Up-and-Coming Talents in Vocational Training – “Get in the Picture – New Talent of the Year” Winners Announced

The "Get in the Picture! – Discovery of the Year" call, organized in collaboration between the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA), the Budapest Complex Vocational Training Center (BKSZC), and Startup Campus, has concluded. This was the second time the call for entries was issued, and vocational student teams from across the country participated. Based on the professional jury's decision, five project teams were invited to the finals. The youngest emerging talents in fashion and design presented their projects, created with the help of mentors, at a celebratory award ceremony on the 6th of June 2024. They took home valuable prizes for their work and received invitations to further HFDA events.

The “Get in the Picture – New Talent of the Year” call created under the Fashion and Design Industry Vocational Training Development Support Program has been encouraging students in vocational education to pursue careers in Hungary's creative industries, enhance their prestige, and acquire and develop new professional skills since 2023. The concept of this year’s tender, “Heritage Reloaded: Design for Tomorrow”, is based on the preservation and safeguarding of values, as well as the reinterpretation of cultural heritage. It invited submissions of projects that could be created by integrating freely chosen traditional and innovative technologies. The professional jury – Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner, CEO of the HFDA, Judit Osvárt, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Decoration magazine, and Krisztina Maróy, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GLAMOUR magazine and Glamour.hu – selected three teams of vocational students from fashion and two from design for the final, who could debut with the project work developed in the last two and a half months at the closing ceremony held on the 6^th of June 2024.

The presentations showcasing the program’s results and the award ceremony were held in the imposing spaces of HAB Hungarian Art & Business; the students presented their projects next to the iconic spiral staircase in the exhibition space, surrounded by the Vasarely-Fajó exhibition. At the award ceremony moderated by the program’s ambassador, Bence Csalár fashion journalist and expert, Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for the development and sectoral coordination of the creative industry, and the CEO of HFDA, welcomed the young talents and described the mission of the fashion and design industry vocational training development program. “One of HFDA’s four strategic pillars is vocational training development. We are grateful to our collaboration partners for working with us year after year on such an important cause and organising this program. Creative industry professions have stood the test of time, notably evolving before our eyes to create new fields that generate new jobs and demand for the workforce. Therefore, it is crucial to have a new generation of talent in the creative industries, which can be effectively supported by career orientation programs. Today’s competition has demonstrated potential within Hungarian creativity, showing plenty of plans and determination among the youth. We aim to assist them in unfolding their talents through similar opportunities and platforms, effectively connecting with the new generation. We are very proud of the high-quality presentations, and we look forward to meeting the team members again in our future programs.”

In the fashion section, Anna Keszeg, culture researcher and associate professor at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design mentored the successful team, FAKIE, from Győr SZC Sport and Creative Technical School, who deservedly earned first place in the category with their performative presentation, meticulously crafted coherent visual identity down to the smallest details, and team spirit. They spiced up the 1980s skateboard hip-hop subculture with the mosaic pattern of the Győr National Theatre's architectural ornamentation by Vasarely, combined with contemporary street style elements. Additionally, they paired a fold-out poster catalogue inspired by Bravo magazine to the extravagant capsule collection.

The fashion category's second place was awarded to the team HETLEKOTLA mentored by Adél Kovács, trend researcher, design consultant, and university lecturer, from BKSZC Creative Technical School with their project, the “Heje-Huja” Hourglass which transformed layers of traditional folk attire into wearable, lovable, youthful forms. Third place in the section was awarded to BKSZC Creative Technical School’s team of two graphic designers and two fashion tailoring students, Molylepkék (Moths), mentored by Bori Györök, a fashion and jewellery designer. Their delicate composition, embellished with textile flowers, titled "Halott Menyasszony" (The Dead Bride) brought to life János Arany's poem “Kertben” (In The Garden) in the form of a dramatic wedding dress.

In the design category, Sára Kele, product designer’s mentorees, the Bohemian Crew (Bohém Banda) from BKSZC Kozma Lajos Woodworking and Creative Technical School won first place with a three-part boudoir concept. The project included, among other things, a mirrored jewellery cabinet crafted from a female torso positioned on a dressing table, as well as a folding screen. The Bohém Budoár (Bohemian Boudoir) installation’s third segment, an application running on a tablet fitted onto a tailor's mannequin recreated popular computer games from beauty salons in the 1990s

Balázs Édes, Managing Director of LumoConcept, mentored the Misztérió design team from BKSZC Creative Technical School. Their project, Hang-fal (Sound-wall) was rewarded second place by the jury. The student team created modular room dividers and a striking wall-mounted hat rack panel by exploring new design possibilities and employing skilful material shaping and joining techniques using inherited but irreparably scratched vinyl records.

At the award ceremony, the podium-winning teams were rewarded with valuable book packages, shopping vouchers, and opportunities to participate in professional workshops, among other things. The organisers do not entirely let go of the student teams; the HFDA closely monitors the participants' professional journeys and, where possible, strives to provide opportunities for them within its programs. The goal is to continue building new professional relationships between the vocational training institutions and the students as well.

The HFDA plans to realise similar programs in vocational training development in the future to ensure the supply of new professionals for the creative industries.

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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 products’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise their goals, 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 or the Maison&Objet and the Milan Design Week design fairs. Their primary tasks include strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with their mentoring programs.