WARSAW, Poland – At Polish tech company Intiaro, one team member is quietly reshaping the narrative around textile waste, one handmade pillow at a time.
Marta Maska, a data analyst for the company, has taken upcycling to new heights by handcrafting pillows, tote bags, zippered pouches and even dog beds from upholstery fabric samples. The fabric samples sent by luxury furniture manufacturers to Intriaro are essential to the company’s core offering: 3D product visualizations that capture the tactile essence of each piece.
“I started noticing the shelves filling with gorgeous fabric samples that were no longer needed after the digitalization,” Maska said. “It felt like such a waste to let them gather dust and eventually be disposed of, so I decided to make something with them – even though I had never sewn anything before.”
Maska, who has a doctorate in literature in with a concentration in Japanese arts and culture, said she saw beauty, art and craft in those fabrics. Though she had never sewn before embarking on this project, her academic background and artistic perspective gave her a unique lens through which to see potential.
Using a 40-year-old sewing machine originally purchased by her mother during communist-era Poland – a time when essential goods were rare and often bought on impulse – Maska has handcrafts more than 100 items over the past year. She has donated all of them to community centers or gifted them to someone in need of a smile.
“If you understand about Polish culture, you know it is not so easy to make people smile. The pillows and nice fabrics can often bring a smile,” Maska added.
Company co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Michal Stachowski said Maska embodies the kind of innovation Intiaro pursues with a passion.
“Her creativity and initiative fit well with the broader industry priorities around sustainability and community impact – and it’s deeply personal,” he said. “That the kind of passion that resonates, both internally and with our partners.”
