Explicit publication FORSERVICE pushes the boundaries of fashion imagery
As countries around the world locked down in a bid to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the TL took a decidedly horny turn. Confined to their homes and deprived of human interaction, people everywhere logged on to dating apps in their droves or looked up old flames (advisably or otherwise) in a bid to satiate their carnal desires – albeit in a largely virtual way for those sticking to the rules.
Exploring sexuality and sexual pleasure in these weirdest of times was fashion creative Jared Behl, who used his time in lockdown to put together FORSERVICE – a wholly NSFW fashion zine focusing its lens on the male form and sexual pleasure in confinement. Take a flick through its pages (digitally or otherwise), and you’ll find couples embracing and appearing to engage in steamy sexual acts, as part of arty black-and-white and abstract layouts shot remotely via FaceTime and Zoom.
“It’s my ode to the male form and sexual pleasure, away from my day-to-day work which revolves around commercial or editorial fashion,” explains Behl of the project. “I love what I do, but neither allow me to express myself and channel my influences, which plays largely into gay sex and fetishism. I wanted to create a publication that encompassed these ideas, without boundaries or the commercial restraints of a client, so I was just like ‘fuck it, I’ll do it myself.’”
With models given free reign to sexually express themselves, the photographs are unsurprisingly explicit, but also, at points, tender and intimate. Behl puts this down to the relationships he built which each of those featured. “By the nature of the work, it was really important for us to have a rapport and make them feel comfortable on camera,” he says, explaining that, ahead of shooting the zine, those involved chatted over FaceTime or iMessage.
When it comes to the fashion… well, there’s not a lot of it tbh, but what was selected holds great significance. “For example, some imagery includes jewellery by Alan Crocetti, who’s one of my favourite jewellery designers of all time and notorious for challenging the industry with his homoerotic imagery,” says Behl, whose favourite featured piece is ‘a jewel-encrusted chastity belt’.
In the end, the zine is less about fashion in its traditional sense, and more about pushing the boundaries of what fashion imagery can be. “Someone can look at a nude painting, admire the image, and call it art, but the minute I photograph a nude image and say it’s fashion that same person can deny me of that,” he adds. “Sex and fashion together isn’t about selling clothes, but creating that artistic experience of it. So what’s the difference between a stylised fashion photograph and a nude painting?”
Take a look at images from FORSERVICE in the gallery above and get your own physical copy here.
