Art Deco With a Fresh Perspective – Meet the “New Talents of the Year”

What would the Art Deco style, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, look like if it was reborn today? The answer is surprisingly diverse: it could take the form of an elegant dress incorporating 3D printing, a unique stamp collection, a silent book, a multifunctional floor lamp, or even a modern female archetype expressed through makeup and hairstyle. The audience could see these among other exciting creations on 28 May at the Apollo Gallery during the finals of the “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” competition. The call for entries, launched jointly by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) and the Budapest Complex Vocational Training Centre (BKSZC), attracted an even broader spectrum of applicants this year, including vocational students aged 14 to 21 from the fields of fine and applied arts and beauty and cosmetics besides fashion and design.

This year, nearly 50 entries were submitted by teams of 3 to 7 students from 13 vocational training institutions across the country to showcase how they would reinterpret the iconic Art Deco style – through a youthful, creative, and contemporary lens. The talented participants, who are currently training to become hairdressers, beauticians, decorators, graphic designers, carpenters, or even women’s and men’s tailors, had complete freedom in choosing their methods, materials, and techniques. As a result, some projects represented multiple disciplines within a single craft. Following a preliminary selection round, 12 teams made it to the finals — three from each category. With the guidance of professional mentors appointed by the HFDA, the finalists had around three months to bring their concepts to life. The completed projects were unveiled on the day of the final to the jury and the public in a truly fitting venue: the Apollo Gallery.

Bence Csalár, fashion journalist and expert, ambassador for the “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” competition, hosted the event. The students were welcomed by Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sectoral Coordination and CEO of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency. In her speech, she emphasised that one of the HFDA’s key missions is to support young talent, foster their professional development, and provide them with platforms to showcase their work to a wider audience. She highlighted that the competition is unique in this regard as it offers students not only a challenge but a professional springboard into the industry. Finalist teams are awarded not just valuable prizes but also receive further professional mentoring. Winners in the fashion and design categories gain opportunities for high-profile industry exposure, while the top entrant in the fine and applied arts category is granted a chance to exhibit their work.

The success of the competition is further reflected in the involvement of major industry brands such as DRK, which rewarded the third-place teams with gift vouchers. In addition to the generous prizes on offer, the initiative was also supported by this year’s Ambassadors: Hedvig Jagasics, founder and owner of the Sugarbird brand; Attila Bálint Ferenc, Sustainability Expert at IKEA; Róbert Mascher, President of the Studio of Young Industrial Applied Artists Association; and Zsolt Kovács, CEO of Kallos Cosmetics.

In the final, the professional jury — comprising Zsófia Jakab, Judit Osvárt, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Decoration magazine, and Krisztina Maróy, founding Editor-in-Chief of GLAMOUR magazine and Glamour.hu — awarded first place in the fashion category to the Deconic team. The team made up of students from Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School, transformed the aesthetics of Hungarian Art Deco architecture into a symmetrically embellished outfit featuring deep green, gold, and brick-red tones and with some elements produced using 3D printing technology. The project was realised with the guidance of mentor Daniella Sovány, designer of the DAN!ELLE fashion label.

In the design category, the Dekor Álom team took first place with a multifunctional floor lamp inspired by Art Deco-style buildings and furnishings. The unique feature of the Szolár Szálló (Solar Inn) is that its small floors, which mimic windows, cornices, and terraces, serve as the light sources. Their mentor, Fanni Hegedűs, a furniture maker and certified restorer, helped the students from Számalk-Szalézi Technical School and Secondary Vocational School to realise their project.

The Stamp Deco team made up of students from Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School, took first place in the fine and applied arts category. Their collectible stamp block series, designed under the mentorship of Ákos Lipóczki, Associate Professor at MOME, reimagines modern buildings of European cities through the visual language of Art Deco. In addition, they created an educational booklet aimed at young people, illustrated with graphic elements, covering the history of stamps, their everyday use, and various trademarks.

In the beauty and cosmetics category, the Főnix (Phoenix) team, mentored by Zsófia Marencsák, beauty editor at GLAMOUR Hungary, took first place. Students from BKSZC Erzsébet Királyné Beauty Technical School evoked the spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby by creating an elegant yet empowered female archetype. To present their work, they complemented the finished makeup and hairstyle with a photo series and video featuring period-appropriate silhouettes.

The HFDA will continue to follow the students’ professional journeys and warmly welcomes the awarded teams to its future events, including Budapest Central European Fashion Week and 360 Design Budapest.

2025 Winners of the “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” tender:

Fashion Category

Deconic, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
Pearl & Velvet, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
Charlestone Ladies, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School

Design Category

Dekor Álom, Számalk-Szalézi Technical School and Secondary Vocational School
The Gatsby Crew, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
Formabontók, Budapest Complex SZC Kozma Lajos Woodworking and Creative Technical School

Fine and Applied Arts Category