A new generation of Hungarian designers amazed the Milan Fashion Week’s audience

Hungarian designers debuted at the Milano Fashion Week for the tenth time, marking a milestone. Under the five-years strategic cooperation between the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA), six Hungarian brands appeared under the Budapest Select umbrella brand. At the opening of the CNMI Fashion Hub, the audience could see the presentations of BORBALA, PINETIME CLOTHING, and UNREALINDUSTRY. As part of the Budapest Select collective fashion show, KATA SZEGEDI, THEFOUR, and ZSIGMOND presented their Spring/Summer 2024 collections only a few metres from the Milan Cathedral in the prestigious Palazzo Reale.

“We are proud of our five years of successful professional partnership with the CNMI. It is a fantastic opportunity for Hungarian designers to debut at the Milano Fashion Week, which increases their international visibility in an efficient and targeted way. We are enhancing this with the Budapest Select umbrella brand, and, in our experience, they are recognised each season, and there is an ever-growing interest in them. The fact that a few weeks after the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, the international media and buyers focus on Hungarian designers again supports Hungary’s regional fashion industry position and contributes to building the national brand image” – emphasised Zsófia Jakab, the HFDA’s CEO.

The audience could encounter Hungarian designers’ collections at two venues. At the opening of the CNMI Fashion Hub on the 19^th of September 2023, the presentations of three brands, BORBALA, PINETIME CLOTHING, and UNREALINDUSTRY, attracted the representatives of the profession and those interested in fashion to the prestigious Palazzo dei Giureconsulti. The Budapest Select collective fashion show was realised in the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), an illustrious venue right beside the Milan Cathedral, on the 20^th of September 2023. Nearly 300 people viewed the Spring/Summer 2024 collections of KATA SZEGEDI, THEFOUR, and ZSIGMOND at the venue, also broadcast live by the Chamber for Italian Fashion online.

“It is of utmost importance for us to provide opportunities for the new generation of Hungarian designers both domestically and internationally. Fashion designers presenting at the Milano Fashion Week continuously develop their brands and push the boundaries of creativity. They are characterised by a greater sense of responsibility and a different vision than their predecessors, and it has a visible effect on their brand-building goals, for instance, in the context of sustainability or diversity. They are all characterised by freshness, openness to innovative solutions, bringing a new perspective to fashion. In addition to shared features, each brand has its distinct, typical style, due to which Budapest Select could speak to a wide audience” – summarised Anita Forintos-Szűcs, the Agency’s Deputy General Managing Director.

The Hungarian brands that appeared at the Budapest Central European Fashion Week on the first weekend of September were surrounded by considerable professional attention in Milan as well. Carlo Capasa, CNMI’s President, participated in the presentations and the Budapest Select collective show; the legendary Suzy Menkes, former editor of VOGUE International, viewed Hungarian designers’ works in the Fashion Hub; and Sara Maino, creative consultant of Conde Nast Italia, watched the fashion show from the first row. In addition to Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf, buyers from the Swiss Hay-Hay Concept, Sari Spazio Showroom, and Tomorrow, as well as Gianna Trevisan, a representative of Wfylab showroom, visited the Fashion HUB and the fashion shows; moreover, Camera Buyers and Camera Showroom also participated in Budapest Select programmes. Spazio 38 Showroom and Daad Dantone, where you can currently find Hungarian designers’ collections, and Sugar also expressed interest in Hungarian brands. The largest Italian television, Rai International, filmed the collective fashion show, and the most important Italian fashion magazines, including Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Fashion United, reported on the Budapest Select programme.

In addition to the designers exhibiting under the Budapest Select umbrella brand, PELSO presented its newest pieces in an individual event. The brand held its presentation of the Botanical Chronicles collection at a spectacular location, the garden of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan.

The strategic partnership with the CNMI, signed in 2018 then extended for another three years in 2021, aims to facilitate Hungarian fashion designers’ entrance to the international scene. As part of the collaboration, the joint international mentoring programme offers domestic designers the possibility to gain indispensable professional and business knowledge and to appear at the Milano Fashion Week. 

The Budapest Select umbrella brand created by the Agency, based on international practice, provided an even more intensive total effect with the potency of a unified look, while brands’ individual characteristics also prevailed and impressed the professionals visiting the Milan event.

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About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was founded in 2018 to support every actor in the fashion and design industry in an efficient and structured way, following predetermined strategic pillars: professional coordination, enhancing Hungarian brands’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise its goals, HFDA organises domestic events each year, such as the region’s major fashion event, the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, or the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which has received international awards. Besides, they provide Hungarian creators opportunities for participation and debuting at international professional events such as the Milano Fashion Week or the Maison&Objet and the Milan Design Week design fairs. Their primary tasks include strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with their mentoring programmes.