The Gentlewoman (magazine)


The Gentlewoman is a biannual magazine focused on arts and culture published by Dutch duo Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom. It was launched in 2010 as the sister publication to Fantastic Man. The inaugural issue featured designer Phoebe Philo on the cover. The magazine is based in London.
The current editor-in-chief of the magazine is Penny Martin who has held that position since the magazine's inception in 2010.
The magazine has a circulation rate of just under 100,000 readers worldwide.

History

The Gentlewoman was launched as a foil to weekly celebrity focused tabloids, deciding instead to focus on in-depth profiles of highly successful women including not just singers and actresses, but designers, writers and directors who would not typically be considered cover stars. Founders Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom initially approached curator Penny Martin whom they were familiar with through her work on SHOWstudio.com. Though she initially declined the position, Martin reconsidered after an unsuccessful return to academia.
According to Martin male colleagues of hers were initial critical of the magazine telling her "'‘Oh God Penny, those women that you interview, all they want to do is talk about work!'"

The Gentlewoman Club

Editor-in-chief Martin is also in charge of The Gentlewoman Club, a series of symposiums and events which are open to readers and subscribers of the magazine. Martin, who worked as a curator prior to joining The Gentlewoman, said that it was natural to "try and turn our magazine content into social opportunities."