One school project, a festival full of dancers, and a single clever bag sparked an idea that would travel across borders.
The brand’s story began amid the festive rhythm of the Latvian National Song and Dance Festival. Then 17-year-old Kristiāns Lancmanis, couldn’t help but notice a recurring problem: performers struggling to protect their intricate, handmade costumes during travel. Garment bags were either too generic, too flimsy, or simply didn't exist for the specific needs of traditional dancers.
Seeing a real need for a product, he was inspired to create.
What started as a simple 11th-grade school project, became the foundation of Lancman Bags – now a leading garment producer in the Baltics, shipping custom-sewn protective bags to dancers, singers, and business travelers across the 20 countries.
When Kristiāns presented his custom-made garment bag as his school project, it became clear that he had created a solution for a niche but passionate group of customers.
The concept resonated and impressed. In 2015, the young brand earned 2nd place in the European Student Company finals, standing out among hundreds of projects from across the continent.This marked the beginning of a journey that would turn a school project into one of the Baltics’ most recognisable custom garment bag producers.
Identifying a customer group is one thing, but truly understanding their needs is another. As Lancman Bags began to gain traction, Kristians Lancmanis realised that the first prototype was only the starting point. Festival performers eagerly shared their suggestions and Kristiāns listened.
''By taking into account the specific needs and behaviours of dancers and singers, we incorporated several small yet crucial elements into our product that make a real difference for our users.'' / Kristians Lancmanis, Founder of Lancman Bags
Today’s product reflects this evolution. It includes a removable, padded pocket designed for items like sheet music and jewellery, a pocket that cleverly doubles as a seating pad, as well as dedicated compartments for shoes and other thoughtful details.
Together, these features make the bag a reliable, well-designed companion for dancers and singers who travel with their performance costumes.
Today, Lancman Bags products are used daily by more than 200 dance groups and choirs, traveling safely to over 20 countries.
Over the past two years, the brand has grown into a strong and steadily expanding e-commerce business. With the launch of their own Shopify store, Lancman Bags has focused on reaching new export markets and refining the online purchasing experience.
Their streamlined checkout is a great example of thoughtful design in action – clean, intuitive, and fast, without the clutter of long, outdated parcel-locker lists that burden many mobile users. Instead, the buying experience feels as polished and efficient as the products themselves.
''We are truly happy with Swotzy's latest automation, which not only imports all our purchases but also automatically finds the closest parcel locker to the customer's specified address.''
Swotzy unites popular shipping carriers under one, free shipping platform.
With Swotzy, you get:
✔ An intuitive, easy-to-use interface
✔ Instant rate comparison across multiple shipping carriers
✔ Up to 70% savings on international deliveries
✔ Quick and friendly customer support
✔ E-commerce, API, and Webhook integrations
✔ No contracts, commitments, or minimum volumes
You can start shipping right now. There are no setup fees and no monthly subscriptions.
The brand’s story began amid the festive rhythm of the Latvian National Song and Dance Festival. Then 17-year-old Kristiāns Lancmanis, couldn’t help but notice a recurring problem: performers struggling to protect their intricate, handmade costumes during travel. Garment bags were either too generic, too flimsy, or simply didn't exist for the specific needs of traditional dancers.
Seeing a real need for a product, he was inspired to create.
What started as a simple 11th-grade school project, became the foundation of Lancman Bags – now a leading garment producer in the Baltics, shipping custom-sewn protective bags to dancers, singers, and business travelers across the 20 countries.
When Kristiāns presented his custom-made garment bag as his school project, it became clear that he had created a solution for a niche but passionate group of customers.
The concept resonated and impressed. In 2015, the young brand earned 2nd place in the European Student Company finals, standing out among hundreds of projects from across the continent.This marked the beginning of a journey that would turn a school project into one of the Baltics’ most recognisable custom garment bag producers.
Identifying a customer group is one thing, but truly understanding their needs is another. As Lancman Bags began to gain traction, Kristians Lancmanis realised that the first prototype was only the starting point. Festival performers eagerly shared their suggestions and Kristiāns listened.
''By taking into account the specific needs and behaviours of dancers and singers, we incorporated several small yet crucial elements into our product that make a real difference for our users.'' / Kristians Lancmanis, Founder of Lancman Bags
Today’s product reflects this evolution. It includes a removable, padded pocket designed for items like sheet music and jewellery, a pocket that cleverly doubles as a seating pad, as well as dedicated compartments for shoes and other thoughtful details.
Together, these features make the bag a reliable, well-designed companion for dancers and singers who travel with their performance costumes.
Today, Lancman Bags products are used daily by more than 200 dance groups and choirs, traveling safely to over 20 countries.
Over the past two years, the brand has grown into a strong and steadily expanding e-commerce business. With the launch of their own Shopify store, Lancman Bags has focused on reaching new export markets and refining the online purchasing experience.
Their streamlined checkout is a great example of thoughtful design in action – clean, intuitive, and fast, without the clutter of long, outdated parcel-locker lists that burden many mobile users. Instead, the buying experience feels as polished and efficient as the products themselves.
''We are truly happy with Swotzy's latest automation, which not only imports all our purchases but also automatically finds the closest parcel locker to the customer's specified address.''
Swotzy unites popular shipping carriers under one, free shipping platform.
With Swotzy, you get:
✔ An intuitive, easy-to-use interface
✔ Instant rate comparison across multiple shipping carriers
✔ Up to 70% savings on international deliveries
✔ Quick and friendly customer support
✔ E-commerce, API, and Webhook integrations
✔ No contracts, commitments, or minimum volumes
You can start shipping right now. There are no setup fees and no monthly subscriptions.
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