
The landscape for high-end men’s clothing has changed a lot in the last hundred years. It’s slowly shifted from large, luxury department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, to smaller and more specialized boutiques, such as Self Edge and Leffot. Granted, any individual boutique will have smaller sales numbers than a larger operation, but few style enthusiasts I know shop at luxury chains anymore – even those as small as Barney’s. Everyone seems to prefer things that feel a bit more intimate, specialized, and niche.
One specialty store I’ve been particularly impressed with is Skoaktiebolaget. A small, Scandinavian operation that focuses on footwear, it started only a few years ago in 2012. Still, in just three years, it’s managed to build an impressive roster of brands – Edward Green, Gaziano & Girling, Carmina, and Enzo Bonafè. No small feat, especially when you consider that Edward Green has been operating at full capacity for some time and is very selective about who they let carry their label.
Patrik Löf, the shop’s owner, tells me that he picks brands based on what he loves, as well as what each brings to the table. Carmina offers the best bang-for-the-buck in the premium segment, while Edward Green has some of the most iconic styles around. Enzo Bonafè also gives uniquely good value given their craftsmanship and flexible made-to-order program (which Patrik says gives “almost endless possibilities”). “They’re a small family-owned company in Bologna,” he says. “They specialize in hand welted shoes, which the Italians sometimes mischaracterize as hand welted Goodyear.” As readers know, short of going bespoke, it’s hard to find hand welted shoes these days – especially for less than $1,000. Most high-end shoes are constructed by machine – either with Goodyear welting or Blake stitching – even if they market themselves as “benchmade” or “handgrade.”
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