Haute Couture Marries Folk Art in Hungary

„Hungarians are known for many things: their numerous Nobel Prize laureates, their cuisine with goulash and chicken paprika, and their cunning. A Hungarian is who enters the revolving door behind you but comes out in front of you, as the saying goes. One thing they haven’t been famed for: fashion. The government has set out to change that by promoting Hungarian traditions in a modern way — asking young designers to marry fashion with folk art.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, which is in charge of shaping the country’s image, joined by the Design Terminal Non-profit Kft. and the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, launched in February the »Re-think/re-button! Magyar is the Mode!« It attracted nearly 400 design concepts, ranging from shoes, purses and raincoats to ready-to-wear clothes and haute couture design dreams. »The goal was to call attention to young Hungarian designers and the possibilities creative industries may offer«, the ministry said. Of the 63 works in the second round, Sunday night’s fashion show in the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, watched by several hundred outside on giant screens, presented the final 35 collections.

Some designs looked like the Hungarian Puli dog owned by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Others took inspiration from Hungarian shepherd gowns, outlaws’ outfits, and the colourful folk embroidery maidens used to wear. Traditional woven textile patters were transferred onto leather, plastic met with lace, felt was reinterpreted in a practical way. Luckily, nothing looked touristy, no kitsch, no outrageous stereotypes. This reporter wished some designs could eventually make it to the stores. The winner was Renata Gyongyosi’s Metallic-Folklore collection, which combined stylized folk patterns, shapes and underskirts with a metallic-rock feel. You be the judge.”