Hi, I am Grzesiek, I am involved in historical reconstruction of the Polish Army from the Polish-Bolshevik War period. For many years I did not belong to any re-enactment group, but I am currently active in GRH Bellum. Due to my multi-generational tailoring traditions, as a teenager I tried my hand at making uniform elements myself. At the beginning of 2016, a friend and I founded Intendents – a craft collective specialising in creating equipment for historical reconstructions of the First World War and the Polish-Bolshevik War. Initially, we created “small-scale” equipment, but over time we started to expand our portfolio. Today, our website presents uniforms, coats, dog tags, leather goods and even dummy weapons made using 3D printing technology. We are constantly trying to expand the scope of our activities in order to meet the requirements of even the most demanding reenactors. Our products have been appreciated not only in Poland, but also abroad: in the Czech Republic, Hungary and the United States.
American M1917 uniform
The M1917 uniform was used by the US Army during the First World War and by the Polish Army during the first years of independence. While in the US, I was able to acquire a well-preserved copy from the era, once belonging to an American Expeditionary Forces soldier. I immediately knew that I would want to copy it. Unfortunately, a lack of material stood in the way, and for over two years of constant searching I was unable to find a cloth that came close to the realities of the period. When WoolSome came into existence, I was immediately interested in their range. The WTV 27/02 fabric was a hit! All that was left to do was to buy the lining material and buttons and the production process could begin. We made the patterns for our copies of the M1917 uniforms digitally, based on the original period pieces we had. In addition to the cloth, we used cotton denim for the linings and cotton threads that still remember the GDR. As a result, we were able to make excellent uniforms, which have a good reputation among reenactors.
M1918 American coat
Another reproduction for which I used WTV 27/02 cloth was the M1918 coat used by the US Army at the end of the First World War and the Polish Army during the Polish-Bolshevik War. It was quite a distinctive coat as it was crudely made, in a maximally simplified manner. The pattern, based on the original, was computer-generated. I am the only European maker, who have a reproduction of this coat in portfolio.
Broadcloth used by Intendenty
Imperial Russian Army Greatcoat 1911
The Imperial Russian Army Greatcoat 1911 is one of newest designs from Intendents. We undertook it because the leading supplier of these coats in Europe had stopped producing them. Here, WWL 04/02 textile turned out to be ideal, although WWL 85/03 is also very good. After selecting the right hooks, buttons and linen for the lining, we were able to develop a faithful replica of the Imperial Russian Army Greatcoat. Again, the patterns were made diggitally. The result exceeded our expectations, which was largely due to the cloth used!