advertising. Journalistic ethics mean a great deal to me, no matter where I publish: in print or on a digital platform.
Visual content has a great importance for an online magazine. Despite the saying, photographs do not always say more than 1000 words. The subject of fashion deals to a great extent with the visible. For us, photographs are more than complementary, they are essential.
What it has become
Since the first article in February 2020, more than two hundred pieces have appeared on Der Feine Herr. Workshop visits, interviews and field reviews from Germany, Austria, Italy, Britain, France, Czechia and other European countries. A selection is also available in English.
Over the years a curated address book has grown out of the magazine: more than ninety workshops and manufactories at over a hundred and twenty addresses, each linked to the article in which the maker was profiled. The address book is updated and corrected continually.
Many of the tailors, shoemakers and shirtmakers we have written about have, through the magazine, become long-term companions of this work. Others we have only visited once. Both have their place.
Contact
General enquiries, including advertising and brand partnerships, reach us at info@feineherr.de. Bernhard Roetzel can be reached directly at info@bernhardroetzel.de.
On Instagram, Bernhard is at @bernhardroetzel.
