On October 22, 1945, a factory was launched in the ruins of a German sewing plant on Wrocławska Street in Bytom, employing 110 people and 64 machines. Thirty years later, it produced 1.5 million suits annually. Between these two figures lies the entire history of Polish men's ready-to-wear clothing – and the whole dispute over the difference between a tailored garment and a mass-produced one. This chapter dissects a jacket and reveals what lies beneath the wool.
I. WROCŁAWSKA 32/34: ONE HUNDRED TEN PEOPLE, SIXTY-FOUR MACHINES
The enterprise was established as the Clothing Factory at 32/34 Wrocławska Street in the ruins of a German sewing plant that produced protective clothing. The facility opened on October 22, 1945. Initially, it had 110 employees and 64 sewing machines – the scale of a large pre-war workshop, not a factory. It quickly became a factory: by 1952, employment reached 1400 people, and the plant switched to a two-shift system.
The name changed along with the political system. The state clothing factory was followed by the Bytom Garment Industry Works of General Karol Świerczewski, and only at the end of this path – the commercial, short "Bytom". The production curve is clear: around 200,000 suits annually in the early 1950s, one million pieces in 1970, 1.5 million in 1975. By 1968, there were already 1,700 machines in the halls, and the plant produced 152,000 garments with a quality mark.
Exports were calculated in foreign exchange zlotys and grew rapidly: 1.3 million in 1965, 22 million in 1970, and 42 million in the plan for the next five-year period. In 1975, 800,000 pieces of clothing went abroad. The destinations are stated differently: regional press mainly points to the USSR, while encyclopedic descriptions also mention Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, and the USA. The plant established branches in Tarnowskie Góry and Radzionków, and in 1969, it took over the local vocational school and technical secondary school, educating around 700 students annually. Anyone who wants to sew a million suits must first produce tailors.
Source note: the brand's corporate timeline states that in 1972, the Polish national team's attire for the Games was "in Montreal." Montreal was in 1976, and 1972 was Munich. The statement contradicts itself and is not presented as fact here.
II. TAILORING AND READY-TO-WEAR: TWO DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS UNDER ONE NAME
A bespoke tailor and a factory sew from the same wool, but they solve two different tasks. A tailor has one body and as much time as needed. A factory has infinitely many bodies and a few dozen minutes per piece. Everything else stems from this asymmetry.
- What a bespoke tailor does: takes several dozen measurements, draws an individual pattern, lays it out on the fabric considering back and shoulder asymmetry, bastes the garment "live", fits it, unstiches, corrects, and only then stitches it cleanly.
- What ready-to-wear doesn't do: it doesn't see the customer. It doesn't know that one shoulder is lower, that the back is rounded, that the neck leans forward. The pattern is ready before anyone tries it on, and the only correction afterward is alterations.
- What ready-to-wear does better: repeatability and price. The same size 50 jacket comes out identical in Bytom on Monday and Thursday. A tailor cannot guarantee this, and never could.
- What's in between: made-to-measure, which is the modification of a ready-made, proven basic pattern to specific measurements. This is not bespoke – it's ready-to-wear with adjustments.
This path didn't start in Poland. Mass production of ready-to-wear clothing was driven by uniforms: in the USA during the War of 1812, then the Civil War. The first ready-to-wear factory was founded in New York in 1831. By the late 1860s, one-quarter of clothing produced in the USA was ready-to-wear, in 1890 – 60 percent, and in 1951 – 90 percent. The army taught the industry that people could be grouped.
III. WHERE DID SIZING COME FROM
Sizing is not a table invented by commerce, but the result of population measurement. To sew a million suits, you need to know how many people in the country have a chest circumference of 96 and a height of 176 – and how many of them also have a waist of 88, and how many 100.
Poland calculated this in the mid-1950s. "Anthropometric Survey of Poland" covered measurements of the adult population from 1955-1956: a total of 27,859 people, including 13,807 men and 14,052 women. The average height of a man at that time was 167.2 cm, and a woman – 155.6 cm. The material was compiled and published by Stanisław Górny in 1972. The second pillar of this work was design: in 1964, the Ergonomics Research Department was established at the Institute of Industrial Design, which published "Small Anthropometric Atlas" (1972, 70 features) and "Anthropometric Atlas of the Adult Population of Poland" (1974, 158 features); the third edition, described in 1987 by Anna Batogowska, was to include 200 features in accordance with ISO standardization.
A sizing chart is built from such material. The classic European men's clothing size is simply half the chest circumference in centimeters: a 100 cm chest is size 50. In addition, there are body shape variants calculated from the basic size – short, long, and stout – and a second axis: height. Commercial height grids in Polish men's ready-to-wear usually run every six centimeters: 164, 170, 176, 182, 188, 194. The third dimension is the difference between the chest circumference and the waist circumference, called the drop in the industry – this determines whether the silhouette is "slim" or "regular," and it is the one that most often doesn't match the actual body.
