A Two-Decade Journey in Women’s Fashion
Interview with Grzegorz Kwinta, Head of the Board of Directors
For more than two decades, Moodo has focused on delivering everyday, classic fashion for women aged 30 to 65. Now, after establishing a strong wholesale presence across Central and Southern Europe, the Polish brand is entering a new phase – launching franchise stores beyond its home market for the first time. In an interview with European Business, Grzegorz Kwinta, Head of the Board of Directors, reflects on this pivotal year and the strategy that has driven Moodo’s success over the past two decades.
European Business: Mr. Kwinta, for the past 20 years, Moodo has stood for everyday and classic fashion. What lies at the heart of your business – and who are your target customers?
Grzegorz Kwinta: Our approach is fundamentally people-centric. Every collection we create is designed with our customers in mind. We focus closely on their needs, aiming to develop clothing that makes them feel comfortable in a wide range of settings – at the office, at social gatherings, and at home. Collections are built around the idea of “everyday fashion & classic,” which perfectly reflects the brand’s character and its mission—to dress women for every occasion while truly understanding their needs and lifestyle. At MOODO, tailoring is redefined: blazers, shirts, and full suit sets are designed to be both comfortable and elegant, proving that style and ease can go hand in hand without compromising sophistication. When designing new collections, we typically have two brand personas in mind: “Anne,” aged 30 to 45, and “Eve,” aged 45 to 65. Some time ago, we brought these concepts to life in a “mother-and-daughter” photo campaign that highlighted the combination of style, comfort, and sustainability that defines our brand.
European Business: Since Moodo was founded in 2006, your company has evolved significantly—less in its core philosophy, but more in its distribution channels, markets, and logistics.
Grzegorz Kwinta: In 2005, together with our co-founders, Arkadiusz and Przemysław, we traveled to various countries, signing our first sourcing contracts. That marked the beginning of Moodo as a wholesale business. Over the course of some time, however, we recognized that the market was changing rapidly. While we have never abandoned our wholesale operations – we continue to distribute across Central and Southern Europe that way – we opened our first franchise stores in Poland as early as 2007, setting us on the path we are on today. Just a year later, we also implemented the first version of the ERP system we still rely on, which has been a cornerstone of our operational development.
European Business: Most brands rely exclusively on franchise retail. Why did Moodo choose to maintain its wholesale business?
Grzegorz Kwinta: Wholesale has been instrumental in building our presence internationally. While identifying the right agents across Europe can be challenging, this channel has allowed us to establish visibility in markets where we might not otherwise have been able to operate. Now, we feel ready to take the next step. This year and next, we are opening our first franchise stores outside Poland – starting in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Athens, Greece, where we have already built strong brand recognition through wholesale. At the same time, we continue to invest in increasing our visibility across all markets.
European Business: What lessons have you learned as an entrepreneur over the years?
Grzegorz Kwinta: We are a team of hard workers, and we learn something new every day. One of the most important lessons for me has been the value of listening - both to our customers and to each other. This has helped us build not just a team, but a company with a strong, family-like spirit. Ultimately, everyone at Moodo contributes to our success. Without their commitment and passion for serving our customers, we would not have achieved the growth we have seen. Over the past 20 years, we have undergone numerous changes from evolving our distribution strategies to relocating our headquarters in 2014, rebranding our logo, and launching our e-commerce operations. There may have been moments when we could have moved more aggressively to expand our brand across Europe. However, I believe it is better and less risky to grow in a measured, disciplined way. A good example is our recent omnichannel integration. If a customer cannot find the right size in-store, they can now order it directly from our central warehouse and have it delivered quickly. This is a step that enhances both customer experience and operational efficiency.
European Business: How challenging has your growth journey been, and what have you learned from it?
Grzegorz Kwinta: To be honest, it has never been easy. Like many successful companies in Poland, we started out as a family business and remained one until last year, when Arkadiusz and Przemysław Szyszko sold their shares to the investment fund Omikron Capital. Importantly, this has not changed our day-to-day operations or our core values. If anything, it has reinforced our commitment to getting our processes right, even if it sometimes takes time for those changes to be fully understood and embraced internally. Whenever we introduced new systems or process improvements, there was naturally some initial hesitation. But once our teams experienced the benefits the value became clear, and we were able to take the next step and grow further. That philosophy will continue to guide us. Our 20th anniversary this year is not only a significant milestone in the company’s history, but above all a new beginning—for both our employees and our customers. We have many exciting initiatives ahead of us in the coming months, and we can’t wait.