Before Amazon and shopping online, mail order catalogs dominated the long distanced retail landscape. Buyers browsed pages for merchandise before purchasing. Specialty catalogs rose from the advent of targeting certain customers. International Male was one such catalog. The menswear label from INTERNATIONAL MALE launched in 1976 from a beach shack in San Diego. Founder Gene Buckard’s homoerotic masculinity vision of fashion became an instant success. An aspirational fantasy of gorgeous men with a six packs covered the pages.
Writer Peter Jones and directors Byran Darling and Jesse Reed document the story of the rise and fall of a once trend setting catalog. ALL MAN-THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY is fun to watch for the nostalgic feeling of getting a fun piece of mail.
ALL MAN-THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY was screened at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. From Giant Pictures. Running time is 83 mins. Available on digital platforms June 6th.