Europe only tried to standardize this at the end of the 20th century. In 1996, the CEN/TC 248/WG 10 committee began work on the EN 13402 "Size designation of clothes" standard, based on body measurements in centimeters, the metric system, anthropometric studies of the European population from the late 1990s, and existing ISO standards. The standard also describes how to measure: chest circumference with normal breathing, tape through the shoulder blades and under the armpits, neck circumference – two centimeters below Adam's apple. Implementation proved uneven, and the market still uses old markings today. That's why a size 50 from two manufacturers can be two different garments.
IV. JACKET DISASSEMBLED INTO PARTS
A jacket has dozens of elements, but its skeleton consists of four groups. In the front: two fronts with an allowance for overlap and a fastening placket. In the back: two halves sewn with a central seam. On the sides, there are side panels – narrow wedges that allow the waist to be shaped without distorting the armhole line. In addition, there are two-piece sleeves and a collar with lapels.
The silhouette is created by darts – pleats running downwards from the chest, taking away excess material at the waist. Classically, the dart passes through a flapped pocket, which allows more fabric to be taken in without visible pulling. The breast pocket is a welt sewn diagonally to optically raise the chest; lower pockets can be flapped, jetted without a flap, or supplemented with a small ticket pocket above the right one. Lapels come in three varieties: notched, peaked, and shawl – the latter without a notch, reserved for tuxedos.
The most challenging element is the two-piece sleeve. It consists of an upper and lower part, sewn with front and back seams, which allows the sleeve to be curved according to the natural position of the arm – a one-piece sleeve cannot do this and therefore hangs. The sleeve head is wider than the armhole circumference; this excess must be eased in, meaning evenly distributed and pressed until it disappears without folds. The angle of attachment determines whether creases appear on the front when the arm is lowered. At the bottom, there are vents: one central, two side, or none. Side vents allow one to sit and reach into trouser pockets without bulging the back – which is why they have survived.
V. THE INTERIOR: HORSEHAIR, CHEST PIECE, QUILTING
Here lies the core. The outer wool will not hold its shape – it lacks such stiffness. The shape is maintained by a supportive layer sewn between the fabric and the lining, and its core is horsehair canvas: a fabric in which the weft is horsehair and the warp is cotton (in variations, also wool, linen, or synthetic fiber). Horsehair is mechanically resilient – when crushed, it returns to its shape. This is the foundation of every classic jacket. Historically, three materials were used for stiffening: horsehair canvas, Wigan, and buckram; today, fusible interlining has been added.
The supportive layer is not a single piece. It's a chest piece – a package composed of several materials of varying stiffness, arranged so that harder material sits where form is needed, and softer where drape is required. Through the chest piece runs a hand-stitched quilting stitch – hundreds of tiny angled pricks that don't just connect the layers, but curve them. The needle goes in and out on the same side, taking only a fraction of the thickness of the outer fabric, so nothing is visible from the outside. The denser the quilting and the more firmly the tailor holds the lapel curved in their fingers, the tighter the lapel's roll. This operation takes hours, and it's what differentiates a jacket that lives from one that merely exists.
The rest of the interior is equally quantifiable. Along the lapel fold line runs a lapel tape, sewn with a slight tension – this prevents the lapel from stretching and forces it to return to the body. The front edges and armhole cutouts are taped separately, as these are the areas that experience the most stress. A layer of soft, brushed material (dommette, felt, or flannel) is placed over the chest piece to prevent sharp horsehair tips from poking through the wool and pricking. The shoulder receives a shoulder pad, the thickness of which is a stylistic, not technical, decision: from a few millimeters in soft constructions to a centimeter or more in structured shoulders. In the sleeve head sits a sleeve roll – a narrow strip of wadded material that supports the excess fabric and makes the sleeve emerge from the shoulder in a gentle arc instead of sinking into a hollow.
Then there's a stage not visible on the pattern: shaping by pressing. Wool is a protein fiber, and its bonds yield to steam and temperature. The tailor not only presses seams flat – he incorporates fullness into the fabric for the shoulder blade and chest, and removes excess where the body is concave. The pattern provides a flat surface, the iron creates a three-dimensional form.
The alternative to all this is fusible interlining: a non-woven or woven fabric with heat-activated adhesive, pressed onto the front of the jacket. It provides flat stiffness in a dozen seconds instead of a dozen hours. It doesn't offer elasticity and doesn't work with the body, and the detachment of the layer after years of wear and washing is visible as bubbling on the front – a defect that cannot be repaired.
WHAT LIES BETWEEN WOOL AND LINING
The carrier for the entire package, cut on the same grain as the jacket front. Holds geometry, provides no elasticity.
