The Elysian Brand: On the Road to International Fame from the International Mentoring Programme

The Elysian brand, which participated in the first international mentoring programme of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, has been on a firm path to success since completing the programme. The label which creates along the lines of romance and femininity was noticed by The Studio Zeta showroom at the Budapest Central European Fashion Week in the Autumn of 2019, where Boglárka Bódis' clothes have a dedicated place ever since. Due to high demand, the renowned showroom has become the exclusive international distributor of the brand. Elysian’s case is a good example of the importance of the knowledge and network provided by the international mentoring programme.

The dreamer and creator of the Elysian brand, Boglárka Bódis, and her international career perfectly illustrate the path that the professionals of the international mentoring programme are striving to achieve through the training process. Elysian was one of the first brands to join the joint mentoring programme of the HFDA and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), which was launched in 2018, providing forward-thinking knowledge on the steps to entering the international market. As part of the mentoring framework, Boglárka, together with four other mentees, participated in Milan Fashion Week three times, where together with the selected mentees, she was able to introduce herself to the international public, and also see with their own eyes what skills are needed to compete at an international level.

It was the 2019 Budapest Central European Fashion Week that brought along the big breakthrough for the designer, as it was at this event where the experts of Studio Zeta, based in Milan and Paris, saw the potential of the brand. The first meeting was followed by further, new meetings, and as a result, during the most recent Italian Fashion Week, the showroom introduced the Elysian Autumn-Winter collection to its customers among its brands. Milan Fashion Week in February marked the next stage of Boglárka's international success - as the winner of the 2019 Buyers Awards, she held a special presentation related to Hungary to the general public in February of this year. Following the event, the entire collection of the brand was transferred to Paris, where it performed outstandingly during the sales season, gaining eight international orders. Although some of these orders did not realise due to the challenges posed by the virus situation, the brand still had to produce not less than 122 pieces by July. One of Elysian’s largest orders came from the Vermeil store in Japan, courtesy of the HFDA’s Italian sales relationships. The buyer discovered the brand in the HFDA’s lookbook and immediately recognized the uniqueness of the garments created by the label.

Thanks to the knowledge provided by the international mentoring programme, Elysian has embarked on an intensive expansion: the label’s Spring-Summer sample collection for 2021 is already awaiting those interested in Studio Zeta’s showroom in Milan. As the brand’s exclusive distributor, the showroom which has been in operation for over three decades, will present the designer’s amazing pieces to the international public  - however, due to the virus situation, the next sales season will commence digitally.

The success of Boglárka Bódis perfectly portrays the importance of the international mentoring programme, which supports the launching of matured brands through foreign expansion. The knowledge provided by mentoring gives valuable backing in supporting the conquest of international markets, as by the end of the programme, this support will make it clear to all participants which values ​​make them unique beyond their country borders.