This was a bold move for the pair at the time. "Basically because of Poland's history, before 1989 this field did not exist whatsoever," Wirski explains. "Then, after 1989, people had bigger problems than how they dressed. Growing up in Poland, being a designer didn't really register in people's minds. This only really started changing a few years ago." Despite having no design experience, making clothes was a domestic skill embedded in the culture of the time. "I saw my mom and grandma making dresses, or my dad tailoring pieces — that 'do it yourself' spirit was very current for me," Maczek explains. "And we didn't have access to Western stores or Western brands," Wirski reiterates. "If you saw a glimpse of that life in the form of a record cover or in the movies, you'd have to replicate that look yourself. So for our parents, it was normal to buy a pair of jeans and tailor it — you would have to make it yourself because you didn't have access to anything else."