Eleven years ago they opened an English dictionary and “rejoice” was the first word that caught their attention. That’s exactly what the Venkrbec brothers, Libor,31, and Roman, 34, felt like doing at the time and what they decided would be a good name for the company they were dreaming about. They both like outdoor trips and they weren’t happy about the local lack of suitable, comfortable clothes they knew from their trips abroad. So they ended up making the checkered pants with knee and seat patches themselves. Rejoice today ranks highly among local brands of leisure clothing on the Czech market and has become the symbol of one whole generation. What’s so special about the “outdoor pants” that elite cyclists and mountain climbers sometimes look down upon? “They don’t bind and there is a daisy decoration on them,” said Libor Venkrbec.
Asian compliment
He is sitting behind a table in the room with a colourful sign that says “the office”, looking like he would much rather be somewhere in the mountains. Beneath his baseball cap his blue eyes lit up every time the conversation turns to an outdoor activity. Libor Venkrbec knows exactly what his target group looks like as he and his brother basically create a brand that fits their needs.
They made the first set of some 70 pairs of pants with the help of their mother and a sewer and distributed it to shops by themselves by car. Today, a delivery truck distributes several hundreds of pairs of pants and T-shirts with a daisy logo from their warehouse in Batelov in the Jihlava area every day. Their sales last year grew to CZK 90 million and they are opening the eighteenth brand shop these days. Is this the business they were dreaming about? “I can’t tell, it caught on, I guess,” said Libor. What he considers to be proof of their success, though, is that their Chinese competitors have started copying Rejoice products (a court is dealing with two complaints at the moment).
The brothers complement each other in a unique way: the older Roman is more of a bohemian, who creates new patterns, images and graphic designs, while the younger Libor is good at maintaining the company’s finance and organisation structure. “If it wasn’t for me and brother being in charge of the company, we would have gone bankrupt long ago. We have disputes almost every day but we solve them in half an hour and go for a beer,” said Libor. Their mother also works for the company, dealing with expedition. While years ago she was only in charge of linen pants with joyful patterns, now she controls dozens of T-shirts, sport jackets, shorts, dresses, backpacks and hats.
Biking, backpacking
The generation of “Rejoice” fans is aging along with the company. The 20-year-old nature and sports enthusiasts are now 30-year-old parents, who push baby carriages outside, wearing T-shirts with a daisy logo. “We try to keep our product line unchanged with only additional supplies. You will always find your favourite model even if you come back several years later,” said Libor Venkrbec, waiter and cook by profession. You can wear ordinary sweatpants when going for a hike, but the daisy logo is a lifestyle, he says. People who buy high-quality technical outdoor gear often make fun of them, but the flower logo fans are easy going and open minded and the shop owners seem to be the same way: they enjoy playing football and volleyball, biking, rock climbing and playing guitar.
The company owners reinvest their profits back in the business. They spend the money they make on travelling to destinations such as India, Mongolia and the Tatras. “The goal is to make everything work, so we don’t have to deal with routine management problems,” said Roman.
The company follows several golden rules: no advertising, outstanding customer service and products always available in stock. The brothers rely on word of mouth spread by their customers about the product; they’re not interested in advertising on highway billboards. They also make sure there are no more than two shops selling their cloths in medium-size towns. They strictly refuse invitations to social events such as company of the year awards. “You eat canapés and make smalltalk. I would rather eat “rajská” (beef in tomato sauce) at home,” said Libor. What upsets him especially is when a rich businessman arrives in Batelov, expecting priority treatment and lower prices: “We’re trying to treat everyone the same way: a factory worker is our client just like anybody else.”
This fair approach is threatened by external pressure, however. The pressure to increase wholesale prices is growing due to bigger margins and the company had to move 20% of its production to India and China as a result. In reaction to the move, the owners received a number of annoyed letters from their disappointed clients. “I don’t like to say it, but we have to move the production east as the price pressure is really high. But we may be able to move the production back home because of the crisis,” said Libor as waving from the door. On the door, there is a hand-painted sign with the opening hours from 6am till 2pm and a note saying: “You know, we also need a break”. The break is to renew energy in the mountains, on a bike, in the water or in a tent.
