Most fashion weeks follow the same choreography season after season. The Budapest Central European Fashion Week, however, has been building in a different direction for years: instead of copying trends, it aims to articulate the voice of a region. Taking place for the 17th time between February 9–15, 2026, the event once again explores what contemporary fashion means today in Central and Eastern Europe — seen from Budapest.
In the AW26/27 season, more than 40 designers will present their Autumn/Winter collections, including 24 Hungarian and 17 international creators. The list of participating countries clearly outlines the geographical and cultural axis the BCEFW is consciously built upon: designers arrive in Budapest from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Armenia. The focus is not on competition, but on dialogue — on the meeting of different visual languages, social experiences and design strategies. The structure of the fashion week organized by Creative Hungary does not force this diversity into a single format. Collective shows, individual presentations and runway shows alternate within a system that clearly offers a development path from emerging labels to designers already recognized on an international level. The newly introduced NEW GENERATION INDIVIDUAL SHOW category is a clear reflection of this approach: it provides an independent platform for young brands that have outgrown collective formats and are ready to articulate their vision through their own narrative.
The choice of venues for the highlighted shows further strengthens the BCEFW’s urban embeddedness. The February 13 programs take place at the Apollo Gallery, where a contemporary, experimental environment resonates strongly with the fresh perspectives of the new generation. Over the weekend, the shows move to the Museum of Fine Arts, where the tension between a classical institutional space and contemporary fashion creates a distinctive context for the season’s key collections. The Fashion Hub is also located here, hosting professional talks, educational programs, and a showroom specifically designed to facilitate personal encounters for buyers and distributors. However, the BCEFW does not stop at the runways. Throughout the week-long event series, nearly fifty programs unfold across Budapest — including lectures, pop-ups, showroom openings and professional forums. This expanded presence raises the question of how fashion can become an organic part of urban culture, not only as a visual spectacle, but as an economic and intellectual system as well.
The visual world of the AW26/27 campaign translates this interdisciplinary approach into images through musical inspiration. Garments appear alongside instruments and musicians, searching for the visual equivalents of rhythm and movement. The photographs were shot at the Fészek Club, a space that has served for decades as an informal hub of Hungarian artistic life. The campaign also subtly reflects on Hungary’s musical heritage, evoking the dramatic intensity of Ferenc Liszt and the experimental spirit of György Ligeti.
Tickets are sold from January 17, with the full program available on the official BCEFW platforms.
Photos: Creative Hungary/Dávid Ajkai