Interview with Erik Mannby - The magazine editor-in-chief and second hand king

Erik Mannby has many strings to his bow. In addition to being editor-in-chief of the Plaza Uomo magazine and co-owner of the men's tailor Götrich, he also runs the successful vintage and second hand shop Pete & Harry. After many years in the business, he certainly has a wealth of knowledge about men's style.

He often stands out on the streets of Stockholm, Erik Mannby, as he has a soft spot for colours and patterns.
- Everything is based on the classic cut, but I like to play around sometimes. Can be a bit dandy, go for a bit more daring combinations, I'm quite fearless. As Sweden and Stockholm are generally very subdued, I stand out a bit, says Erik Mannby.
Where we meet him, however, at this summer's Pitti Uomo fair in Florence, he's more of a one-off, even if he is a popular prey for street style photographers.

Right now, Pete & Harry is taking up most of Erik's working time. The online shop selling a curated range of vintage and second hand clothes, shoes and accessories, which Erik Mannby runs together with another Swedish style profile, Fredrik af Klercker.
- Pete & Harry is growing all the time, which is great fun. We focus a lot on larger drops where we gather a solid range within a category, it's been a recipe for success.

You sell a lot of welted shoes too?
- Absolutely! Good quality shoes can often be sold second hand, as long as they're not too used. And people know that.

What kind of shoes do you wear yourself?
- I love welted boots, all kinds of models. Everything from chelseas and balmorals to chunkier boots. Then in the summer months it's a lot of loafers and fabric sneakers.


Erik Mannby, with a gorgeous pair of balmoral boots on his feet. Photo: Saint Gregory

How important do you think shoes are?
- Shoes are the anchor of an outfit. And if you've spent €1,000 or upwards on your outfit, you can't have some cemented crap on your feet to go with it, that ruins everything.

How would you say the evolution of the footwear side of classic menswear has been in recent years?
- Awareness of footwear has become much greater, and more widely spread than before. Goodyear welted shoes and on up to handmade shoes were not in people's minds then. Now it's not just in clothing geek circles that people are aware of it. There is a greater awareness of quality and sustainability, one hopes that environmental consciousness plays a part here.


Quick facts about Erik Mannby:
Age?
- 44
Place of residence?
- Stockholm.
Family?
- Wife and two dogs.
Can you tell us something special about you that very few people know about?
- I still do a lot of skateboarding, something I've never stopped doing since I was a teenager.


Peter Zottolo, editor of the American Plaza Uomo, and Erik Mannby.