Takahiro Kinoshita

Fashion and lifestyle magazine POPEYE holds sway as one of the foremost men’s monthlies in Japan, commanding a circulation of 100,000. It wasn’t always this way though, but the appointment of Takahiro Kinoshita -- formerly the fashion editor of BRUTUS -- to the publication’s top position in 2012 injected new energy into what had been perceived as a flagging imprint amid paltry sales of 40,000. Having single-handedly created the aspirational ‘City Boy’ lifestyle that adeptly combined high fashion with the best of streetwear and a tasteful lifestyle, Kinoshita -- who grew up immersed in the magazine’s preppy Ivy League aesthetic -- has revitalized POPEYE with a youthful lean despite the magazine preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. A major milestone by any measure and an impressive feat on the part of Mr. Kinoshita, and for that we have saved him a spot in this year’s Hundred.