Uncanny coincidence marks clothier’s visit

By Layne Christensen
Fashion Editor

IT is rare that a designer
receives a solid affirmation that
he’s right on the moncy when
it comes to ciothing trends.

Paul Minichicllo has been a tailor for
more than 30 years. He's made suits for
celebrities and hockey players and fast-
paced business execs.

His annual pilgrim-
ages to Italy keep him
abreast of the trends
and informed of new
fabrications and tech-
niques. But in all his
years of visits he'd
never had an expe
ence quite like the one
that marked his latest
trip.

He'd ordered a sam-
ple of cloth from
Ermenegildo Zegno,
one of Italy’s tep cloth
manufacturers. It was a
97 design, a brand
new cloth and
Minichiello tailored a
suit for himself to wear
on his trip this September.

He wore it the day of his factory visit
and wes greeted by the fabric designer
with shouts of “E sn miracolo!”
Translation: It’s a miracle.

“He says ‘Do you have a spy or
what! ‘That’s the same suit we’re using
for our September shoot!’ * Minichiello
‘vas given an advance copy of the facto-
ty’s magazine which showed an exact
replica of his suit

“Tr was unbelievable,” says the tailor.

The’ suits were identical, right down
to the finest detail — the same grey with
beige stripe, the same longer jacket,
double-breasted two buttons by three.

The fabric designer further chal-
lenged Minichiello.

“The guy said ‘I bet you don’t have
these buttons.’ ” Sure enough,
jackets were constructed with
geon’s cuffs,” three-button cuffs with
real buttonholes.

In ail his trips to Italy, Minichiello
had never toured Ermenegildo Zegno’s
cloth factory, a privilege rarely granted,
he says. And photos are never allowed

~ arufe that was relaxed on this partic
ular occasion, “They were so surprised,
They treated me fike a king,” says
Minichiello who is currently displaying
the suit and the photos in his West
Esplanade store window in) Lower
Lonsdale.
While in Italy, Minichiello w
to spot the latest treads in men
Pinstripes and leathers were the
hottest looks on the streets of Milan,

widely regarded as the fashion capital of

the world.
“A lot of oveeds are
coming back,” said
Minichiello of another
trend char drases its
inspiration from the
English country look.
Three-button jackets
are popular in warm
caramel and woodsy
greens,
The inspiration may
be English country,
but the look is all West
Coast, say's
Minichiello. Colors
and textures reflect
the B.C. landscape.
Fancy jackets of cash-
mere/mohair blends
have a rustic look but feel soft to the
touch. Houndstooth, Glenn checks and
shadow checks are more businesslike.
Back at the factory, the focus is on
coming out with new and luxurious fab-
nications. One of the niost decadent
cloths is pure Mongolia cashmere. At
$550 a yard, with 2% yards needed for a
jacket, Minichiello will be selling the
finished product for $1,700.
Meanwhile, at his shop on
Esplanade, chalkstripes are selling the
strongest. Minichiello can’t keep them
in stuck. “IE had a whole stack of bolts,
and I sold them all on Saturday.”

LOWER Lonsdale tailor Paul
Minichiello knew he was right on
the trends when an exact replica

of his suit design showed up in
the cloth manufacturer’s maga-
zine. He’s displaying them both
in the window of his West
Esplanade shop, Paul's of North
Shore.

OF

By lan Noble

News Reporter

NORTH Vancouver-based

Norpac Controls has succeed-
ed by driving against the
winds of conventional wis-
dorn.

In recent years, the media have
repeatedly documented the efforts of
major com to shave employees to
improve the firms’ tortunes.

But during the early 1980s
and 1990s, when tough times in
the pulp and paper industry
meant = Norpac’s — business
plunged 50% to 60%, president
and majority owner Andy Szocs
held on to all his employees.

In fact, he borrowed money
to keep what he calls his compa-
ny’s most valuable asset

“It’s just something that
seems so logical,” said the
award-winning entrepreneur, even
though many other major firms have

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

NORPAC president Andy Szocs
said his North Van company
recently received recognition
because of its commitment to
customers and employees.
Szocs was named a regional
entrepreneur of the year.

Employees spared
layoffs during tough
times in the 1980s

taken a different path. Szocs notes most
of his technical staff take two to three
years to become produ and gach
represents a $100,000 investment.
son makes
an employer feel better on a moral
level, said Szocs, who’s run Norpae tor

“ Norpac started in North =
Vancouver in 1972... Now
it’s the number one control
valve and systems supplier

in British Columbia. ”

nearly 25 years.

The philosophy paid off when bet-
ter business conditions removed the
recessionary reins from) Norpac cus-
tomers.

Norpac had its people in place to

of the better marker. [A
the mid- 1980s, business grew 40% a
year for five years “which we couldn’
fwe'd had to hire new peo-

ple” he said.

it aT gs

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

jac bucks tren

Norpac supplies control valves, sen-
sors, and systems to plants in the chem-
ical, natural gas and mineral processing
sectors, although pulp and paper mills
are Norpac’s biggest customers.

Norpac sells products manufactured
by Fisher-Rosemount, a St. Louis-
based producer of the world’s leading
process control systems.

Szoes said the success of his compa-
ny rests on its commitment to employ-
ces and customers. Szocs told the
News his philosophy boils down ta

“hire them bright, train them
right, then get out of their
”

Szocs, a West Vancouver res-
ident, said Norpac invests a lot
of time hiring people. Recruits
often have to go through six
interviews before being hired.

fhe key is to find the right

people and Norpac gc

great lengths to find those pe

ple,” he said.
Szocs owns 90% of Norpac, but his
vision calls for broad employee owner-
ship of the company within the next
few years,

Narpac started in North Vancouver
in 1972 as the B.C. representative
office for Fisher-Rosemount. Now it’s
the number one control valve and sys-
tems supplier in British Columbia.

See Commitment page 44