A trained locksmith from Bystrice pod Hostýnem, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Robert Slezak founded a small metal workshop in 1908. The workshop quickly grew, and in 1913 produced metal chairs. In 1931, it began the production of Bauhaus steel tube furniture such as the classic K10 by Mart Stam. Modern not only in the designs it offered, but also in the way they were sold, Slezak products were offered through catalogs and sold in a network of own branded shops in the most important towns in Chechoslovakia: Brno (1927), Olomouc (1933), Bratislava (1934) and Ostrava (1937). During Nazi occupation and World War II, the company had to produce ammunition for anti-aircraft guns and optical parts for Zeiss. After the end of WWII and the takeover of the communists, the factory was nationalized.