What does Hungarian nationality and culture mean to you?

I feel when I talk to anyone that Hungarians are such weirdos, like being in eastern, and central Europe is wholly like a swimming pool. Even our language is very messed up and mixed there is no connection to anyone it's kind of like being an alien, but obviously, the good thing about coming to the UK is that you don't feel that much like an alien.

Do you think it is important to experiment with traditions more and incorporate them into current day's trends?
Definitely! Even going back to roots like traditions of making stuff is really on-trend and it's important to stay connected to someone's roots cause eventually all comes from there even unconsciously comes from you and your experiences, like all the design process is somehow linked each time, I think.

What does the term 'Regeneration' mean to you?
Is like a phoenix kinda thing. When in Harry Potter the phoenix dies in flames and then Harry is like 'the bird is dying and it's just gone into flame, I'm so sorry, Dumbledore…'. And then you have a brand new phoenix coming from the ashes. I think it's a really good example of regeneration. Obviously, I'm not saying completely burning something down, but building up something from the ashes. I think in this case ashes are like the past and traditions may be almost gone or not in practice anymore so you can change them and incorporate them into modern terms, and then you will have a brand new phoenix. (laugh)

How and why did you join this project?
Well, it was my turn to do a favour for Sara. She helped me at the end of my MA, so I wanted to help with her BA. We were in conversation almost from the beginning of the project, about what to do and how to do it, and obviously, we worked together really well before, so that's why I was like okay let's do it, I'll have some spare time, and I had the motivation to do it, so yeah. We had a personal connection, and I liked the concept. Hungarian roots are lost in a sense, compared to the UK traditions are quite lost I mean being proud of who you are and what you have is not a thing in Hungary. I think it's probably because of the Soviet Union where we were so pressed, and the several wars that we went through really affected our society negatively. So, I think we all need to seek ways to renew ourselves.

What did you design for the Regeneration project?
I designed and worked on two boots. One was a boots with black bottom, and the upper part is like a traditional shirt sleeve that you can open up and then it looks like a red tulip, which kinda represents blooming, also, the tulip is an old motif of Hungarian folk art. The other one is a pair of horse riding boots with fringes which works really well when it's moving. The idea was to change these old boots and give them a modern look but still keep the traditional elements of the shoes.

What was your inspiration behind your designs?
Folk art and old images of people wearing folk clothing.

What was the message of the concept and your design?
The tulip one is really about blooming, and regeneration. It's refreshing and young. Tulips represent femininity as well, but the boots were man's boots actually. Obviously, tulips are female symbols, so we brought gender fluidity into designs by mixing up two genders. This reflects on what's happening now in Hungary in terms of gender laws. The other one was really about giving a modern look for the horse riding boots and just having fun.

How does sustainability play a role in this collaboration?
Both shoes were actually upcycled and changed. Sara bought two pairs of boots on an online second-hand market. I recoloured one of them, and I applied a new sole, and I dyed it. With the other one I was taking care of the leather, and then added another sole so sustainability was really a major thing. We used old shoes and upcycled them basically.

Have you had a connection and any experience with Hungarian costumes before?

No, I haven't had any experience before. To me, Hungarian costumes are more connected to Christianity. I know some of the traditions, but I've never been too connected to them.


What challenges did you have to face throughout the project? / What was the most challenging thing for you?

I think keeping up to date with everyone from the design team because I was in the UK and Sara was in the UK, but then she went to Hungary, and the two other designers were in Hungary also. So sometimes I was a bit like 'erm well, what time we should meet, which week we should meet?' things like that. Also, I felt that I think everyone had that same sort of feeling like 'ohh, what should I design?' problem. I mean I didn't really have that, but I felt that I would like to match the shoes to the other garments, so that was a small challenge to synchronise everything.

What was the most enjoyable part of the project?

Getting images of the shoots and the video. Seeing all things coming together and really seeing that it all worked out was amazing. Everything was fantastic from the design process to getting tagged on Instagram. I was in the UK, so that was really nice to get notifications it was kind of being the part of the shoots.

What did you learn throughout this collaboration?

I think through Sara's example I learnt that you should just reach out people and obviously, the worst thing that they can say is no or nothing, Also, you should have more people for the same role, like more dressers or more makeup artists etc. because someone is not gonna show up for sure. So always have a backup person ready.



Have you had a tighter connection with Hungarian culture by the end of the project?

Yeah. I think yes. Also, I was happy to do it because I had an image in my mind before. I was struggling to imagen changing Hungarian culture into a modern version. Cause I've seen so many bad examples. I always hated the modern version of other fashion designers trying to change Hungarian culture and motifs. But I think we made it. So yeah, I think because it was a successful project, I think I got closer to Hungarian culture.


Would you love to join more projects like the Regeneration project?
Of course, of course! Any time!