Nearly 4,000 visitors were curious to see 360 Design Budapest

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) organised the 360 Design Budapest for the fourth time, which was realised with full-house programmes. The regional design exhibition returned with a wider selection than ever between the 17^th and the 22^nd of October: those interested could view more than 200 items in the Adria Palace, the works of over 60 domestic and regional designers and artists. All chairs were full in Rossana Orlandi’s programmes and the Italian premium design brands’ panel discussion, and Meet the Designer events and the exclusive guided tours were also popular.

360 Design Budapest, which has received numerous awards in previous years, was a great success again with its new concept and programmes among people interested in the Hungarian and regional creative industry. Nearly 4,000 visited the regional design exhibition in Adria Palace, where over 60 creators, including 14 regional brands and 15 emerging talents, debuted. In addition to the people who came to the venue, the event's Facebook and Instagram channels reached more than 700,000 users during the event's week, reflecting the increased interest.

‘It is essential for us to provide a platform for both the creative industry and the interested public to meet. The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s objective is to turn Budapest into this determining meeting point, an incentive for collaboration, and a regional centre for fashion and design. 360 Design Budapest has now evolved into a unique programme series of the CEE countries, and we engage in extensive professional cooperation to effectively introduce the cultural richness of Hungary and the neighbouring countries to the international audience. This year, we hosted regional journalists in a study tour, journalists from the Czech Dolce Vita, the Italian Elle Decor and Interni Magazine, and the American FamilyStyle US got a taste of the experiences and touristic appeal of Budapest besides design’ – highlighted Zsófia Jakab, the HFDA’s CEO.

In 2023, the exhibition’s concept was expanded: in addition to product designers, industrial and fine artists as well as manufacturers appeared in the exhibition space. As the result of the collaboration with Gáspár Bonta, curator of 360 Design Budapest, a special installation space came to life in the Adria Palace.

‘360 Design Budapest has become one of the season’s major cultural events in the past years. Professional partners such as the Museum of Applied Arts contributed to the success of this year’s programme, which made it possible for the diversity of European artistic movements and the rich design history of Hungary to come to life through the selected artworks. We have been working with Art Market Budapest for three years, and this time, we prepared a professional day and a roundtable discussion again. By synchronising our programmes’ timing, we represent the Hungarian design and art scene more efficiently’ – said Anita Forintos-Szűcs, the HFDA’s Deputy CEO.

The exhibition’s educational programmes were also popular among the visitors; all ran with a full-house. A large number of people participated in the exclusive guided tours in Hungarian and English to learn about famous people’s personal connections to the exhibited objects. As the chief guest of the programme series, Rossana Orlandi held two programmes for those interested: at the manufacturer-designer duos presentation, under the design LAB curated by Rossana Orlandi, all the seats were filled, similarly to the Creative Dialogue, which targeted a young audience, featuring the world-famous curator talking about her decades of professional experience. On Friday, in an extended roundtable discussion, one of the founders of 6AM:Glassworks, the co-founder of the NM3 design studio in Milan, and the sales representatives of Dimore, Nilufar, and 6AM shared their views on the role of cultural heritage in design. The visitors took the opportunity to meet the exhibitors in the Meet the Designer and Meet the Manufacturers programmes.

For the first time this year, different side events realised by the partners complemented the design exhibition programme, which contributed to spreading the fame of domestic and regional contemporary design in a broader circle. For instance, the Független Iparművészeti Kortárs Szalon (FIKSZ) held a weekend design fair where visitors could purchase the creations of over 40 leading domestic industrial artists directly from the makers. Virág Judit Galéria provided a special occasion for visiting the Zsolnay exhibition. The exhibition, now on display, features the best-known Art Nouveau and Art Deco style vases, flower pots, and decorative plates. Code Showroom presented the works of the Italian designer duo, Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù, the founders of 6:AM Glassworks, for the first time in Hungary at 360 Design Budapest. In addition to the Inside Art / Building on Art Hungary professional day realised with Art Market Budapest, the public transport in Budapest also held a unique surprise for travellers: they could take a design tram between the venues of Art Market Budapest and 360 Design Budapest on tram line 2.

The HFDA has created its programme this year in collaboration with numerous Hungarian and international organisations, showing the cultural richness of Central Europe and its creative industry in different dimensions. In 2023, 360 Design Budapest’s cooperating partners were Art Market Budapest, the Museum of Applied Arts, Czechdesign, Code Showroom, JAB Anstoetz Group, Max City, Virág Judit Galéria, FIKSZ and Roadster magazine.

You can re-watch the exhibition’s closing video on the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s YouTube channel.

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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 their 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 exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentoring programmes are among their accentuated goals.

360 Design Budapest

The 360 Design Budapest event series, organised yearly by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, draws attention to the everyday role of design surrounding us in 360 degrees. The event aims to make Hungarian and regional product designers more widely known using modern tools, help domestic design brands enter the international market, and present new, innovative, sustainable directions for the target audience interested in design. By realising the event, the Agency wants to help Hungary become a regional centre in the design industry and create a programme which attracts tourists from all around Europe.