Of course, these three things are not at all related, but at Topgal they all kind of met. The link is the person of Topgal's founder Radek Brynda. He joined the school in Zábřeh as a physics teacher at the end of the 1980s. In order to add something to his teaching salary, he started to destroy masonry. At the end of the 1980s he got a trade for masonry work and soon afterwards he hung up his teaching job. Later, when an interesting opportunity arose in the leather goods business, he did not hesitate to take it.

"When the republic was divided, there was a leather haberdashery production in Olomouc and a wholesale in Liptovský Mikuláš. The border separated the production from the wholesale and in Olomouc there was an accumulation of production that needed to be sold," recalls Radek Brynda about the beginnings of his successful business.

It was then that the history of Topgal began to be written. What does the name actually mean? Top as top, gal as haberdashery. The company registered under this trademark in the trade register at the turn of September and October 1993, exactly 30 years ago. Two years later, it also registered its name as a trademark.

Now you're probably thinking, "What leather goods? Topgal is school backpacks." But customers had to wait five more years for those (see 1998). The wholesale of shoes, leather goods, backpacks, bags and other accessories was initially complemented by a retail store on Šternberské náměstí, Obuv Brynda & Zieger.

Thus began the admirable story of a successful brand that is now synonymous with the most popular school backpacks. The story of a physics teacher with a bricklayer's forte who was and still is very fond of shoes.

It sounds a bit unbelievable, but this category of goods simply did not exist in the Czech Republic. In fact, we don't even know if it existed anywhere abroad. The internet was still in its infancy and business contacts with foreign countries were minimal.

"Customers have occasionally mentioned in passing that schoolchildren would be interested in our simple backpack if only we would modify it a bit. This led me to the idea that there was a lack of a school backpack on the market." This is how Radek Brynda, owner of Topgal, remembers the discovery of the school backpack.

And that's how Topgal invented the school backpack for the Czech market. The first designs were created on his knee, with paper, pencil and a fabric swatch in his hand. The prototypes saw the light of day in 1997, and a year later the first two- and three-chamber school backpacks were produced. In the beginning, the workshop was able to produce about 1,000 to 1,500 pieces a year, but demand was already several times higher then.

The backpacks met the parameters of the original standard for school briefcases (CSN 79 6506) from the very beginning. We also immediately established cooperation with the Institute for Testing and Certification in Zlín (ITC). Our backpacks have been tested and are still being tested there today. In cooperation with ITC we continuously improve their parameters and utility properties.

How was the first school backpack different from the one we have today? For example, it didn't have a reinforced back. Only a sheet of foam was used for support. It was completely made of chushtak, which the owner of the company personally drove to Lomnice nad Popelkou in his Škoda Favorit. The first backpacks already had, for example, a pocket for a bottle, and also the company logo on the zipper pull, by which you can safely recognize them even today.

By the way, did you recognize what our logo symbolizes? It's a snail with its horns sticking out. His backpack, the shell, protects him safely. He looks ahead and moves slowly but steadily towards his goal. Despite all the obstacles that come his way.

Were you lucky? You have no reason to be! Sure, the Made in China label evokes feelings of contempt or at least an ironic smile. But this is a typical prejudice. A stereotype that some businessmen have cultivated in us. And there were/are not a few of them.

That business cooperation with a Chinese partner can be done on a high level, producing high quality and at the same time being absolutely fair to the people involved in the production, Topgal convinces you of that.

"In 1995, I had a company with thirty sewing machines and found that I had nowhere to take on more staff to expand production. So I started looking for suppliers in China," recalls Radek Brynda, founder of Topgal.

He built the cooperation on an equal relationship and partnership, which was a welcome change for his Chinese partners from the usually superior behaviour of most European and American traders.

The result is a stable partner that has been supplying our products for 23 years. We know exactly who makes them and in what environment. We can interfere in production and influence the results. Our partner understands that mutual success and future orders are dependent on quality from which there is no escape. We are also allowed to manufacture abroad by the rules of the Czech Quality Certification, of which our brand is proud.

Our customers already know that manufacturing in Asia does not necessarily mean delivering a poor quality or bad product. During this time, business partnerships have become personal and friendly relationships, and step by step and year by year, we are working to make them even stronger and our products even better. After all, that is what you are used to with us.

We were one of the first to offer our products on the Internet. Definitely the very first in the range of school backpacks. And that actually saved us. Between the time we famously developed school backpacks and the launch of the e-shop, we had a period of great difficulty.

What happened? We bet on working with the big chains and looked forward to years of plenty. But it didn't come! We were not prepared for their conditions, pressure and business practices. Our success to date was slowly unravelling and Topgal was starting to look like a sinking ship. Only the captain and his most loyal men remained.

We knew from the beginning that if we wanted to succeed, we had to focus on perfect customer service. And it worked!

We launched a simpler website back in 2003 and we were one of the first swallows in Czech waters. A year later, we started selling online and by January 2005 we had 54 orders from the e-shop. At that time we considered it a great success, today we reach this number in 30 minutes in the high season. We had a great overview because every time we placed an order, a message beeped on our mobile phone. But then the phones started beeping day and night.

Thanks to internet sales, we got back on our feet after a few years of hardship. We became the number one on the Czech market and in 2009-2013 we continuously reigned in the ShopRoku poll announced by Heureka. Our snail overcame this obstacle and its shell grew a lot bigger again.

