Renovo native writes book on Woolrich, receives acclaim

RENOVO -- "American Flannel" is a captivating look of people that have worked tirelessly and dedicated their lives as underdogs to make a living at the daunting task of making quality clothing here in the U.S. -- despite the numerous disadvantages of competing in a market where just 2 percent of all clothing is American made.

An added twist to central Pennsylvania is that the author is Steven Kurutz, a 1994 Bucktail Area High School graduate and features reporter for the New York Times.

One of Kurutz's assignments at the Times was a Styles reporter that included apparel, a position that only made his love of the Woolrich label tenfold.

Black Friday trips from Brooklyn, N.Y., for Steven, his wife Cara and their sons, Gregory and Theo, became common/ The family traveled from New York to Woolrich each November to the staple store.

The history of Woolrich is heavily featured early in the book. Steven tells the irony that as a child he bounced tennis balls off a building while his mom was at work, he had no idea the deep running history of the Rich family and their once booming business.

The book also serves as a history lesson detailing the political and economic moves that led to nearly all the clothing that Americans wear being made overseas.

Kurutz's years of expertise lend easy reading in what otherwise would have taken hundreds of hours for the reader to research and absorb.

How good is the book? Merely look at the cover and the praise that perhaps America's most famous modern author, Stephen King, reaps upon the Renovo native.

"I can confidently say this will be one of my favorite books of 2024," something that in true King fashion, must give chills to anyone that knows Kurutz.

Kurutz's love and appreciation of Woolrich started before he even quite realized it.

As the grunge look of the early 1990s influenced his clothing choices, any local thrift or second hand store was filled with used Woolrich flannel, the then teenager's clothing of choice.

His love of the look never really changed. Eventually it even became a source of pride as he was settling in New York and wore his Woolrich jacket as he went out to shovel snow.

Kurutz describes one almost comedic scene as the flannel became in vogue, even in New York City. Suddenly it was commonplace to see younger men strolling to work in the city, wearing flannel and sporting beards as the look hit its international peak, as far at least in the eyes of the fashion community.

The book features long running storylines of Bayerd Winthrop and his clothing line American Giant, as well as the Sock Queen of Alabama Gina Locklear. Both Winthrop and Locklear had numerous chances to take easier paths and not remain completely committed to their products being American Made. But neither have sacrificed their morals and love of all things USA despite likely being more financially successful had they caved at numerous points of their careers.

"It's certainly a labor of love, they aren't in this to get rich," Kurutz said on Tuesday, the day American Flannel was released. "People like Bayerd and Gina chose a different road, they chose quality while still trying to make things affordable. It's a painstaking process, businesses like American Giant are trying to make mid-priced, mass-produced clothing that will last."

As for the praise from Stephen King, Kurutz could not be more appreciative.

"I received an email from my editor and when I read it, I was on cloud nine. I mean, if nothing else ever happens," laughed Kurutz. "When I think about the demands on his time, the people asking for blurbs on their books, his own writing, his own life and for him to not only offer praise but to pick up on little details, it's amazing."

King's full five sentence review can be found on the back of "American Flannel."

"American Flannel" is Kurutz's second book, the first being "Like a Rolling Stone: The Strange Life of a Tribute Band." Although his first offering which came out 16 years ago is more of a comedic read, that book, too, has the reader rooting for the underdog, just like his newest undertaking.

Steven and Cara recently moved with their two sons from New York to Maine. The family continued their Black Friday traditional trips to Woolrich until the store's closing.