Images Magazine November 18

IS DECORATOR PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 36 images NOVEMBER 2018 continue to develop and flourish. “We had to carry all the boxes up the stairs,“ explains managing director Zsolt. “And the space was very, very tight – we couldn‘t have installed a third automatic machine in there, and we had the screens on rails attached to the ceiling.“ Fifth Column may now be situated a few miles further north, near Tottenham Marshes, but its colourful company sign, the plants outside the print shop and the racks of clothing and eclectic furniture in the office – not to mention its position right next door to a brewery – give the impression that a small part of Kentish Town was transported along with the screen printing carousels and dryers. A corridor leading from the office has a long window overlooking the factory floor, and it‘s here that the quirky design studio identity gives way to a modern, efficient industrial operation. Three MHM carousels revolve at top speed, printing an endless supply of garments, while a stream of long- sleeved tops pours out of an Adelco dryer and staff calmly and efficiently move around the machinery. It’s a highly organised production space, with an ink department that must rank as one of the tidiest that Images has ever seen. I t’s five years since Fifth Column moved from its much-loved, although fairly impractical, home above Kentish Town tube station to an industrial estate in Tottenham Hale, but the artistic, punky, ‘NW1’ vibe that has helped to define the company since it began printing in 1977 is still palpable. Fifth Column came into being 41 years ago when a group of friends – Cat Santos, Pedro Santos, Sodge Adams, Chris Townsend and Robin Richards – began designing and printing now-iconic punk rock T-shirts for bands including X-Ray Spex, The Clash, The Jam and The Damned and selling them outside shows. In the beginning, they did everything by hand: the artwork was created on paper and then photographed or cut from rubylith film to make the positives, and the prints were cured at a laundrette on Kilburn High Road, where the shirts were bunged in the tumble dryer for half an hour. Kentish Town, with its vibrant music scene and proximity to the world- famous Camden Market, was a natural setting for the company. After 35 years, however, rent increases and lack of space meant that it was time to find a new home if the business was to Fifth Column has long been known as the punk rock print shop with a social conscience. Images talks to its management team about business development and the importance of remaining ethical and transparent London calling Management buyout As well as its change of premises the company has also changed its management and ownership, with Zsolt Petrik, Zoltan Hajduk (joint- managing director) and Damian Rys (production manager) having completed a management buyout in January last year. The trio knew precisely what they were buying into, as they all had worked their way up through the company’s ranks, starting with packing jobs in the warehouse. This experience gives them an extensive understanding of all aspects of the business along with a hands-on approach: on the day Images visited, the three of them were back on the factory floor, happily helping out the production team, covering staff sickness and holidays. For all their experience, it was still a nerve-racking decision to go ahead with the management buyout, admits Zsolt, and it still is at times. But that hasn‘t stopped them from pushing ahead with their ambitious investment and growth plans. The first part of the plan when they took over was to increase Fifth Column’s customer base. In the early days the Printed garments coming off the new Pro-Cure dryer from Adelco The c ompany m o v ed to To ttenha m i n 2 01 3