Weft of horsehair, cotton warp. An elastic element: when crushed, it returns to shape and rebuilds the chest form after every movement.
Domette, felt, or flannel on top of the hair canvas. One purpose: the ends of the horsehair should not poke through the wool.
Padding stitch curves the lapel and chest, lapel tape sewn with tension prevents it from stretching. Zero glue at this stage.
VI. RAW MATERIAL: WORSTED, WOOLEN, GRAMMAGE
Two families of wool, two completely different fabrics. Worsted is made from long fibers that are combed before spinning: short fibers are precisely removed, the rest are arranged parallel. The result is a smooth, strong, and hard yarn, and the fabric made from it has a clean weave pattern – most often twill or plain weave. Woolen is made from carded, shorter fibers that retain their natural crimp: the yarn is fluffy, full of air, so the fabric is soft, matte, and insulates better.
- Kamgarn: pure worsted, smooth and cool to the touch. The classic city suit fabric – and the most merciless fabric for poor tailoring, as it hides nothing.
- Cheviot: worsted with a thicker fiber and more distinct twill, matte, durable. Wool for workwear and for a jacket meant to last a decade.
- Flannel: a brushed fabric with a blurred surface. Drapes softly and forgives imperfections, but wears out faster at the edges.
- Tweed: woolen, heavy, with visible texture and mixed yarn colors. Holds its shape best in cold weather, worst in heat and tight cuts.
Fiber thickness is described by the "Super" number, measured in microns of maximum diameter according to IWTO industry standards: Super 100s is 18.75 microns, Super 120s – 17.75, Super 150s – 16.25, Super 180s – 14.75, Super 200s – 13.75. The system originates from the English Bradford yarn count. A higher number means a thinner fiber, not a stronger fabric – the higher the number, the faster it wears out at the elbow.
The second parameter is grammage, i.e., the mass per square meter. Polish fabric guides state 80–150 g/m² for light summer fabrics, 200–400 g/m² for wool flannel, 300–500 g/m² for tweed, and even 500–900 g/m² for coat melton. This is a weight parameter, not a quality assessment: heavier fabric drapes better and holds creases better, lighter fabric is more comfortable in heat and less forgiving in cut. In the Polish People's Republic, the choice was theoretical anyway – fabric was allocated by plan, not by customer.
VII. MASTER AND PLAN: WHAT REMAINS OF THE GUILD
The factory in Bytom was established at a time when the state was consciously eliminating alternatives. The "Battle for Trade" was initiated by Minister Hilary Minc's speech at the plenum of the Central Committee of the Polish Workers' Party on April 13 and 14, 1947, and on June 2, three laws were passed: on combating rising prices, on civic tax commissions, and on permits for running businesses. The tools were licenses, additional taxes, and restricted access to nationalized wholesalers. The number of private shops fell from 134,000 in 1947 to about 78,000 in 1949. A tailor who, before the war, bought fabric from a wholesaler and set his own price for the work, had neither after 1947.
However, he did not disappear. The profession moved to three places: state-owned enterprises, labor cooperatives, and the grey market of after-hours alterations. Education was rebuilt, but no longer as an apprenticeship with a master, but as a technical school attached to a factory – like the one taken over by Bytom in 1969. The diploma ceased to be the property of the guild.
The retreat only began at the very end of the system. The Act of December 23, 1988, on Economic Activity, prepared according to the draft by Minister of Industry Mieczysław Wilczek in Mieczysław Rakowski's government, came into force on January 1, 1989, and operated on the principle of "what is not forbidden is permitted." It originally consisted of 54 articles in six chapters, and only eleven types of activity required concessions – later expanded to twenty-four. Tailoring was not on any of these lists. The act was in force until December 31, 2000, and was amended forty times during that period, mostly towards restricting freedom.
Craftsmanship returned, but in a different role: not as the basis of supply, but as a narrow specialization and training system. The Polish Crafts Association states that today around 60,000 students are being trained in over a hundred professions in craft workshops. Heavy bespoke tailoring is one of the rarest among them.
VIII. 1990–2026: STOCK EXCHANGE, KRAKÓW, VRG
Bytom underwent transformation textbook-style. In 1990, Zakłady Odzieżowe "Bytom" SA became a sole-shareholder company of the State Treasury, and since January 1, 1995, the company has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In 2006, sales reached 68 million PLN with a profit of 8 million PLN. Then came the decision that separated the brand from the city: at the end of 2010, the company changed its profile from manufacturing to brand and retail network management, and the management moved to Kraków. Production remained in Tarnowskie Góry.
"All suits are produced in the manufacturing company Zakłady Odzieżowe Bytom sp. z o.o. in Tarnowskie Góry. Suits with the Bytom label have been sewn there since 1968."
