Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235, S10), based in Avenel, New Jersey, has acquired full-service European corporate apparel supplier Lynka, headquartered in Krakow, Poland. The acquisition, first reported on Friday in a PPB Newslink Breaking News alert, makes Vantage the largest global supplier and decorator of corporate apparel, offering decoration services worldwide, according to a news release. Known for its multi-brand wholesale apparel and merchandise, Lynka will also inventory Vantage’s core product assortment; making way for global uniform programs which have been growing markets for the two companies over the past five years.
“Our partnership with Lynka will allow distributors with global customers to achieve consistency in both top-quality apparel and decoration that have been a pinnacle of achievement for both companies through the years,” says Ira Neaman, MAS, CEO of Vantage Apparel (above left). “I’m proud to bring Vantage’s reputation in superior decoration and back-office technology services to the world stage.”
Speaking to PPB Newslink, Neaman adds, “John Lynch founded Lynka much as I founded Vantage, this is Vantage’s first expansion outside the U.S. This will also be the first time Vantage products will be inventoried in Europe—specifically Poland. Core Inventory should be available early 2022.”
Lynka’s leadership will remain intact with founder and shareholder John Lynch, a New Jersey native, at the helm as president. He will lead the more than 250-member team in Poland, which services customers across 25 countries in Europe including the UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, and Central and Eastern Europe.
“I have personally known Vantage for well over a decade,” says Lynch (above right). “Whenever we shared war stories over the years, Ira and I always agreed that Vantage and Lynka are remarkably similar companies—our unique one-stop-shop solution, our top-notch decoration, and in particular, our approach to business including our core values. I can’t imagine a better partner than Vantage for the future.”
Like Vantage, Lynka is known for its award-winning embellishment, having won more awards for decoration than any other European apparel company. It is one of the very few WRAP- (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) certified apparel manufacturers in Europe, ensuring safe, compliant and environmentally friendly practices.
Since being founded in 1992, Lynka has decorated more than 85 million garments, reportedly more than any other EU company. Having recently relocated to a modern 100,000 square-foot decoration and logistics facility outside of Krakow, Lynka offers a wide range of decoration methods including screen print, embroidery, transfer-print, sublimation and direct-to-garment digital printing.
