Celebrity Life

The Manity, or the quality of manliness, is all about men’s style; daily inspirational photos of ready-to-wear fashion and style advice for those that want to upgrade their wardrobe. But how exactly do you translate that into an Instagram following? We asked the ultimate men’s style and fashion platform The Manity to find out how he does it and how you too, can gain 1.7 million followers.

Handle: @themanity

Following: 1.7 million

Top post: 30k likes

Camera: Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Website: themanity.com

Favourite Hashtag: #ootdmen

Who is The Manity?

It’s me, Martin. But in another form. I’ve always loved clothes and would become obsessed with an ugly or unique sweater which, when put together with a certain pair of pants, would look amazing. I felt that I needed to express this obsession in some shape or form. So, I started a blog…but quickly realised that I hate writing. At the same time, Instagram had rapidly become popular.

When I was looking for an Instagram name, I went back to my childhood. I had a huge crush on David Beckham as a kid. I would repeatedly Google search his latest outfits and interviews, and then one day in an interview about his life in Madrid -- I found the name. The reporter said something ironic about David’s cars and he replied with “Manity, right?”. It was there and then that I realised that this would be the word to guide my life.

How would you describe your style?

Pretty wide-ranging but consistent. Easy, accessible pieces for any wallet [size]. If you are inspired by an outfit, then why not use the clothes that you already have at home.

 

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The Alicante Crepe Chelsea Boots @orolosangeles The Sand Denim @orolosangeles www.orolosangeles.com

A post shared by The Manity (@themanity) on Jan 13, 2019 at 9:45am PST

What does a typical day in your week look like?

I never really sleep much. I wake up at 6:30am, rush outside with my two puppies for a walk. Then I take my morning moment with a cup of freshly roasted coffee. I hit the gym, have a cold shower and get into my daily grooming routine.

Around 9:30am, I walk down to my office for a 3-hour work session which includes daily tasks such as replying emails and social media comments, selling ads, curating content and texting other influencers.

At 12:30pm, it’s my lunch break. I like to go to the best ramen place just outside [the office] so that’s usually my lunch from Mon-Fri. Then I go back to work and continue with regular office tasks or I’ll work on something more creative -- things that will keep my future projects moving forward. I also like to keep my office clean, but creative and fun. So I often light a scented candle and put on a good Spotify playlist.

In the evening I like to play tennis, or I’ll paint, or take a long walk with my dogs. Before going to bed (which is around midnight) I have a strict routine of posting the last photo of the day, reading a book and writing down my ‘to do’ list for the next day. I’ll then set an alarm for the next day, start a podcast and sleep.

What’s your secret to your success? How does one grow an audience of 1.7 million?

Sadly, the most important thing is to be addicted and consistent. You need to be active everyday. You need to engage hourly. But I think the biggest reason why I had 500k followers after 18 months is the timing. I found something that was unique at that time. But loving and feeling passionate for what you are doing is the only thing that matters. If you have passion for something that people can engage with you over, you will find success one day.

There’s no rush. Sit down and figure out the thing that you could potentially be the best in the world at. Observe what’s going on right now, and then execute.

It is all about your ‘info-tainment’ value. Either you are entertaining people or you are giving them knowledge. They will be the remaining ones in the future.

Name three Instagram accounts that you love and explain why? 

@johanneshuebl — The man of all men. You will be inspired to be the best version of yourself through him.

@milanvukmirovic — This is someone I have been following from day one. I just love the aesthetics of his account, the way he dresses and the work he is doing.

@streetandgentle — Philipp from Germany is a modern day influencer with everything from detailed photos of accessories to  outfits. He is posting everyday, so make sure to follow if you want a daily dose.

Give our readers some Instagram advice to grow their following!

Take full advantage of the app, analyse your statistics and work from there. Do you see that you are having a big following in the US? Then figure out what time is best to post to engage with as many people as possible in that country.

Be consistent and give your audience the content that they follow you for. Take your most-liked post and do something similar over and over again. Interact with others. [Give] shout outs to each other. Like for like, comment for comment.

 

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Would you wear this?

A post shared by The Manity (@themanity) on Mar 29, 2019 at 10:50pm PDT

Can you tell us about the biggest challenge you’ve come across. What did you learn from it and what keeps you going?

There are always big changes in the algorithms. You need to focus on analysing more than before. If you go to YouTube and search for ‘Instagram algorithms’ you will get plenty of videos describing this. I haven’t really figured it out yet, so I’m currently struggling to get the engagement back. That is my biggest challenge.

I think it’s my patience that keeps me going though. I trust myself and know that this is my journey. I just need to figure out what to do and trust my gut. I would say that being flexible and open to changes is also something very important because social media is changing every single day.

What has changed since you’ve gained influencer status? 

Freedom. I have too much time to think and be creative. So it’s positive and negative. You can get stuck in a fake reality when you are staring at your phone all day. Apart from that, I think everything is more or less the same.

What are some of your key wardrobe staples?

My made-to-measure Loro Piana black suit. It’s perfect for any event or fine-dining evening. I have many white t-shirts, too, which I can wear at any given moment. You need to make sure that you leave some space around the neck area and wear mid to short sleeves. Match it with a pair of selvedge jeans and some bracelets. Done.

What is your favourite post and tell us what’s so special about it?

That has to be my collaboration with H&M on their David Beckham collection, for sure. A very proud moment. It was a minute long video of David showing off his selected essentials. I would do it again for free at any given moment.

Apart from that one, I love denim shirts and navy so this is one of my favourite outfits:

 

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via @tufanir

A post shared by The Manity (@themanity) on Sep 19, 2018 at 3:02am PDT

If you weren’t busy with The Manity, what else would you be doing?

I would 100% be painting. I love drawing, painting and creating things. Apart from that I would love to have my own fashion line.

What are your goals for The Manity?

My goal is to either transform it to a web shop with all the clothes that I’m featuring or create an online magazine. I could even combine both, like MR PORTER, but let’s see.

Now that you have all the know-how to become Instagram's next big style influencer, here's how you can get the wardrobe to go with it. Simply follow the steps below and you could be one of two lucky winners to receive shopping credit, valued at £500, to spend at men's luxury style destination MR PORTER. Terms & conditions apply (see below).

1. Follow us on Instagram @PrestigeHK
2. Fill in the form below:

By entering this Prestige Online giveaway, you will be bound by these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you satisfy all eligibility requirements:

- This contest is open to all entrants over the age of 18 [eighteen].

- Entrants must follow our Instagram page and respond to the question for their entry to be valid.

- Email entries will be added to the Prestige Hong Kong database.

- Entries will be accepted until 10am on Tuesday, 14 May 2019.

- Winners will be notified by email before 6pm on Wednesday, 15 May 2019.

- Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash, credit and are non-transferrable to third parties.

- Prestige reserves the right to cancel, re-draw or otherwise modify this giveaway at any time with immediate effect and without giving prior notice.

- Photos are for reference only.

The post How to Gain 1.7 Million Followers, According to Men’s Style Influencer The Manity appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.