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Mark Kennedy
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| 11/2/2007 10:52:00 AM |
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Ex-merchandiser releases 'menswear
bible'
Author passing on his knowledge of
the industry
We all know what Bermuda shorts are, but
if you had to, could you give them a technical, Webster's
Dictionary-like definition?
If not, but you'd like to
hear one, try this: "Bermuda Shorts - A particular type of
short trousers. They are popular in Bermuda and, unusually in
business, are acceptable (even encouraged) for work and other
occasions where full length trousers would normally be deemed
appropriate."
That's one of the roughly 2,700
definitions found in a book on menswear written by veteran
merchandiser Richard Woolnough.
His new 400-page, 'The
A to Z Book of Menswear' is a compellation of terms and
definitions of all things menswear. As he puts it, "[the book]
covers everything from the clothing on the rack to the first
stitch in the fabric and before that - to the wool on the
sheep's back, or the gum in the silk worm's
mouth."
After cutting his teeth in the men's clothing
boutiques of London, Mr. Woolnough came to Bermuda in the late
1960s to work as a buyer for Trimingham's.
Having
nearly four decades of experience in men's clothing retail, he
came to realize that there was a whole slew of
industry-related jargon that someone should write down, and he
took upon himself to do so.
"One of the things I
discovered over the huge amount of time in the industry is
that you pick up and store [different terms] in your
brain."
With his new book, he said, "you can pass it on
to newer people in the industry."
Mr. Woolnough
originally wanted to pass on this information through an
autobiographical account of his life he planned to call 'The
Life and Times of a Menswear Buyer.'
"But after I got
to the end of the first page, I realized how boring it was,"
he said.
His book, which officially went up for sale on
Wednesday, is being sold on a print-to-order basis from the
retail site www.lulu.com for $24.95.
It also can be
translated into 10 different languages, he said.
And
though it's only been on the cyber-shelves for two days, a
U.K. magazine is already expressed interest in ordering a copy
of the book, Mr. Woolnough said.
His target audience
are those in the retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors
of the menswear business, as well as students of fashion and
retail, who could use a comprehensive book.
Now more
than ever, the book could become a reference tool for tailors and
men's clothing retailers as men become more
fashion-savvy.
"I think men in general are getting more
knowledgeable in what they wear, and they want the people
selling to them to be knowledgeable," Mr. Woolnough
said.
But he's the first to acknowledge that there are
so many more terms that could have been included in work, and
he's already added more definitions on his website,
www.atozbook.info.
And with this book's completion, Mr.
Woolnough said he's working on a second piece he intends to
call 'The A to Z Book of Retailing.'
That'll be for
general, across-the-board terms used in retail," he
said.
Like his first work, he expects to complete that
one in about two years.
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| Author and men’s clothing
industry guru Richard Woolnough. Photo by Mark
Kennedy | |
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