The cooperation between the Camera Nazionale della Moda and the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency reached a new level

202321February02:07

The strategic agreement concluded in 2018 by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) reached a new milestone. Hungarian designers debuting under the Budapest Select umbrella brand at the February Milano Fashion Week are featured twice in the Italian fashion week’s official schedule. Three brands, UNREALINDUSTRY, PINETIME CLOTHING, and ZSIGMOND will debut in a presentation format on Tuesday in the CNMI’s Fashion Hub. On Thursday, four Hungarian fashion designers – ABODI, CUKOVY, KATA SZEGEDI and THEFOUR – will showcase their newest collections to the audience on the runway in a collective fashion show at a new venue.

The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) have been in a strategic partnership since 2018, which was prolonged for another three years in December 2021. The collaboration aims to help Hungarian fashion designers to enter the international scene. A key part of the joint mentoring programme is the appearance at the Milano Fashion Week, where the chosen mentees can debut in front of the international public for the ninth time now between the 21st and the 27th of February, 2023.

This February, the collaboration reached a new level, the Hungarian brands received a bigger opportunity compared to previous seasons since the Budapest Select collective fashion show leaves the safety of the Fashion Hub building and will be held in a new, separate venue in Milan. ABODI, CUKOVY, KATA SZEGEDI and THEFOUR will present their autumn-winter 2023/24 collections on the 23rd of February, 2023, on the catwalk placed in the historic building of the Scuola Militare Teulié. The independent venue has a prestige value: it demonstrates the professional development of the mentored brands, which are mature enough for the international market, while also proving the increased interest in the Budapest Select umbrella brand collective at the Italian fashion week in recent years.

Another step forward is that other mentored brands got the opportunity to introduce their newest pieces to the international audience in the form of a presentation. UNREALINDUSTRY, PINETIME CLOTHING, and ZSIGMOND will showcase their newest collections among the walls of the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti in Milan on the 21st of February 2023.

“Hungarian designers perform at the Milan Fashion Week under the Budapest Select umbrella brand again, which was created by the HFDA especially for introducing Hungarian brands abroad. The umbrella brand aims to provide designers with joint, more unified communication for the market at international events while retaining their individual characteristics. From the beginning, we have been experiencing an increased foreign interest in Hungarian brands, and participating in such a prestigious event is important to strengthen competitive advantage and sales incentivisation” – said Zsófia Jakab, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s CEO.

ABODI offers a sensual, romantic, and bohemian range of clothes for the season with its artistic creations. CUKOVY presents puffy coats that add new, deep tones to its previous earth tones. KATA SZEGEDI’s new collection is characterised by openness and pushing boundaries, inspired by music and contemporary art, while THEFOUR draws inspiration from many traditions with its collection called FUSION, mixing different techniques and materials to create a diverse and dynamic collection, reflecting the richness of cultural blending. UNREALINDUSTRY will present reinvented tailoring techniques in an industrial style, and PINETIME CLOTHING will introduce its WOODLAND collection to the audience, made of organic and recycled materials and inspired by forests and their colourful undergrowth. Finally, ZSIGMOND will display its CREATURES OF FIRE collection, a tribute to rural traditions, inspired by the six-day-long folk tradition of busó-walking, meant to scare winter away.

“Lately, the fashion and design industry has become an important shaping factor of the country's image, and contemporary Hungarian brands’ debuts contribute to building this. The frequent appearances in Milan also support the same end. A significant part of the international media meets Hungarian creative industry products for the first time at this event, at one of the most outstanding and high-quality venues in the world of fashion. The successful presentations and fashion shows and the interest around them induces the country to become the focus of attention, even from other, touristic aspects.” – added Zsófia Jakab.

In the rest of the year, as part of the CNMI’s and the HFDA’s international mentoring programme, B2B and personal meetings, workshops, and factory visits will be held for participating brands. During the programme, the designers can gain niche professional knowledge on product development, brand building, communication and management, which will help their expansion abroad. By the end of the programme, thanks to the courses and mentors, the participants will be ready to present their pieces in foreign showrooms as well.

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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, the 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. Strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing export, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentoring programmes are among their accentuated goals.

Milano Fashion Week

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency acts as a coordinating centre for sharing information and knowledge, as well as for the exploration and realisation of opportunities for cooperation, among the different players in the industry. An important part of its role in the industry is fashion diplomacy, which aims to develop professional relationships and strategic partnerships with fashion centres in other countries. The agency signed an agreement with the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana in 2018, which enables the Chamber of Italian Fashion to provide support for Hungarian fashion to evolve and enter the international market as a strategic partner. Under the parties' jointly launched International Mentoring Programme, a number of brands can debut at the Milan Fashion Week each season under the ‘Budapest Select’ umbrella brand, created by the Agency, allowing designers to get more exposure through consistent communication while maintaining their own brand identity when presented abroad.