The Polish coffee scene has really been heating up recently, thanks to a lot of hard work by many eager young coffee pros in the country. As you can see in our recent guides to the cafes of Warsaw and greater Poland, this scene takes in a kaleidoscope of European coffee influences, but manages to synthesize it all into a unique aesthetic and sensibility, often with fun twists on established coffee tropes. One example comes from Hard Beans, a barista-founded clothing brand based in Opole, Poland, that has created a series of coffee-inspired tees as part of the Neige Tees streetwear brand.
Roman Buk of Hard Beans was kind enough to send us some of their playful, seriously coffee-geeky t-shirts. There’s no doubt about it, these shirts know a thing or two about coffee. Sprudge.com Co-Founder Zachary Carlsen recently did a photo-shoot, capturing vérité-style just what happened when these coffee-loving shirts were left alone in his Portland, OR apartment with unsuspecting local fuzzbutts Oyster and Erskine.
Mr Buk says that all of the clothing is “manufactured in Opole, in the company’s own sewing facility.” Around since 2013, Hard Beans has also produced official clothing for the Polish representatives at the World Coffee Events series of competitions, as well as for the Polish “Pro-Infusion Barista Challenge” league competitions.
Crossovers between coffee and fashion are becoming increasingly common, from capsule collections in Japan, to sturdy aprons in New Zealand. As global coffee culture becomes ever-more interconnected, the sharing of ideas and inspiration let trends catch on at lightning speed. Hard Beans themselves are already expanding into producing their own hand-made barista aprons, that increasingly ubiquitous tool of dapper baristas from Melbourne to Los Angeles to Berlin.
Hard Beans says they want to create shirts where the “imprints should easily get people’s attention, and make them interested to explore more about a good quality coffee.” They certainly got our attention.
You can snag some Hard Beans shirts for yourself via their webstore (now offering international shipping), or you can follow along with them on Facebook.