KRZYSZTOF PYZIK, MARKETING MANAGER BYTOM S.A. — INTERVIEW BY KRZYSZTOF SZENDZIELORZ, "NASZE MIASTO TARNOWSKIE GÓRY", JANUARY 20, 2014
The final act is corporate. On November 30, 2018, the District Court for Kraków-Śródmieście registered the merger of Bytom with Vistula Group; earlier, the general meetings of both companies had agreed, and the UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) had given its consent. The brand now operates within the VRG S.A. group alongside Vistula, Wólczanka, Deni Cler Milano, and W.Kruk, and the Tarnowskie Góry sewing factory as a separate entity: Zakłady Odzieżowe Tarnowskie Góry sp. z o.o., KRS 0000379353, registered on March 2, 2011, at Nakielska 33.
So, the name of the city remains on the label of clothing that is no longer sewn in that city, and the building on Wrocławska Street where sixty-four machines once stood. Both of these things are true about the Polish light industry of the last eighty years. The record remains.
LESSON FROM BYTOM: SIZE IS AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT A PERSON
Every sizing system is a record of who the manufacturer considers normal. A chart is not mathematics, but a decision – who fits, and who has to adapt. If it doesn't fit, it's not the body's fault.
We don't sew suits. We take two things from this history. First: what needs to hold must be sewn, not glued – this principle works the same for hair canvas and knitwear. Second: the size chart must be honest. The dimensions provided are the dimensions of the item, not marketing wishes. If an item is 58 centimeters in the chest, we write 58, not "L, just right."
HARD FACTS (HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION)
When were “Bytom” Clothing Factories established and how did they begin?
The factory was opened on October 22, 1945, at Wrocławska 32/34 in Bytom, on the ruins of a German tailoring factory producing protective clothing, as a Confectionery Factory. Initially, it employed 110 people and had 64 sewing machines. In 1952, employment reached 1,400 people, and a two-shift work system was introduced. The later official name was Bytomskie Zakłady Przemysłu Odzieżowego im. gen. Karola Świerczewskiego (Bytom Clothing Industry Plants of Gen. Karol Świerczewski).
How many suits were produced in Bytom, and how many were exported?
In the early 1950s, about 200,000 suits annually, in 1970 a million pieces, in 1975 – 1.5 million. In 1968, 1,700 machines were in operation, and the plant released 152,000 garments with a quality mark. Exports in foreign exchange zlotys amounted to 1.3 million in 1965 and 22 million in 1970; the plan for 1971–1975 assumed 42 million. In 1975, 800,000 pieces of clothing were exported. The plant had branches in Tarnowskie Góry and Radzionków.
What's inside a jacket, and what's the purpose of horsehair canvas?
Between the outer fabric and the lining, there is a foundational layer. Its core is horsehair canvas—a fabric where the weft is horsehair and the warp is cotton (with variants also including wool, linen, or synthetic fiber). Horsehair is resilient and returns to its shape after being crushed, which is why the chest and lapel form rebuilds after every movement. The layer package—canvas, horsehair canvas, covering layer of domette or felt—is joined by hand quilting stitches, and the lapel's break line is stiffened by a tape sewn in with tension. Historically, horsehair canvas, wigan, and buckram were used for stiffening; today, the alternative is fusible interfacing, which provides stiffness but not resilience.
Where did sizing come from, and what does size 50 mean?
The classic European men's clothing size is half the chest circumference in centimeters – size 50 corresponds to a 100 cm chest. Such sizing charts are based on anthropometric studies of the population. In Poland, the "Anthropometric Survey of Poland" included measurements from 1955–1956 on a sample of 27,859 people, including 13,807 men; the average height of a man at that time was 167.2 cm. The Institute of Industrial Design, where the Ergonomics Research Department was established in 1964, published "Small Anthropometric Atlas" (1972, 70 features) and "Anthropometric Atlas of the Adult Population of Poland" (1974, 158 features). The European standard EN 13402, based on body dimensions in centimeters, began to be prepared by the CEN/TC 248/WG 10 committee in 1996.
Who owns the Bytom brand today, and where are its clothes sewn?
In 1990, "Bytom" Clothing Factories SA became a wholly-owned State Treasury company, and since January 1, 1995, the company has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. At the end of 2010, the company changed its profile from manufacturing to brand and store network management, and its management was relocated to Krakow. On November 30, 2018, the District Court for Krakow-Śródmieście registered the merger of Bytom with Vistula Group; the brand now operates within the VRG S.A. group alongside Vistula, Wólczanka, Deni Cler Milano, and W.Kruk. Production remained in Tarnowskie Góry at Nakielska 33, where the company Zakłady Odzieżowe Tarnowskie Góry sp. z o.o. (KRS 0000379353) operates.
0 comments