It’s no question that the digital world has revolutionized the fashion industry; this week alone brands like Gucci launched their iPad magazine, Gucci Style and Vogue appointed Sally Singer as their Digital Creative Director. The ability to engage with their audiences on so many fronts is exciting yet also quite overwhelming in the challenge to keep the content fresh for an increasingly visually overloaded yet still voracious viewer. Companies that are not household names like Gucci/Vogue are also capitalizing on this hunger for information. More and more, just the one printed cover for a magazine or a solo image for a campaign, is a thing of the past. Behind the scenes videos and photos allow the audience to feel privy to what once was a secret world. We chatted briefly with photographer Chiun-Kai Shih who’s worked with GQ and Vogue, about his new male supermodel iPad only covers for Asian magazine, August Man Malaysia and about the changing nature of his fashion shoots.

MDC: So why the iPad only covers?

Chiun Kai Shih: The 3 covers are online cover exclusives, and it is for iPad only. Since August Man Malaysia is not around the world yet, many readers are able to read it only on their iPad, and we are offering for those readers more exclusive online covers for certain issues.

MDC: So that means that there’s still a print cover or two to come out! So, one word to describe Alex Lundqvist, Garrett Neff and Zhao Lei.

CKS: Alex – Intellectual. Garrett – Electrifying. Zhao – Inspirational.

MDC: You’ve been a Hipstamatic “ambassador” for 2 years now. So why do you take the behind the scene images? Do you shoot all your behind the scenes with Hipstamatic?

CKS: I’ve been an ambassador for Hipstamatic since they created the Chunky Lens back in 2010 (ed note: Chiun-Kai or “Chunky”‘s own Hipstamatic lens). I use Hipstamatic to supplement all my personal & professional shoots. Behind the scene images for me really started from just testing the effects with the Chunky lens. Then the magazines started to love the images and wanted to use the shots to document the whole process. It’s nice to show all the happiness and excitement we have on set with our readers. BHTS images started out like a private diary for myself, but now I’m glad that I can share these precious moments of my life with people that really enjoy iPhone photography.

Hero Magazine‘s new issue is out with an ode to “Volatile Opulence”, marking rising young face Matt Ardell‘s 3rd cover in a year. Shot by Christian Ferretti with styling by Gro Curtis, Matt wears the season’s strongest coats by 3.1 Phillip Lim, Belstaff, Emporio Armani, Prada, LV and more. The foreboding sky coupled with the ominous looking German Shepherd chicly complete the dark atmosphere. Interviews with Roberto Cavalli, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Lucas Ossendrijver, Stuart Vevers, contributions from Nicola Formichetti, Phillip Lim, Siki Im and a Dior Homme S/S 13 preview makes this new HERO a must buy for fall (click here to buy the issue, available online now and in stores Oct 22).

As the countdown to the hectic month of shows begins in New York, we bring Eli Schmidt‘s video from the men’s shows that started the whole S/S 13 madness. For more images, check out Schmidt-Show.

Paris Backstage SS13 Eli Schmidt from elischmidt on Vimeo.

GQ China pays homage to the legendary Michael Chow in a super chic story by Blair Getz Mezibov. Marcus Teo styles Tony Thornburg who perfectly channels the famous restaurateur/actor, who became famous in the 70′s and 80′s for his restaurants populated by the likes of David Bowie, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Mr Chow has a long time association with fashion, once married to Grace Coddington, then to 70′s fashion icon Tina Chow and currently to Eva Chun. To read more about this fascinating figure in pop culture, click here.

The always avant garde men’s style bible Man About Town is out with a new issue and the dreamy new story inside by Paolo Roversi doesn’t disappoint. Roversi, one of the remaining masters of romantic imagery combined with Katy England‘s terrific styling on unique new face Simon Sabbah make this editorial a serene treat for the eyes.

Last fall, Virgine Magazine’s inventive editorial with everyday objects as “clothing” caused quite a stir on the web. The whole team is back under a new moniker, The GROUND Magazine. We chatted with editor-in-chief Ryan Yoon on the relaunched and redesigned glossy.

MDC: Why the name change from Virgine to The GROUND?
Ryan Yoon: We had to change the name because of possible conflict with Virgin Enterprise

MDC: What was your vision in the magazine’s redesign?
RY: The GROUND Magazine is introducing a multiplicity of voices that parallel with the theme “Time” through “Connect,” “Charity” and “Cross Over & Innovation.”

MDC: One sentence that describes it.
RY: A new platform bringing creatives together.

