SAFARI ANGEL graphite

With this shirt we decided to go for customised logo buttons. "It's been a while since someone asked for it" said Dorota from Primotex. She liked the idea, though, and she accepted our order. When the first sample got delivered all the way from Italy (that's where are the necessary machinery is at) it turned out the logo is in fact on the side of a button which was exactly how we wanted it - not in your face, but just a subtle touch, unnoticeable at first.

BED TIME

"I was sewing the prototype from a long distance. The girls sent me the drawings and gave me instructions on the phone. The single duvet cover wasn't a problem, but the double one was a bit of a challenge as the fabric was 180 cm wide and the width of the double duvet is 200. We've decided on quilted inserts on the sides and it looks much better now." says Renata Jeżewska, RISK's seamstress who has since opened a mini sewing factory in Świętorzyskie region. Duvet cover takes up 8 metres of fabric and 12 metres of straps. "When I started producing the first covers I used a home sewing machine. It was taking so much time that I spent a lot of time just sitting and daydreaming while the machine was taking its time." she remembers "Then I got professional industrial machines and now I can sew in a blink of an eye."

PRETTY RISK

It was RISK's first long skirt. So ruffled that our sewing factory didn't give it a chance. Having seen the prototype they claimed no one would ever buy it. For the last three years it has been one of our top three selling products - regardless the season. It's also the most copied item in our collection, with lots of different colours of the bow, to the point that we started wondering ourselves if it's not a good idea to add more colour :) In the photo: Klara Kowtun, a co-designer at RISK, in a sewing factory wearing the original version of Pretty Risk, before the final improvements.

MOVIE STAR

Initially it was a personal design for Klara for an exhibition. But it left people in awe so we decided to make more. When our seamstress was to sew it again - this time as a prototype for the sewing factory - she wondered how she'd done it before. Especially the twisted neckline, she literally had no idea how to do it again. Luckily for us, and all the proud top owners, she made it in the end!

BOHO CHIC

"This skirt takes up lot of fabric - about 2.5 metres - as each frill is cut along the length not width. For taller and bigger sizes we use up to 3 metres. I use twice as much thread for that as well" says Danuta Niedźwiecka, who makes the skirts to measure. It was a challenge for the sewing factory, too, because if the ruffles. "Our mechanic made us a special machine to convey the fabric evenly" sys Beata Beszter, the owner of a sewing factory in Bielsko Biała. We also make Boho Chic for kids. Even though we use less fabric, the density of ruffles is still the same :)

SWANK-PACK

"When I received the triangles for the hip pack, I remember they were numbered and I was trying to figure out where each of them should fit. After a few our of solving the jigsaw puzzle I gave up and called Klara who, as it turned out, had forgotten to include instructions.. Having received the drawing I did it in 20 minutes" recalls Renata Jeżewska, the seamstress. "But putting all the pieces together was just a small part of the process - we had to work on the technology and be very precise in forming the geometrical shape before creating the prototype. I remember it took me 3 hours to sew in my first zipper! Now I need just a couple of hours to make the hip pack from start to finish."

SAFARI ANGEL

With this shirt we decided to go for customised logo buttons. "It's been a while since someone asked for it" said Dorota from Primotex. She liked the idea, though, and she accepted our order. When the first sample got delivered all the way from Italy (that's where are the necessary machinery is at) it turned out the logo is in fact on the side of a button which was exactly how we wanted it - not in your face, but just a subtle touch, unnoticeable at first.

SHORT STORY

"In order to sew these trousers you need 6 different machines plus a button pressing device. You have to constantly juggle between them skilfully" says Ula from a sewing factory near Warsaw. "I make tailor-made shorts and I keep changing their length as well--built boys like them shorter, and those bigger ones prefer them knee-length" says Danuta who's been with us since the beginning. In the photo: A form to be filled in when we take an individual order. A male version :) Design: Igor Kubik and Antek Mroziński

BIKER SHIRT

„Przy szyciu tej koszuli trzeba zachować podział na tzw. operacje: każdy ścieg (a są trzy) – to osobna maszyna i osobna szwaczka. Guziki przyszywa się na końcu, więc należy dodać do kompletu jeszcze jedną maszynę.” – mówi właścicielka podwarszawskiej szwalni, pani Ula Łazowska. To najczęściej szyta na miarę męska rzecz. „Robiłam ich już całe mnóstwo. Trzeba je zawsze szyć super cieniutkimi igłami (70), żeby nie poprzecinać dzianiny.” – mówi Danuta Niedźwiecka, nasza krawcowa z warszawskiego Czerniakowa. „Ostatnio było zamówienie na parę sztuk bez kieszeni, ale mi się ta kieszeń podoba. Przełamuje elegancję kroju swoim rowerowym charakterem”.

PRETTY RISK blue

HD HOODIE

"I was sewing the prototype by trial and error. At first I had no idea how to sew in a zip in a straight line. I used my laptop as a model and kept improving the design to make it impeccable. Now I can sew a case with my eyes closed. The zip is still the biggest challenge - it requires a lot of precision, so I always sew it in last. It's very time-consuming as you need to use three different presser feet!" explains Renata Jeżowska, the seamstress who has hand-made over 500 cases. "That was the first thing I did for RISK and that's when I learnt there's no such things as missions impossible" she laughs.

BIKER BABE

It's one of the harder items to sew (lots of precise cuts, seams and stitches) and at the same time most popular one to buy without trying on first - girls simply spot it, take it and leave. No changing room necessary. At first we made only 30 copies of the sky blue zips but they turned out to be such a hit that they have taken over and stayed forever.