Inspiring Success and International Recognition: HFDA Wraps Up a Fruitful Year

HFDA achieved numerous outstanding results in 2024 in collaboration with Hungarian fashion and design industry players. This year, we took pride in several remarkable achievements, including our Red Dot Design Award-winning event and product designers, as well as the successes at Milan Fashion Week and Budapest Design Week. In addition, through its mentoring programmes, the Agency provided professional support to dozens of emerging talents and domestic manufacturers, significantly boosting their market visibility and professional recognition.

HFDA organised seven major events in 2024, including the Budapest Central European Fashion Week (BCEFW), 360 Design Budapest, Budapest Design Week, and the Budapest Select Presentations at Milan Fashion Week, all of which combined professionalism, innovation, and tradition. The inspiring and diverse Saint Stephen’s Day celebrations aimed to promote careers in the domestic creative industry and foster community building. Guests were welcomed with exciting handicraft activities and pop-up stores showcasing design products, which were especially popular among families and returning visitors.

The BCEFW SS25 season broke all records: 61 designers unveiled their collections, attracting over 5,000 visitors. The rich programmes enhanced the prestige of the event series with colourful side events, exclusive shows, and interactive workshops. This year, sustainability took centre stage with initiatives such as the Conscious Fashion Initiative and the SS25 season’s new category, Conscious by BCEFW, which aimed to establish a new tradition and recognised four domestic and regional brands that lead by example through their ethical and environmentally conscious operations in the sector.

International collaborations continued to play a determining role in the HFDA’s operations in 2024. The Agency provided opportunities for foreign designers to debut at Hungarian events in cooperation with partners such as the Slovak Fashion Council, Belgrade Fashion Week, and Ljubljana Fashion Week. Additionally, Hungarian creators appeared in Ljubljana and Milan. The Budapest Select Presentation at the prestigious Milan Fashion Week offered a global platform for seven Hungarian fashion and 15 design brands. The synergies between fashion, design, and contemporary art made the event special, while musical and gastronomic elements, such as Babé Sila’s DJ set and the Omorovicza luxury cosmetics services completed the experience.

This year, records were broken not only in fashion but also in design: the 360 Design Budapest exhibition and the programmes of Budapest Design Week attracted over 20,000 visitors, showcasing the variety of the Hungarian creative industry. The 360 Design Budapest exhibition impressed the audience with a spectacular installation (a stand and a central piece) as well as exclusive guided tours. In addition, the event created a unique platform with the ‘Meet the Designer and Manufacturer’ programme, which incentivised professional collaboration. Furthermore, the event allowed designers and manufacturers to exchange their professional views, build new relationships, and thus create valuable discussions about the current issues facing the domestic design industry. One of the most outstanding design achievements of the year was the ‘Shape Baby Furniture’ collection, designed by Máté Horváth in the HFDA’s incubation programme. It received the world’s most esteemed design award, the Red Dot Award. This accomplishment is an excellent example of the global competitiveness of Hungarian product design.

The installations presenting the creative spirit of Budapest at Milan Design Week (MDW) garnered considerable attention, while the works of Sára Kele and Dóra Abodi were sold at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery. Twenty-six Hungarian pieces of art and design furniture were displayed in Brussels, in the buildings of the European Council, strengthening Hungary’s cultural image and bringing tangible successes, concluding the event with the sale of three artworks. Beyond regional countries, the Agency also took important steps towards the Asian market, particularly in Singapore and South Korea, which could open up new export possibilities for Hungarian brands.

“We are extremely proud that this year we once again achieved outstanding results, not only domestically but also internationally. The Agency’s programmes supported nearly 300 brands while further developing the export potential of the fashion and design industries. Grand-scale events like the Budapest Central European Fashion Week or Milan Design Week further emphasise that Hungary’s creative industry potential extends far beyond regional boundaries. Our further goal is to contribute to strengthening the domestic creative ecosystem with strong professional coordination, innovative programmes, and sustainability guidelines, – said Zsófia Jakab, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s CEO.

The Agency’s mentoring programmes, such as Talents 2.0 and the Manufacturers Mentoring Programme, once again played a central role in the professional development of young talents this year. As part of Talents 2.0, eight designers and one post-mentored designer had the chance to participate in workshops and one-to-one consultations led by industry experts. In addition, the programme featured a two-week internship, supported by prominent industry representatives, including Nanushka, Solinfo, and Europa Design. The Manufacturers Mentoring Programme offered customised support for eleven domestic businesses, covering company management strategies, technological developments, and sustainability practices.

In 2024, the HFDA collaborated with nearly 300 brands across various programmes and initiatives, contributing to the dynamic growth of the domestic creative industry. The financing projects under the Fashion-Design Capital Fund and the partnership with Hiventures created new opportunities for Hungarian brands, allowing them to showcase their values on a broader scale. The additional 3 billion HUF allocation to the Fashion-Design Capital Fund opened new horizons for domestic creative businesses, while strategies focused on international market expansion will shape Hungary's role in the global creative industry in the long term.

The video presenting the programmes and events of 2024 is now available on our YouTube channel!