The 14th Budapest Central European Fashion Week Broke All Records

The 14^th Budapest Central European Fashion Week (BCEFW), held by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA), the main fashion event in the Central European region, has ended. The grand event attracted a record number of fashion enthusiasts, over 5000 visitors participated in SS25 season shows, and the Fashion Hub programs were at full capacity. Between the 26^th of August and the 1^st of September 2024, Fashion Week brought more brands than ever to the Hungarian capital, and more than 60 designers showcased their collections to local and international audiences. BCEFW focused its professional discussions on regional collaborations, emerging talents, and a conscious commitment to sustainability in this season.

Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sector Coordination and CEO of the HFDA, highlighted the achievements of BCEFW: This year, we saw interest in Budapest Central European Fashion Week events that far surpassed previous years. This increased visibility allowed us to introduce important topics into the professional dialogue, such as sustainability efforts and professional collaborations. Regional brands debuted in record numbers, and long-term agreements with the Slovak Fashion Council, the Ljubljana Fashion Week, Belgrade Fashion Week, and the Ukrainian Fashion Week also contributed to this success. We see the future in similar collaborations, in line with our objective for BCEFW to serve as a connecting bridge and a platform for professional partnerships. 

BCEFW began its fourteenth edition on the 26^th of August with a side event series featuring nearly 40 venues. Over the weekend, programs, fashion shows, presentations, and the popular Fashion Hub held at Millenáris complemented the main events. This year, a record number of partners took the opportunity to organise side events in different locations in Budapest and Nyíregyháza, where those interested could participate in exhibition openings, guided tours, panel discussions, and professional dialogues with fashion and creative industry professionals to mention a few. The side events attracted more visitors than ever before, and the varied presentations and workshops provided opportunities for exploring related artistic fields.

The weekend's shows featured a significant number of brands from regional and neighbouring countries. Regional brands appeared in collective shows and presentations, as outlined in agreements with the Slovak Fashion Council, Ljubljana Fashion Week, Belgrade Fashion Week, and Ukrainian Fashion Week. This year, eight Serbian, one Moroccan, two Slovenian, three Polish, four Slovakian, one Bosnian-Herzegovinian and four Ukrainian designers were featured in the BCEFW program. As part of a collaboration, the event featured a collective presentation by industrial design and product design engineering students from the Institute of Product Design at the Rejtő Sándor Faculty of Light Industry and Environmental Engineering, with a focus on emerging talents.

Environmental consciousness was in the spotlight at the BCEFW presenting 2025 spring-summer collections. The Conscious Fashion Initiative found on the BCEFW’s website preceded the event’s efforts to incentivise more conscious practices. As part of this, the Conscious by BCEFW category was created, with brands that live up to the standards regarding sustainable business operations based on the decision of the Advisory Board. Through a partnership with MOHU MOL Waste Management Ltd. and Millenáris, a textile collection container was placed on-site for the duration of the event’s weekend to promote recycling and encourage sustainable thinking among visitors and locals. Nearly 400 kg of used clothing was collected during the campaign.

Well-known local brands also exhibited their collections on the runway through the catwalk shows, BCEFW showcases and presentations and the New Generation and Young Talents categories introduced emerging designers to a broad audience. Self-organised shows enriched the weekend program, attracting over 3500 visitors to Millenáris Building G this year. The shows, featuring both international brands and prominent domestic designers, captivated the audience, with some receiving standing ovations. The shows were broadcast live on the event’s official Facebook page, with views exceeding 34 thousand.

Between the 31^st of August and the 1^st of September, the Fashion Hub events at the Millenáris National Dance Theatre were held at full capacity. The free programs featured presentations and discussions by globally celebrated Hungarians and internationally renowned professionals on exciting areas of the creative industry, and the visitors could also participate in interactive workshops. On Saturday and Sunday, over 20 designers debuted with presentations at the venue. In the same location, fashion and creative industry brand exhibitors provided visitors with the opportunity to explore Hungarian products firsthand.

In addition to the most important Hungarian representatives of the profession, key international players also attended the event. Editors of ELLE Poland and ELLE Ukraine, journalists from NSS, Vogue Italia, Vogue Adria and 10 Magazine US, Gili Biegun and Shay Zanco, influencers, and Despi Naka, street-style photographer, also participated in the event. The audience could encounter Pat Domingo not only at the shows; the acknowledged street-style photographer held different programs in the Fashion Hub.

One of the strategic goals of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency is to establish Budapest as the region’s fashion capital as well as an attractive destination for travellers interested in fashion and design who specifically look for products from the Hungarian creative industries. The BCEFW offers a platform perceived as a springboard by the renowned big brands and emerging talents of Hungary and the regional countries, allowing them to expand their commercial activity and increase their international visibility. In the SS25 season, the focus on regional brands and strengthening connections was aligned with the Agency’s commitment to make the event a bridge for the participants of the international fashion scene, linking regional countries as the central hub of the Central European fashion industry.