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A Polish Factory is Reborn as a Stylish Tailoring Studio

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Something interesting appears to be happening in Katowice, Poland. Last week, we profiled a design boutique that recently opened there. Now comes word that Poszetka, which trades in hand-sewn ties, pocket squares and foulards, has expanded its operation into a brick-and-mortar store that occupies a formerly abandoned sewing factory. The owner, Joanna Krajewska Godziek, hired the architect Grzegorz Layer to reconfigure the structure and redesign the approximately 1,100-square-foot interior into a modern showroom for Poszetka's bespoke wares.

The shop is divided into two zones: a sales floor under a mezzanine and a tailering workshop dominated by machinery and storage racks. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

Modern home with Living Room, Chair, and Coffee Tables. Godziek says the neighboring Geszeft boutique and the niche store Stereo Design helped to inspire the look of the new space. "Good company helped to take up the challenge, which proved to be the revitalization of the sewing factory [that had been] neglected for years," Godziek says. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska. Photo of A Polish Factory is Reborn as a Stylish Tailoring Studio

Godziek says the neighboring Geszeft boutique and the niche store Stereo Design helped to inspire the look of the new space. "Good company helped to take up the challenge, which proved to be the revitalization of the sewing factory [that had been] neglected for years," Godziek says. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

Three large containers of debris were hauled away during the construction process, Godziek says. The shop, which had been divided into five smaller rooms, has been transformed into an open, free-flowing space. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

The construction process yielded what Godziek calls "production residues, such as hooks, hangers and lamps." Some of these features were retained. "They serve as a reminder of the long history of the place, which for decades was saturated with tailoring crafts," Godziek says. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

The shop specializes in custom ties, pocket squares, bow ties and foulards. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

"The workplace is not isolated," Godziek says. "It is a part of the sales area. This allows clients to have contact with the process of product development and to laern about the company from the inside." Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.

There are two shop windows in the front and two large windows in the back. "This provides ideal conditions for presenting producs and everyday work," Godziek says. Photo by Dorota Zyguła-Siemieńska.