The Characters Who Inspired the Story

One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “Are these characters real?”

The answer is no—and yes.

Every character in Men in Bras is a work of fiction. None are intended to portray any specific person. Yet each of them was inspired by the remarkable people I met during more than forty years in the intimate apparel industry.

Over the course of my career, I worked alongside visionaries, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, designers, pattern makers, warehouse workers, fit models, and executives. They came from different backgrounds, held different beliefs, and possessed very different personalities, but they all shared one thing in common: they cared deeply about what they did.

Those experiences stayed with me.

When I began writing Men in Bras, I didn’t set out to tell anyone’s life story. Instead, I drew upon the qualities I admired most in the people I had known—their determination, loyalty, creativity, humor, resilience, and willingness to take chances when success was anything but guaranteed.

Al Haas, Caroline Jones, Leo Gore, Walter Kolski, Ricky Haas, Sonny Elgart, and the many others who inhabit these pages are fictional creations. But the heart, spirit, and humanity they possess were inspired by countless real people whose influence I have never forgotten.

This novel is my way of honoring them.

If, while reading Men in Bras, you find yourself caring about these characters, laughing with them, worrying about them, or celebrating their victories, then I have accomplished exactly what I hoped to do.

Because although the industry inspired the setting, the people inspired the story.

— Terry Hyams