Customization made in Poland

American college jackets in 90s style served them as an inspiration eight years ago. Today, Rascal distributes locally and sustainably produced custom collections.

The focus is always on customers’ wishes here. At PromoTex Expo 2020 we interviewed co-founder Jakub Stojek about what’s so special about his company.

PE: Mr Stojek, when was the Rascal company founded and what is the story behind it?

JS: This adventure started while studying in 2012 when I participated in the university project “Mini Enterpriese” with a friend. The brief was to develop a product that could be sold to our fellow-students. We were inspired by the college jackets of American high schools in the 90s and started development and production. Through our circle of friends and networking with other universities demand rose quickly and after a short while we already supplied many renowned Polish universities.

PE: Is everything actually produced in Poland?

JS: Yes, this is important to us. The fabrics are largely produced in Lodz, by a very experienced factory. Garments are produced in Lodz and near Warsaw. Producing everything in the EU is another advantage – also for our customers.

PE: What does Rascal specialise in, what makes you special?

JS: Our flexibility when it comes to customization. Everything is manufactured in accordance with customer wishes so that the clients can specify nearly all details themselves such as the silhouettes, colours, materials, findings – whatever customers have on their mind, we put it into practice!

PE: Do you ask for big minimum orders to be able to realise such individual wishes?

JS: It depends somewhat on the product but hoodies, for example, are available from 20 pieces. For socks, however, we have to insist on a minimum quantity of 100 pairs. In the early days our companies produced for schools and universities almost exclusively. Now we ship to institutions and companies from all over Europe and production has adapted accordingly. Today, we can deliver everything from small series to large volumes in the same consistent quality.  

PE: Which technologies do you offer and which machinery do you employ?

JS: We try to respond to our customers’ demands in time and in line with trends and therefore also adapt the pool of machinery and the technical equipment accordingly. In the current catalogue we offer hoodies, Softshell jackets, T- shirts & polo shirts, fleece and baseball jackets and various textile accessories. We are also extremely versatile when it comes to textile decorations: from embroidery, silk-screen and DTG printing, to thermal transfer and sublimation printing we can do everything in house. On top of this, we go even one step further and ship the collection with matching labels and packaging material.  

PE: How do you address sustainability and are there any plans for the future?

JS: We pay plenty of attention to the ecological and ethical aspects of our business. These include local production to avoid unnecessary transport. We adhere to European social standards and act in strict compliance with the Code of Ethics of GWW[RS(1] . All fabrics used must be certified according to Ökotex Standard 100. At present, we are busy obtaining GOTS and Global Recycled Standard certifications.  

PE: This sounds exciting, thanks very much for the interview and all the best for the future!

The interview was conducted by Reiner Knochel
Link zur Firma: https://www.rascalindustry.pl/en/
Fotos: Rascal / Reiner Knochel (siehe Bildunterschrift)