Feature – Art of the Jersey

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Question & Answer with the author of the book, the Art of the (cycling) Jersey, Andy Storey of Prendas


Feature – Art of the Jersey

Everyone will have a favourite jersey, or at least should do LoL, and having been involved in cycling since 1973, I have many favourites.

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Over that time since I started cycling, jerseys have also changed a great deal from wool (if you could afford one!) to the multi fabric designs of today. An essential book for anyone with a passion for cycling and the history of it is the Art of the Jersey by Andy Storey where, I am pleased to say, the story of my favourites jerseys are in the book!

To Buy: go to one of these retailers:

— Prendas (Sold Out)

To find out how the book came about and find out more about cycling jerseys, VeloUK quizzed the author.

VeloUK: Where did the idea for the book come from and when?
Andy: The idea for the book came from Joe Cottingham of Joe Cottington (Commissioning Editor) Octopus Publishing Group. After reading my personal blog site ) he kindly contacted me via Twitter and it all got started from there!

I first started the blog as a way of using some of the new knowledge that I have learnt whilst studying at the Open University. I never did get to finish my degree early in my career – I was too busy racing bikes with Barney (a paracycling tandem pilot champion) and generally enjoying life! So by studying for over four years part time in the evenings and weekends, I hope to do so now!

VeloUK: How long did it take to go from idea to work starting on it?
Andy: Joe contacted me in May 2015, after which I started planning the book, and even buying a few additional jerseys to add to my collection to plug some gaps. I started writing the book in October 2015 during a rare three month break in my Open Uni studies. All the copy and photos were finalised by the end of November. From what I hear from others, those are pretty tight deadlines in the book publishing world!

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One of my favourites mainly because of who the jersey was worn by – the great icon that is Eddy Merckx

VeloUK: When did the fascination with jerseys begin?
Andy: My own personal style – if you can call it that – stems from starting cycling in the late 1980’s when it was cool to look as “euro” as possible, which included trying assemble some tasteful pro team kit for your training rides when not racing in club kit. It sounds an odd thing to say now when so much kit is so widely available, but back then getting hold of a pair of matching track mitts was considered something of an achievement!

VeloUK: What is your favourite all time pro team jersey?
Andy: Since publishing the book, I’ve been asked this a few times, along with “What is your favourite top 10?”. If I’m pushed, I’d say the Brooklyn Chewing Gum jersey is my all-time favourite. What I really like is variety – there’s nothing better than having a number of colourful jerseys to choose from – can take longer than the ride itself!

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One of the authors favourites and mine too – got the jersey and the sweater times two! Great days in cycling.

VeloUK: Over the years selling and creating clothing, what are the things that have surprised you most about the creation of clothing that us outsiders don’t realise?
Andy: This thing that continues to surprise me is the cost of some clothing. As mentioned previously, I’m old school in many ways but when creating something to re-sale, value for money is always at the top of the list for any garment that Prendas sell. It’s really important to us. Our agile approach along with our lean supply chain allows us to compete with some much bigger companies!

VeloUK:. What is the favourite jersey with the fans based on sales at Prendas
Andy: The checkerboard Peugeot is the jersey that is our longest serving member of the “Prendas Retro Peloton”. We’ve sold a plain version, as well as Peugeot-BP and now Peugeot-Shell. We did try for the Peugeot-Esso but we couldn’t secure permission from Exxon Mobil.

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VeloUK. What innovations in jerseys do you think we’ll see coming?
Andy: I cycle every day to work and I have a glorious ride home ahead of me, with bright sunshine, blue sky and 15C. But in the middle of January when it’s p***ing it down, is cold and you need numerous lights on your bike, clothing that keeps you dry without over-heating/sweating is what everybody wants. Clothing like this Santini Reef jersey  that uses improved non-wetting fabrics as opposed to hard shells is the way forward.

VeloUK: Finally, what is the one part of the book that is your favourite that came out of the blue during the process of creating it.
Andy: My favourite part of the book was actually the process of creating it. Until you’ve gone through the process yourself, you’ve no idea some of the many tasks that need to take place to go from a rather jumbled manuscript to the first copy arriving on your doorstep. It still brings a huge smile to my face if I ever see the book in a book shop, featured in a magazine or in an online review.

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My favourite part of the book having had a connection to the brand as a junior back in Australia

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