MDC: Interesting interviews for this issue?
RY: Robert Polidori, Magnum Photos, Ralph Rucci, Lydia Hearst, Tommy Ton, Emma Summerton, Sebastian Kim, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld

MDC: Where can we find it?
RY: It will be available in New York, Paris, London, Milan, Seoul, Tokyo and soon available online at The GROUND and Milk MADE

The Ground, photo by Magnum photographer, Herbert List

Sky Ferreira by Chek Wu

Dorothea Barth Jorgensen by Nicholas Ong

Mila Krasnoiarova by Robert Hamada

Lydia Hearst by Ryan Yoon

Tabea Kobach by Seiji Fujimori

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld by Seiji Fujimori

We’re really enjoying Stevie Dance‘s new shopping site SHOP GHOST. Here’s the lovely Hannah Holman on Marc Jacobs, her favorite store in New York and her rings of choice at the moment.

Vogue and a slew of industry heavyweights like Tomas Meier, Jack Pierson, Doug Lloyd and Stewart Shining are looking for the next bright young photographer. The winner gets $10,000, a mentorship from Management Artists and a Red Epic-X camera. Get all the details here.

Here’s an insider’s view of the under-age factor for models by former Vogue bookings editor and model agent, Trudi Tapscott.

Here’s another reason models that aren’t emotionally ready for the rigors of the industry should not be allowed to work. The dangers of being a vulnerable young woman is highlighted in the Model Alliance’s article on the death of a model, seen from the perspective of her former roommate.

Read Ponyryder’s interview with current Vogue Italia cover girl Chrystal Copland.

Speaking of Vogue Italia, their sister site, Vogue Italia Curvy features Muse Models’ new plus size division.

“I saw beautiful young people who didn’t make it in that industry just because their look didn’t happen to be the look of the moment. I knew this wasn’t going to be a lasting, secure place to earn my income”

Who remembers Kathy Ireland, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model of the 80′s? Since then she’s quietly built a 2 BILLION dollar empire along with being a major philanthropist. A fascinating and inspirational read.

Much ado is made of the so called “end of printed magazines” but new ones continually come onto the scene determined to become the next buzzed about style bible. We spoke with Matteo Greco, fashion editor and now editor in chief and fashion director of a dandy new Italy based men’s mag named, “The Greatest“.

Simone Nobili by Giuseppe Gasparin. Stylist: Elisa Anastasino

MDC: How did you decide on the name of the magazine?
Matteo Greco: We decided on “The Greatest” because we wanted an epic name. When in September 2011 we started working on the magazine the team and I were always thinking about the name, that we wanted it to be very strong. One day while I was working on 300 problems to be solved and I was thinking about that “the really strong name”, out came … The Greatest. When I proposed it to the others, they all were happy and I’m very proud of it now.

Andrey Smidl by Stefano Viti, stylist: Matteo Greco

Theo Hall by Francesco Brigida, stylist: Enrico Maria Volonté

MDC: What do you hope will set it apart from other men’s publications?
Matteo: In my opinion we have nothing less and nothing more than other publications. We are just different. I believe our magazine’s strength stands in our team: all talents who work for The Greatest #1 are so young. I’m 25, the creative directors and the art director are less than 30, the fashion coordinator is 23 and our editor is 28. There’s not many magazines with a team so young. We tried to represent our kind of man, elegant and sophisticated. The magazine is different from others in that we don’t have fashion news or long and boring articles. The articles that are in there for this issue have the main theme as “Il Mediterraneo” (The Mediterranean”).

Diego Fragoso by Dario Salomone, stylist: Francesco Casarotto

MDC: We see that you interview 2 rising Italian designers and that many of the teams that worked on the stories are Italian? Will that be a focus or is that just for this issue?
Matteo: Fabio Quaranta and Christian Pellizzari are two rising stars. I really love them because they have a beautiful sartorialist cut and their work is always elegant, young and cool. And they are Italian. I love that the most. We wanted to explain that in our country you can find very talented young designers, photographers, stylists and other people really great in their work. We are young and we all work a lot, mostly without budget. So yes, I focused the magazine on the Italian culture.

Janis Ancens by Massimo Pamparana, stylist Matteo Greco

Harry Goodwins by Dario Salamone, stylist: Matteo Greco

MDC: Why Simone Nobili as a choice for the cover model?
Matteo: Simone is such a nice guy. I really like him. He has a beautiful face, and perfect body. He’s Italian and he looks like a 50’s or 60’s Italian actor or musician like Marcello Mastroianni or Luigi Tenco. He has something so classical and yet something so modern. He’s a rising star, he did Dolce & Gabbana and Givenchy S/S 12 campaigns and he’s working a lot. When Giuseppe Gasparin sent me the pictures of the shooting, I looked at the portrait and I immediately called Elisa Anastasino saying “Good job! You have the cover. I love this shoot”.

Simone Nobili by Giuseppe Gasparin, stylist: Elisa Anastasino

Check out The Greatest’ fashion film directed by Francesco Brigida and Michele Brandstetter de Bellesini starring Tomek Szczukiecki