Monthly Archives: November 2019

An interview with the creators of Phile Magazine: The International Journal of Desire and Curiosity

Revisiting our Fall 2018 feature on Phile Magazine. Check the website for the latest issue.

For this edition of FKIN (A)rt Friday, we are lucky enough ot have an interview with the creators of the fascinating sex/art/culture magazine, Phile.

They describe Phile as "a biannual journal exploring sexual subcultures, trends, and communities both obscure and well known from an overarching, sociological point of view."

Phile Issue No. 3 Fall 2018 features Ana Benaroya, Andrew Griffiths, Annie Sprinkle, Ashkan Sepahv and Carlos Saez, D. Alex Pitagora, Ebecho Muslimova, Elizabeth Olear, Elizabeth Stephens, Fan Wu, Gregory Blunt, Huw Lemmey, Ion Birch, João Gabriel, Joseph Kadow, Julian DuFour, Lexi Minoa, Lindsay Dye, Mark Blower, Molly Matalon, Peaches, Prem Sahib, Robert Anthony O’Halloran, Robert Yang, Samantha Sutcliffe, Sholem Krishtalka, Sophia Larigakis, Valeria Herklotz, and Zack Kotzer. That’s a lot of culture! 

The new issue of Phile is available to order online and shipping now to to cool art/book shops across North America and Europe. Go to www.philemagazine.com to order and view a full list of stockists (bottom of the homepage).

Now meet the creators of Phile. Images below are spreads from the new issue. ..

Some may consider Phile a fetish magazine, but you present its contents sans labels, as more of a buffet of interesting, unusual or just downright curious sexual practices for the pleasure and edification of your readers. Was this the original intention?

Yes, that was always our intent. Since the subject of sexuality is so expansive and our desires are unique to each one of us, we wanted our content and the flow of the magazine to reflect that range. Our content is by and for everyone. Presenting writing and artwork from an overarching perspective is a crucial part of our practice and identity.

Who are the people behind Phile and can you tell us a bit about the background of each? 

The creators and Co-EICs of Phile are Mike Feswick and Erin Reznick. Mike is a multidisciplinary artist currently living in New York. His work explores desire, erotica and sexuality. As mentioned, he ran Up & Coming magazine and has worked in the sex industry in various ways for the past decade. Mike is the art director of Phile. 

Erin is a producer and curator based between Toronto and Berlin. She has written for various magazines and has worked with an array of artists and musicians to create performances and cultural events around the world. Erin is the managing editor of Phile. 

We also work closely with our designers Julia Troubetskaia and Tom van Ryzewyk who are also based in Toronto. They work collaboratively with us on the visual identity of Phile and create everything with us including the promotional posters, merchandise and the layout of the publication.

Cock Rings. So Many Cock Rings.

Perfect Fit Brand CEO and Cock Ring Innovator Steve Callow is here to help with a little Cock Ring 101

The following post by Perfect Fit Brand CEO Steve Callow first appeared as an Op-Ed column in the June 2019 issue of adult novelty industry trade XBIZ Premiere. To give you a peek inside the sex toy biz, we thought we’d share an edited version here on the Perfect Fit Brand blog, Erotic Intent.

Most guys, be they cock ring virgins or sling-hopping enthusiasts, find shopping for cock rings, like shopping for almost anything these days, an overwhelming experience due to too much choice. There are hundreds of cock rings in myriad shapes, sizes, materials and textures to choose from. How does one choose? As a designer of cock rings, I’m here to give you a break down and explain the various types of cock rings and hopefully help you find one that’s a perfect fit for you.

Cock rings have come a long ways from the old days of the glorified rubber band and leather snap ring. As a designer, I break cock rings out into several categories, but first let’s go over the two different ways cock rings can be worn: around the base of the shaft above the scrotum or behind the scrotum.

Above: The Cruiser Ring by Perfect Fit Brand

Rings worn around just the shaft or penis, referred to “shaft rings” from this point on in this article, are generally a stretchy and meant to be worn around the penis shaft. There are also fitted shaft rings, purchased in a specific size, and thus, though sized, should also offer enough stretch to remove it should it become too tight once the penis is erect. (More on this below.) In my experience designing and selling cock rings, shaft rings seem to be most popular with men with very large or long penises, but not so much for the majority of guys shopping for cock rings.

Typically, most men wear the cock ring behind the scrotum. This allows for much more flexibility in sizing, security (stays in place), and for the rings to not interfere with sex. To clarify the latter, a shaft ring can be cumbersome because, due to the location of the scrotum–which is not behind the penis, but runs up the shaft under the penis–it can’t be worn at the base of the penis.

Above: The Xact-Fit 3 Ring Kit by Perfect Fit Brand. 3 fitted rings.

Most rings on the market today are sized to be the more traditional style worn behind the penis and scrotum (hereafter referred to as a “cock ring”) and can be broken down into four categories: Fitted rings, stretchy rings, torso fitted rings (one of my inventions), and adjustable restrictive rings. Those are the basic styles, but there are many variations, including combination cock ring/ball stretchers, and cock ring/butt plugs, etc., but for this post, let’s focus on the basic cock ring and the various design factors to consider when shopping for one.