Juraj "Zajo" Králik: We found a long-term vision

For ZAJO, 2019 was a year of beautiful experiences, significant changes, but also challenging decisions. And who would reflect on these intense 12 months better than the man behind it all, who in 1996 kicked off the great story of our brand?

We sat down with our owner Juraj Králik for coffee and asked how he saw 2019, but also what we can look forward to in 2020.

How was 2019 for ZAJO?

We managed to complete our retail network in Slovakia, together with the decision that the eleventh store will be in the emerging shopping center Stanica Nivy. We have also added two "experimental" stores in Brno and Prague, and one in Zagreb, Croatia on a partner basis.

It was also a year of growth. This year we managed to grow by 30%, we accepted several new clothing designers into the production team and expanded our marketing team. The entire structure of the company has been formed,  so we are fully prepared for further growth and our long-term vision.

This is related to the fact that we have taken several important decisions for the future this year. We no longer have only short-term goals; we have found a long-term vision.

For me, it is crucial that thanks to the structure, I do not have to be part of the daily operation, but I can look at things with ease. I spend less time in the company, but paradoxically, I feel I am more beneficial for the brand this way.

What was the most crucial moment of the year for you personally?

It was a realization that we managed to assemble an excellent team that can work independently and is not dependent on anyone, even me. People are the most potent force, and I am always glad when we manage to get people on the team who are professional in their way.

Let me give you an example, today I tried our improved jacket Reykjavik, which we are working for the next season. Those people have been working on it for months, and I saw her for the first time today. And the jacket was great. We have outstanding people who can work together. Decisions are no longer up to me.

Was there any moment that grieved you in 2019? Would you change something?

I think not. Negative things are happening, but they are here to learn from them. Any negative experience can be turned into a chance. If I would change something, it would be to care less about the negatives.

I'm not angry with anything for the whole year.

You are talking about plans and visions, what are your expectations by 2020 and what our customers and fans can look forward to?

This year we have made one thing clear - there is no need for us to expand our product range. So we will not make a lot of new products, but we will focus on making our existing products even more beautiful, better in terms of quality and more functional.

The second priority is our employees. We want to learn and train a lot in 2020 so that the customer not only finds a top product at the store but also gets top service.

Finally, 2020 will also be mainly about the preparations for our 25th anniversary, which will come in 2021, and for which we are about to make significant changes. We have started already, preparing the RETRO collection with students of clothing design from Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, and since this cooperation has proved successful, we certainly want to give skilled students space for implementation and allow them to be part of the process next year.

I believe that what we are preparing will be a pleasant shock to people.

What would you like to wish for fans and customers for the New Year?

Many safe returns home from the mountains so that they can tell us their stories in stores :-)