Popeye, English Style Sample 2026
235 x 298 mm, 132 pages
Tokyo, Japan (English-language)
Published monthly
First published 1976
Editor-in-chief: Yuji Machida
Art director: Taro Kambe
Design: Nari Kang & Nina Kitayama
‘Magazine for City Boys’
The Japanese favourite presents ‘The Best Style Sample’—an English-language special edition anthology documenting over half a decade of global street style. Rather than focusing on trends, the hundreds of individuals featured across the issue’s populated pages offer a timeless study of personal style, illustrating how individuality transcends seasons.
Hinged around a 64-page snapshot of City Boy and Girl style from around the world, spanning 18 countries and countless subcultures—from Austrian ‘skifluencers’ to Tokyo’s vintage savants—you’ll also find bite-sized interviews with the likes of Popeye’s favourite laidback musicians King Krule, Sampha, and Blood Orange, reflecting on their biggest style inspirations, as well as longer visits to the Canadian mountain town of Squamish, and two of Portland’s most cherished neighbourhood spots.
According to the editors:
‘Popeye magazine is the “Magazine for City Boys”. The founders printed this on the cover of the magazine when it debuted in 1976. What’s a “city boy”? The term doesn’t appear in the dictionary and no expert panel could define it. So we felt we should explore every aspect of what this “city boy” might be. After decades of debate, it still makes for a topic of lively discussion. It can be a style or a way of thinking. To get an idea of what makes a city boy, read Popeye magazine.’