Gustaf Secher, Founder of North-89 / Modern Functional Footwear

In this episode of the Menswear Style Podcast, host Peter Brooker speaks to Gustaf Secher, founder of North-89, the Stockholm-based footwear brand combining Scandinavian design with technical performance. Founded in 2016, North-89 was created from Gustaf's lifelong interest in sneakers and his desire to bridge the gap between style and function. Rather than designing footwear purely around appearance, the brand set out to create clean, versatile sneakers that can perform in real-world conditions while still looking appropriate with everything from office wear to weekend clothing. Gustaf explains how his background in marketing, strategy, branding and eCommerce, including roles with Swedish brands J.Lindeberg and Peak Performance, helped prepare him for starting his own footwear business. He shares the story of launching North-89 with a deliberately focused first collection consisting of just one sneaker style in three colourways. With around €20,000 of initial capital, Gustaf worked with a Portuguese agent to find the right factory and took the business from concept to launch in just a few months. The conversation explores why North-89's minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic is only one part of the proposition. The real focus is on technical materials and solving an everyday problem: how to wear stylish sneakers throughout the year without having to switch footwear whenever the weather changes. Gustaf explains how North-89 develops sneakers for different seasons, includ