HQ scoops memoir from former GQ style director van den Broeke

HQ will publish a “nostalgia-filled and fabric-draped" memoir from Teo van den Broeke, Soho House’s editorial director and former style director at GQ.  

Abigail Le Marquand-Brown, commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Closet from Ben Dunn at DunnFogg Literary Agency. It will publish on 2nd February 2023.  

The synopsis says: “Using the wardrobe of van den Broeke’s past as a lens through which to explore his adolescence, The Closet charts a journey from uncertainty to self-acceptance. From the blue princess dress he coveted as a child that first led him to question whether he was ‘normal’ through to the Nike cap and Gucci loafers that he wore to impress the men he first desired and the suits and furry mules that helped him discover who he truly was, van den Broeke beautifully traces the familiar trials and tribulations of young adult life with blistering honesty and humour. The Closet is guaranteed to resonate with anyone who grew up unsure of who they are or what they should be doing with their lives (which is to say, everybody).” 

Van den Broeke said: “I hope that people will relish reading The Closet as much as I have loved writing it. This is my personal story of self-discovery—sometimes messy, always honest—told through the prism of the clothes which came to define the formative moments of my life. It is my greatest wish that this book will not only entertain but also help and inspire anyone who might be struggling to understand where they fit in the world, whoever they may be, wherever they may come from and however they may identify.” 

Le Marquand-Brown added: “I knew that I had to work on The Closet from the second I read the proposal. Teo vividly brings to life his own experiences in a way that will have you laughing, crying and screaming in equal measure. His writing will leave many readers feeling a huge amount of nostalgia for their own early adulthoods—particularly those who grew up wearing baggy jeans and Puma Mostros, drinking in sticky-floored bars and obsessively messaging their friends on MSN.”