In the Beginning…
I suspect that the idea for the Zhuzh! brand started way back in the 60's when, as a young child, I was drawing pictures and clipping them all together to make a pretend "Steve Whatley Designer Mail Order Catalogue" for my friends and family. Although I was never particularly good at drawing, the ideas always flowed and ever since I've always been able to scribble out designs and hope that somebody somewhere will be brilliant enough to make it all happen. With an early background in cabaret and musical theatre I was always "interfering", with everything from costume designs, lighting, musical arrangements and choreography, in a desperate need to "zhuzh" things up - to add a bit of sparkle, splendour and striking style. And nothing's really changed much…that's what I still always do

The Apprenticeship…
During my seven year stint in London's West End Theatre I was bullied into consumer and magazine journalism by my good friend, Fashion Editor Thalia Vickers, who believed that my quirky opinions and quest for the best might just make good magazine copy. Before I knew it I was launched as Britain's first male grooming expert with my own male grooming page in She Magazine. This progressed to include, not only style, grooming and agony uncle on the initial team of FHM, but also opened the door to BBC Pebble Mill and then 12 years as resident Consumer Reporter with Richard & Judy on ITV's This Morning. The most important part of these jobs was extensive consumer research to find the worst, and the best, of a specific product category. The upshot was that by the end of each programme I would have liked to see one brand combining all the positive features to be truly the best. However, it would take 10 years further experience in British and American shopping television for me to acquire the contacts and know how to start building the Zhuzh! brand where I could do just that!

Pronunciation & spelling…
Although the word "zhuzh" has been backstage lingo as long as theatres have had dressing rooms, as with so many slang words when they start out, nobody knew how to spell it to write it down. So.......about twenty years ago, very early one morning in London`s Joe Allen Restaurant after an opening night party, Thalia, the late Jack Tinker - Daily Mail theatre critic - and I decided we would come up with the correct spelling so that we would all be able then to take our favourite word to print in our publications' next issues. After all sorts of attempts, with help from the entire restaurant, we latched onto the sound of the ZH in Doctor Zhivago. Zh-u- zh…....and that was it. I quickly scribbled down Z_H_U_Z_H on my paper serviette with both Thalia and Jack insisting the exclamation mark be added! Sadly, Jack passed away and Thalia moved on to be a Grand Dame of Style and Fashion in sunny Australia. Hence the word Zhuzh! is very personal and important to me and of course I am indebted to Thalia and Jack for the ! which now characterises my registered Trademark - zhuzh without the ! ain't Steve Whatley's Zhuzh!