The inaugural issue of French quarterly magazine Twist is filled with beautiful, tasteful and interesting stuff. The magazine opens on a Sam Cooke quote — There ain’t nothing like twisting the night away – and delivers many well-researched and insightful articles, like ‘The Afro-Americam Question at Obama Hour’, an interview with Diesel boss Renzo Rosso, and a piece about sustainable architecture. There’s also a very informative story about MMA — or free fight — that popular melting pot of all the existing martial arts, still forbidden in France.

Of course, this fall 2008 issue contains a slew of fashion editorials, all reflecting the impending cold days — but the featured models more than offset the temperature drop. We selected two striking examples: Justin Cooper photographed British model David Gandy in ‘Mer du Nord’ (above), and Twist’s publishing director and art director Lionel Guyou made really beautiful portraits of French model Julien Quévenne in ‘Electrique’. Hit the gallery below for more.

An English translation of all the feature stories is available at the end of the magazine. As of now, the only way to get a subscription is to pick a copy and fill out a form, or call the editors in Paris: +33 1 48 57 61 69.

#2 will go on sale November 24.

Twist
Justin Cooper photography