The Hungarian Fashion Days preview, which took place on February 14th at London Fashion Week, gave an inspiring insight into Hungary’s cultural heritage and presence in the fashion industry. Located in the ancient Hungarian Cultural Centre, this was a lively nest of foreign designers with edgy ideas, presenting luxurious creations in a grand décor setting.
This exhibition was the perfect opportunity for both emerging and well-established creators to introduce a piece of their identity into the fashion week. It was beautiful to see how they all incorporated their cultural background into the collections.
Amongst the fashion brands present at the event were D’ora Tokai, Daige, Rienne Creations, Ssamaryll, Zema and designs from Fashion Design students at the University of Applied Sciences in Budapest. An interesting diversity of artistic creations, fine jewelry and haute-couture pieces.
The Budapest students’ exhibition ressembled more art pieces. They were bold, extravagant, nearly futuristic. The aspiring designers went for cold colours in the monochromes, greys and blues with one striking dress shaded in midnight blue and deep indigo with prominent brocade. Another imposing dress which was presented had a massive collar and shoulder pieces made of silver loops. How very dramatic and surreal.
A very unique emerging designer at the exhibition was Dora Tokai. Living in the old principality of Monaco, she finds her inspiration in the roots of society. For her debuting SS14 collection, she based her creations on classic cars such as Lamborghini or Ferrari. Surprisingly enough, this influence can actually be seen in her designs, with for example her ”Orchidée” dress, made in smooth leather and curvy cuts. Dora received a nice surprise from the Miss Universe beauty pageant in the United States who collaborated with the upcoming designer and used her dresses in their competition.
Since then, the fashion designer has acquired herself a global follower base. For her AW14 collection, Dora went for a more feminine style by using an abundance of feathers, velvet, and describes her collection as ”retro, classy and superior”. She continues saying, ”I would describe my brand this season as a contemporary fairytale for jet-setting cosmopolitans written in Monaco”. Dora Tokai is a hopeful, starry-eyed fashion creator who believes in the power of emerging designers. Superstars such as Rihanna or Lady Gaga, who lead our pop culture, feel the need to constantly innovate and therefore go to smaller but newer fashion dressers. It is a way for them to keep ahead of the mass and remain unique.
Another emerging designer at the Hungarian Fashion Days exhibition preview who has unnusual sources of inspiration is Melinda Toth, designer of Daige. She finds ideas in extreme sports, such as hiking, and this reflects itself in her sport-casual yet cosmopolitan and sophisticated collection. Dadaism, which is irrational and beyond the conventional laws of beauty, is also strongly reflected in the Daige designs.
These emerging designers are a breeze of fresh air, not only in their Hungarian or local fashion industry, but also in London and on a worldwide level. Variety stires creativity more than anything.
Amongst the more experienced artists present at the LFW event was Adrien Nagy.
This Hungarian stylist, who worked for Marc Jacobs in New York for ten years, has now moved on from apparel and has instead started up her own jewelry collection under ‘Rienne Collections‘. Her native country is a lot more present in her work now, since each piece is handcrafted in Budapest. Also, she uses the help of Hungarian glass-artist Balazs Sipos to treat the crystal surfaces of the jewel pieces, with professional auriferous and platinum glass paints. This technique gives her jewelries a peculiar vintage-like imperfection. Additionally, she is inspired by traditionnal Hungarian costumes which are richly covered in beads and flowers.
Adrien seemed delighted to be a part of the Hungarian Fashion Days, but did admit that ”it’s not that easy to step out on the international market”.
Other jewelry creators at the exhibition stood out, such as Beata Nagy’s ”Zema Collection”. The brand is based in London but the porcelain decorations are Hungary-style inspired, and they are made over there as well. The painting style comes from the traditional hungarian motives, from secession and art deco. This ”luxury porcelain” jewelry is as authentic as it gets as it is also painted by traditional Hungarian painters.
The Hungarian Fashion Days, a window into Hungary’s cultural heritage and a marvelous scene to have incorporated into London Fashion Week.