Editor in Chief Cecilie Harris
Editor Tessa Swantek
Publishing Director Nicky Gray
Fashion and Art Director Nathan Henry
Fashion Editor Rachel Allison
Art Editor Carla Vegas
Feel the paper’s edge, each page like a single leaf in an auburn pile, carved with time’s red veins. Each leaf is detailed and deliberate, meant to be turned slowly in your fingertips. From ideation to creation, this issue transformed from green to red in our palms, infused with the warmth of our creatives. Now, as the leaves fall slowly from our hands into yours, we hope this issue is one for you to run and jump into.
Each morning, most of us see the screen light before the sunlight. Our passcodes open a door to our own second world—a space infused with new communities and technology. Some give AI a level of trust that we don’t even lend as freely to those around us—finding answers in seconds and becoming a part of daily life. Slowly and quietly, we have entered an era where reality or fact often feels like a plucked plant, blown far from its roots and soil. Are we losing our ability to think for ourselves? Where in this noise does our real voice live?
As the world around us becomes more synthetic, these pages remain analogue. In many ways, this issue is simply an emphasis on our roots. Boys by Girls has always been human-centred, whether it’s in the way we portray masculinity through a feminine lens, or in our slow, emotion-driven process. This issue asks, “What do we need to preserve?” Our answer: “A careful human touch.”
When Cecilie created the magazine nearly fifteen years ago, social media felt like a place of refuge—a space where personal and unpolished content grew. Spontaneous thoughts were posted like handwritten notes. Images on Tumblr existed like scrapbooks we shared with friends and strangers, finding their way to passionate souls and lovers of visual and honest stories. When Tessa joined the magazine, twelve years later, the landscape had changed rapidly. Social media became a space of heavy curation and performance. In a time of increased connectivity, many of us feel more disconnected than ever. This tension, between the unfiltered past and the hyper-curated present, sits quietly underneath each story in this edition. We seek to capture what feels real, what is real. And as we shot each story in this issue, looking out at the twisting branches above a tangle of wild flowers, or the pouring rain, we were reminded that what is real is imperfect.
There is a silent rebellion in a face that contorts in laughter, baring a crooked row of teeth, the streak of red light leaking on a film strip, eyes that don’t see the lens watching. We have never been a concept-first publication, as each story must be developed authentically rather than fitting talent into a box of our own creation. We began this issue with the broad lens of “humanity” and sought to discover what that meant to each person gracing our pages. For some, it means survival, yet still approaching life with softness. For others, it means resisting the identities others try to create for us, and learning to accept a whole existence, flawed and all. In our in-depth features, we hold our contradictions and our unpredictability, which makes us distinctly human.
Feeling is not an algorithm. This issue is made by humans, for humans. And as you keep this issue for years to come, as the paper dents and yellows over time and the ink fades, we hope you find that the stories always change colour over time. We hope you see yourself in these words, and that they gently remind you to give yourself more grace and allow yourself to be imperfect.
This is: “To Be Human.” May these leaves guide you back to the centre of yourself.
Our brand new Autumn Winter '25 issue, To Be Human, is out now. Covered by Corey Fogelmanis and Only The Poets. Featuring Jordan Gonzalez, Huddy, Victor Alli, Jay Lycurgo, Sae Maeda, and Harris Bell.
ORDER ONLINE Visit our shop to order your copy.
