Design identity meets sustainability in the creations of this year's MOME Fashion Show

This year's MOME Fashion Show was a huge success: the latest generation of fashion and textile designers from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) presented their latest fashion and textile designs to a double sold-out audience at the University's Zugligeti Road Campus. In keeping with the tradition of MOME and the rhythm of the international fashion weeks, the MOME organised the extraordinary fashion event and exhibition in the first week of October, which attracted a large number of visitors. This year, the young designers' creations were inspired by the theme of life and the constant cycle of materials, with recycled and biodegradable materials playing a key role. Led by Ildikó Kele, founder of KELE Clothing and head of the MA Fashion and Textile Design at MOME, and Dóra Tomcsányi, founder of the TOMCSANYI brand and also a lecturer at the university, the fashion show is an opportunity for the university to explore the issues that concern future designers in front of a wider audience.

The runway of the large-scale fashion show showcased the collections of 11 undergraduate and 4 master's degree students, while the accompanying exhibition featured the work of 5 undergraduate and 11 master's degree designers, as well as two MA in Jewellery Design students.

The various collections were inspired by the world of contemporary Hungarian artists, but also brought to life new, innovative elements and methods from the unique creative experiments. An exciting meeting of sustainability and design identity has resulted in, among others, an industrially compostable shoe collection, while some designers have approached the theme of sustainability from an eternal cycle perspective, with constant change as its main pillar. The opening collection of Nóra Sármán, a well-known designer and MOME alumna, called Cupid's Quilt 2024, was linked to this idea: she presented wedding-themed garments made exclusively from waste materials.

Thanks to the students' masterpieces of character, a spectacular and memorable fashion show was presented to the profession and the public. The overall messages of the works also show that the young generation is highly influenced by current world phenomena.  "The energy crisis has forced the profession even more to turn towards sustainability and to manage our resources properly. As educators, we try to pass on this approach to our students, so that this mindset becomes a basic design attitude," said Dóra Tomcsányi.

Linked to the inspiring theme of sustainability, diversity and inclusion also play a significant role in the university's approach. The rapid development of technology in the world of fashion and textile design is leading to unprecedented materials and solutions, a phenomenon that has been reflected in the work of young talents. "Innovations in smart textiles, interactive garments and digital design tools have enabled designers to create more creative and functional pieces. The acceleration of industrial-scale production and electronically driven digital technologies have pushed craftsmanship into the background, so experimenting with traditional techniques in unusual new ways is a real challenge and a driving force for students," said Ildikó Kele, summing up how university education reflects changes in industry and technology and channels pioneering technologies, giving students the space to experiment.

It is not surprising that the students of the design faculties stand out internationally with their work: the Global Design Graduate Show 2023, organised in collaboration with Gucci, shortlisted several MOME students' works, two of which were also on display to the Hungarian public as part of the MOME Fashion Show.  "Our training combines creativity, research, craftsmanship and technology to encourage responsible design thinking. We believe that collaborations between different disciplines and mutual knowledge transfer lead to innovative solutions and positive change. In our Bachelor of Architecture (BA) programme, we train versatile designers who, in addition to professional knowledge, can learn about the social, economic and cultural factors that influence the industry," says Ildikó Kele.

Sustainability and circularity are prominent in several of the university's initiatives and collaborations: In 2022, MOME established the Conscious Textile Group materials innovation initiative together with the Hungarian brand Nanushka, and in September this year, the MOME Innovation Centre hosted the international Future Materials conference for the second time, providing a platform for designers, researchers and students to discuss cutting-edge technologies and the latest breakthroughs in materials research, and exploring new perspectives in sustainable design and manufacturing through the presentation of new materials made from waste.

After the MOME Fashion Show, visitors will soon have another opportunity to get closer to the world of the university: on the MOME Open Day on 3 November, curious visitors will be able to get a comprehensive insight into the structure of the Bachelor of Textile Design and the Master of Fashion and Textile Design and the work of the students.

More details: https://mome.hu/hu/fashion-show

Designers of the MOME Fashion Show 2023 and exhibition:

BÁRÁNY JUDIT // BA
KOVÁTS JANKA // BA
CSORBA KINGA // BA
PASKER NÓRA // BA
HUTTER ZSÓFIA CSENGE // BA
KÁROLY ANETT // BA
KOVÁCS LAURA DOROTTYA // BA
FERENCZ KAROLINA // BA
TÓTH ESZTER // BA
ACZÉL SÁRA LUCA // BA
MAKAI PANNA // BA
BRAUNITZER BORBÁLA // MA
MÉSZÁROS LILI // MA
SZABÓ FANNI EPERKE // MA
SZARVAS VALENTIN // MA

Exhibitors:

HORVÁTH EMESE // BA
ZIMONYI GWENDOLIN // MA
ZIEGLER KATALIN // MA
VELKEY VIRÁG // MA
VARJÚ ÁGNES // MA
TRINGER BEA // MA
TAKÁCS EMESE // MA
RADVÁNYI DÁVID // BA
PUSZTAI ENIKŐ // BA
POLGÁR KATA REGINA // BA
NÉMETH VERONIKA // BA
MADARÁSZ RITA // MA
KISS LÚCIA BEATRIX // MA
KAVICZKI  VANDA // MA
BUKOVÁCZ LILLA // MA

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