I first got to know Pan tu nie stał (‘you weren’t standing here’ – the name comes from the People’s Republic of Poland tradition of queuing everywhere to get your ration), a Polish clothing company while looking for a gift for one of my fellow Spotters, Kyra. Now I’ve found out that the shop is not only an online company, but has also opened their first shop in Warsaw.

They sell mostly clothing (from pants to scarves), but also bags, pins and notebooks. Special are their t-shirts with witty texts describing the reality in Polish (e.g. zołza = bitch, sanatorium, słodycze = sweets, tarapaty = trouble, kura domowa = housewife etc.). Wearing their t-shirt has become a way of manifesting tastes and views for some people. All their items are also available in the online shop.

Pan tu nie stał is the author of a famous Polish t-shirt with “Dziadostwo” written on it. Dziadostwo means trash, crap, and is used to describe a bad situation. Another one is “Działka moje hobby” (garden plot is my hobby) that is aimed at encouraging people to go back to maintaining garden plots and being self-sufficient when it comes to veg and fruit – a trend that is really developing by young tennants who also buy plots for themselves.

In the meantime there are PTNS shops also in Łódź, Kraków and Wrocław. Not sure what to buy? Get an inspiration from the bestsellers’ list.