Even the standing places were full at the Budapest Select collective show at the Milan Fashion Week

Thanks to the strategic partnership of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), eight Hungarian brands presented their 2023 Spring / Summer collections at the Milano Fashion Week (MFW), and PELSO got an opportunity for an individual presentation.

Similarly to previous years, fashion designers participating in the joint mentoring programme of the HFDA and CNMI could debut in Milan in the autumn season again. Five designers presented their newest collections at the Budapest Select collective show: ABODI, CUKOVY, KATA SZEGEDI, ZSIGMOND and THEFOUR. Six brands – ABODI, CUKOVY, KATA SZEGEDI, NINI, UNREALINDUSTRY and PINETIME – exhibited their newest pieces in the ADI Design Museum in the MFW’s Fashion Hub.

There was a huge interest in Hungarian designers, spectators kept arriving at the collective fashion show even after all seats were taken. The Budapest Select show is now so deeply embedded in the public mind that each season, they watch with great anticipation what the outstanding designers of the Hungarian fashion industry have in store. Thanks to the work of stylist Paolo Turina, the brands of different styles painted an exciting and artistically diverse picture of the Hungarian creative industry.

It was the eighth time that Hungarian fashion brands debuted under the HFDA’s Budapest Select umbrella brand, which aims to provide talented Hungarian designers more attention when appearing internationally, with unified communication towards the market while keeping their individual characteristics. Those interested could view six Hungarian designers’ creations in the ADI Design Museum for a whole week, surrounded by brands such as Alessi, Ferrari, and Kartell. The pieces displayed on the modern, mirrored, arch-shaped standards were viewed by the legendary Suzy Menkes, former Fashion Editor of the International Herald Tribune and former Editor of VOGUE International, among other industry experts. Innovation was not lacking either, UNREALINDUSTRY awaited visitors with a VR- experience, a virtual walkthrough of the brand’s store. Visitors could get to know the designers exhibiting at the event, and they could ask them about their creations. Hungarian designers could meet international trade press including the American and Chinese press, and the buyers who accepted the invitation of the HFDA and CNMI in the always busy Fashion Hub.

In addition to the designers exhibiting under the Budapest Select umbrella brand, the PELSO swimwear brand debuted in an individual show. The swimsuits and beachwear collection decorated with flowers, cranes, and hawk moths was inspired by Lake Balaton and presented on a roof terrace near Milan Cathedral Square. The turquoise catwalk, where the models appeared, evoking the distinctive shade of the lake, helped to create a summery atmosphere.

It is of strategic importance that Hungarian brands can debut at world-famous fashion events such as the Milano Fashion Week, representing the Hungarian creative industry in front of thousands of experts each season. For this reason, having seen the successes of the previous years, the HFDA extended its collaboration with the CNMI in 2021 to continue to provide a possibility and support for talented Hungarian fashion designers in international brand-building.