Amazing success on the second digitally held Budapest Central European Fashion Week

Between 25-28 March, the main fashion event of the Central European region Budapest Central European Fashion Week was held once again in digital form. At the event organised by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, twenty-six Hungarian and ten regional fashion designers had the opportunity to present their latest creations. The online streaming videos of the collections were followed by 12.000 viewers during the four-day event, with viewer numbers constantly rising, as the fashion week in its entirety can be reached and rewatched at any time on BCEFW’s official Youtube channel.

At the end of March, one of the most prestigious fashion events of the region took place once again, as the Budapest Central European Fashion Week was organized for the seventh time by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency. In addition to the Autumn-Winter 2021/22 collections, the Spring-Summer 2021 collections were also given a leading role. The Agency showcased the latest works of Hungarian and regional fashion designers on the event's Facebook page via runway fashion videos.

For many years, Budapest Central European Fashion Week has been the number one meeting point for the public, buyers, designers and the media in the region, and thanks to this, Budapest is getting closer to becoming one of the region's leading fashion capitals. By implementing the event digitally, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency has not only provided continuity for the event but also provided the general public interested in fashion with insight into the exciting, closed world of fashion weeks, as the online streamed videos of the Hungarian and regional brands could be viewed and rewatched by anyone at any time.

Throughout the past few days, those interested were able to view the creations of twenty-six Hungarian fashion designers - ABODI, ALMA, Artista, BORBALA, CAKO, Celeni, Cukovy, DÜSK, Elysian, KATA SZEGEDI, Katti Zoób, MERO, NINI, Nora Sarman, NUBU, OST konzept, PHILOMÉN, Romani Design, Sentiments, THEFOUR, TOMCSANYI, VENGRU, VIKTORIAVARGA Budapest, VIRAG KERENYI, ZIA budapest and ZSIGMOND DORA menswear, and the works of a selection of regional designers – Buffet Clothing (SK), CHERESHNIVSKA (UA), Christina Seewald (A), IRON THREAD (UA), Jennifer Milleder (A), Patrick McDowell (UK), ROUSSIN (UA) and VOROZHBYT&ZEMSKOVA (UA) were also presented, making the event even more so a joint cooperation with a focus on community awareness between the surrounding countries.

The runway videos presenting the Autumn-Winter collections of 2021/22 on Thursday and Friday showcasing the unique visual worlds of the brands were ensured by the LED walls placed along the sides of the catwalks. Thanks to these LED walls, each designer was able to use a background that suited their creations the best. From refined pastel colours to city lights and woodland scenes, a number of themes truly reflected the individuality of the designers and the atmosphere of their collections. Viewers were also able to see landfills and ocean waste in the background, drawing attention to the sustainable fashion industry and environmental protection. Special attention was placed on sustainability this season, as more and more brands are using zero waste and upcycling techniques to minimize waste during their tailoring process. The atmosphere of the collections were also influenced by the pandemic, with various designers creating comfortable and elegant homeware, while other brands choosing to create cheerful pieces filled with colour to help ease the difficulties of the current period.

Another special feature of BCEFW was the weekend event named Fashion Weekend, during which the brands were given the opportunity to present their Spring-Summer 2021 collections - differing from the seasonal collections - on Saturday and Sunday. The HFDA considered it extremely important to provide support and wide-ranging visibility to the designers despite the virus situation – even for those brands unable to complete their seasonal Autumn-Winter pieces on time due to the challenges imposed by the virus situation, therefore they prepared for the event with the previous season's creations.

Thanks to the event’s digital implementation, the online streamed recordings of the Hungarian and regional designers achieved amazing results. The videos have reached 12.000 views so far, with the numbers continuously growing as the entire event can be viewed and rewatched at any time. Social media has been loud from BCEFW in recent days, with several of the biggest names in social media, such as Irene Colzi or Anja Tufina, reporting on the event.

Zsófia Bata-Jakab, CEO of HFDA shared her thoughts after the event: „We are very proud that BCEFW has once again attracted such a high volume of interest. Through presenting the Autumn-Winter collections, we managed to keep up with the international fashion scene’s pace, while through the pieces of the previous season we brought to the fore the increasingly popular “see now, buy now” term of thinking, the essence of which the pieces seen on the catwalks can be bought immediately. As a result, in addition to the prominent domestic and international visibility of the brands, the sales-promoting role of our event has also landed a leading role!”

The digital Budapest Central European Fashion Week is available to view and can be rewatched on the official Youtube channel of BCEFW.

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About the Hungarian Fashion and Design Agency

The Hungarian Fashion and Design Agency (HFDA) was founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, focusing on two main sectors, the industries of Fashion and Design. The main goal of the Agency is to promote the Hungarian Fashion and Design Industry internationally, and by doing so strengthening the country’s image. In addition, its most important tasks include increasing export, strengthening and developing domestic production, and developing and safeguarding traditional creative and professional knowledge. As an integrative organisation, a main goal of the Agency is to achieve effective professional coordination between domestic and international players of the fashion and design field, which is essential for long-term success.