We did really well here, so why not show off. In 2007, our CHI 550 backpack won the independent dTest. The editors tested 12 school backpacks from different brands for the quality of materials, performance, design and the impact on children's health. We sold several thousand of these backpacks. And it is not only this new experience that has made us all the more focused on further product improvement. We have been able to repeat a similar success in 2020. Our student backpack won the Mladá fronta DNES test against 15 other brands.

Czech Television joined the backpack testing in its programme "Black Sheep". The 2007 episode can be found in the CT archive under the title: School Backpack Testing.

In 2009, we invented and for the first time held the Enrolment with Topgal event. We offered all Czech primary schools small gifts for future first graders, which were then distributed at enrolment. More than a thousand schools joined us in the first year. In the next two years, the number increased to 1,500. In four years, we gave out about 1,000,000 gifts to new schoolchildren and delighted an estimated 300,000.

And what happened around us in the meantime? Sometime in late 2008, the global financial crisis broke and our customers read in the media that people would stop buying. So they stopped buying. Did you know that Chinese has the same character for crisis as it does for opportunity? We've gone even deeper into online sales and improved customer service. We were the first to package backpacks in custom gift sets, which came with a cover letter and information on how to care for the backpack. Our new claims service offered an immediate replacement for every backpack claimed... We turned a crisis into an opportunity. Our online sales increased by hundreds of percent.

As boastful as the headline sounds, we are entitled to it. If only because we are the first school backpack brand in our country that can use the Czech Quality label. We received the certificate of the national programme for the promotion of quality Czech products and services in 2015. The label can only be used by Czech manufacturers who repeatedly meet the strict conditions of certification, and Topgal is one of them. Simply put, the Czech Quality certification guarantees that you are not buying a rabbit in a bag.

The high quality and practicality of our backpacks are Topgal's biggest competitive advantage. A good school backpack not only has to look good, but also be practical, durable, safe, and above all - as light as possible on the back of schoolchildren. How important is a well-designed back system, the location, shape and adjustability of straps, various buckles, or proper weight distribution is a real science. This has been confirmed by leading Czech physiotherapists and musculoskeletal experts with whom we cooperate in the development of backpacks. A good quality backpack will significantly reduce the risk of poor back development, as long as it is not worn on one shoulder only.

The durability of our backpacks is also renowned. Not only do they run in families, but they often pass from children to their dads - mechanics, handymen, fishermen... Even then, they don't end up in a landfill. We already have a nice collection of photos of homeless people with slightly tatty Topgal backpacks on their backs. Friends and some customers send them to us. And they're not just from us. We also have a few pictures from various countries in Europe.

Although the look of the backpacks is the responsibility of a creative designer who follows the latest trends in design, colours or popular motifs, in the end Topgal always consults its products with those who wear them. Children. And what motifs are the hottest? Lately, PixelArt has been on top. About 25,000 backpacks have been sold with this motif. But animals have been the long-time leader.

After several years of dynamic development of our, mainly internet, business, we have finally made a move and built a new headquarters. It may have taken 8 years from intention to action, but since 2015 we have been based in a modern building that has everything we need. A modern and comfortable working environment, a warehouse space adapted to the needs of shipping and a branded shop.

We invited renowned street art artists to the grand opening and had them paint the then still boringly grey warehouse hall as part of the Topgal Streetart Show. Over 250 square metres of space was covered with art by Pariz One, Mr. Dheo, Chemis and Pauser. The only thing missing was Banksy 😊. At that time (and for a long time afterwards) it was the largest mural painting in the Czech Republic.

The architect designed the building in such a way that another hall could be added and attached if necessary. This solution was prescient. Because we will probably be growing in 2025.

This painted building stands in Šternberk, on Nádražní Street, just a few metres from the train station. Most of our colleagues are from Šternberk and the surrounding area, and the owner of the company, Radek Brynda, is also from here.

As a boy he lived not far from where the Topgal building stands today. He remembers that in the 1970s there were gardens and a meadow where he used to go with his friends to play football, fly kites, ride bicycles and sledge in winter. Looking out of his bedroom window at the time, he probably never imagined that the most colourful company with the most colourful backpacks would be standing there.

At thirty, you’ve gathered a lot of experience – and still have the energy and drive to make the most of it. It’s the same with Topgal. We’ve been through our fair share of ups and downs, but every challenge has taught us something and opened up new opportunities.

A recent marketing survey revealed that 38% of Czechs think of a school backpack when they hear the name Topgal. We're incredibly proud of that - and we're working hard to grow that number. Our goal is to stay the number one school backpack brand in the Czech and Slovak markets, and to climb the rankings in other European countries as well. Maybe it sounds ambitious – but we believe it’s better to aim high and fall short than to settle for goals that don’t challenge us.

And what does a 30-year-old Topgal look like today?

He’s a bit of a patriot – still living in Šternberk, where he feels right at home and isn’t planning on moving anytime soon.

In a modern building once adorned with the largest mural in the Czech Republic, 14 team members work side by side. He also has four colleagues in Rožňava, Slovakia, and three in Cieszyn, Poland.

He’s about to expand – another production hall is in the works. Things are going well, and he’s growing steadily – but staying in shape.

Topgal stays youthful and strong. He has his own in-house designer, consults regularly with top physiotherapists, and gets checked up by the Testing and Certification Institute in Zlín. Over the past 30 years, he’s sent nearly 2 million backpacks out into the world. And he’s looking forward to the next 30 years just as much.

Topgal’s founder Radek Brynda sums it up best: “I’ve always felt a kind of childlike joy.When a child opens our backpack, their eyes should light up.School is the first big milestone in life – and we get to be part of that moment.”