The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) launched its design incubation program again in 2023, with Rossana Orlandi, one of the best-known icons of the international professional scene as the participants’ mentor. The Hungarian design LAB curated by Rossana Orlandi program was popular among the applicants; the five selected manufacturer-designer duos are now working on realising special products that are innovative and also feature cultural values and traditions.

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency launched its incubation program called design LAB in 2020 which uniquely connects the manufacturers’ professionalism with the designers’ creativity. The program aims to promote cooperation between creative industry players and provide the participants with an opportunity to implement their unique, mass-producible products that live up to international standards with the help of high-level mentoring in a professional framework. One of the most outstanding figures of international design, Rossana Orlandi, joined the program in 2023, acting as a curator and mentoring the chosen manufacturer-designer duos throughout the whole duration of the design LAB.

The manufacturers and designers could apply with a jointly developed, detailed proposal, and, following the successful evaluation, they received financial aid for implementing furniture, home accessories, and textile products. During the application period, 22 domestic designers submitted their designs, and their 35 product ideas competed to get into the program. In the second round of the call for applications, manufacturers could apply together with the designers who created the qualified and selected design plans during the first period.

A jury led by Rossana Orlandi decided on the participants of the program. Five manufacturer-designer collaboration partners were selected, and they presented their project plans to the profession, the audience, and the press at the 360 Design Budapest regional exhibition. A key aspect of the program is to create products that reflect the values of the Hungarian cultural heritage, and in this spirit, the concepts of the participating duos also reveal an exciting harmony between innovative techniques and the emphasis on tradition.

The Átló (Diagonal) project, made in collaboration of Barlang Műhely Kft and Studio Komok – Norbert Juhász, presents a furniture line emerging from playful geometric experimentation. As the name shows, they placed the diagonal as a simple geometric phenomenon in the spotlight, which has a simple form language that can still result in characteristic furniture with different worlds of forms based on the point of view. The diagonal as an analogy also sends a message about the importance of interpersonal relationships.

The Bloomaire project will be realised as the result of the collaboration between Lumoconcept Kft. and Co & Co Design-communication – Diána Alchhabi. Bloomaire is a kinetic movement chandelier collection, an exclusive choice for venues with available space to accommodate conceptual artworks. The product collaboration elegantly combines art, nature, and technology to create a new spatial dimension of light.

The Szelíd Kövek (Tender Stones) project is the result of the joint work of Multifelt Factory Kft. and Judit Pócs. The furniture and design panels are inspired by stones shaped by the sea, which can contribute to an intimate yet modern atmosphere mainly in office spaces, waiting rooms, and community spaces. These acoustic solutions that function both as a screen and as a sound absorbing medium represent a traditional and a high-quality artistic value in addition to the functionality of the systems available on the market.

The joint work of Nezozen Kft and Sára Kele, the Pontum solid wood furniture collection was inspired by Budapest’s bridges: translating the power of bridges into the language of objects, often with specific references in their shapes. The collection’s minimalist aesthetics show parallels with the architectural solutions of bridges while representing the importance of connections and building bridges between people.

The Hungarian mythical creatures project was realised in the collaboration of Zakar Clayart Design Kft. and Dóra Abodi. The concept’s base is that mythological creatures lived on in Hungarian folk tales and folk art as well as in literature and fine arts. The designer aims to create a collection including interior design solutions with its main characters inspired by myths and folk tales.

The collaboration has already started, and the HFDA is following up with the program’s implementation milestones with factory visits. The pairs will have the possibility to develop their workflows this year based on Rossana Orlandi’s professional advice. In the last few years, numerous exciting products came to life in the design LAB programs in the spirit of creativity and versatility. The program, which started in 2023 and is expected to run until March 2024, aims to realise sustainable and innovative products that are competitive in the domestic and international markets.

The design LAB curated by Rossana Orlandi program contributes to the HFDA’s strategic goal of expanding domestic design industry players’ opportunities, enhancing the sector’s exportability, and creating strategic collaborations that can open a gate to the international scene.

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