Why it belongs in ORBIS
Polish menswear maker opened 22 October 1945 in Bytom on the site of a former garment workshop; grew from 110 workers to producing 1.5 million suits a year by 1975; still manufactures suits in Poland today.
Bytom's menswear factory opened on 22 October 1945 in the town of Bytom, established on the ruins of a former German sewing workshop that had produced protective clothing. It started small, with 110 employees and 64 sewing machines, focused on men's suits, jackets and trousers. Output scaled quickly through the postwar decades: around 200,000 suits a year by the early 1950s, one million by 1970, and 1.5 million by 1975, making 'Bytom' a recognized name for suiting during the Polish People's Republic era. The company has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 1 January 1995. The brand continues to operate today, still associated with suits manufactured in Poland, and is sold through its own stores and shopping-center locations across the country.