WORDS ERZA S.T. PHOTOS SUGARBIRD

Compared to other cities in Europe such as Milan and Paris, Budapest might not be a fashion capital yet. However, it is difficult to deny that fashion talents there are blossoming with their hip and unique style.

More and more young Budapest designers we have never heard about before such as Dora Konsanszky, Dora Abodi, Je Suis Belle by Dalma Devenyi and Tibor Kiss, among others, are receiving not only awards for their great work, but also attention from Hollywood stars and major fashion countries.

Colors, modern forms, practicality, clean cuts, naturalism, comfort, chic and inspiration from traditional heritage seem to be the keywords to the Hungarian fashion sense. One of Hungary’s big fashion brands that is making its presence felt in Europe and the USA is none other than Sugarbird.

Founded in 2007 in Budapest by an aspiring young woman Jagasics c Csonka Hedvig, Sugarbird is the product of hard work began from the ground up.

After graduating from Budapest Fashion Institute and working as a designer for a few companies, Hedvig decided to create her own brand, thus Sugarbird was born, with a focus on lingerie at first. With her tenacity, creativity, and good fashion instincts, Sugarbird has now become one of Europe’s influential fashion brands. From pret-a-porter to couture, Sugarbird has mesmerized its fans with its unique collection.

With the motto, “We bring Hungarian into fashion”, Sugarbird is now expanding into the USA, where its collection has immediately received attention from A-list celebrities, including singer Beyonce who was spotted wearing a Sugarbird ‘Copacabana’ lemon printed dress recently during her summer holiday in Hawaii.

For the very first time, Sugarbird was in Jakarta as part of the Hungarian National Day event that was organized by the embassy on Nov. 2 at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski. The event also displayed pottery products by Ildikó Chlumetzky and featured music show by Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer Balázs Havasi.

According to Hungarian Ambassador to Indonesia Judit Nemeth-Pach, the display of Sugarbird fashions and Havasi pottery as well as the music performance and  the serving of Hungarian wines and culinary tradition during the event was to draw attention on the expanding bilateral relations between Hungary and Indonesia.

“Our partnership is on the rise, our goal is to keep this trend going on. Indonesia has become one of our most important partners in the region. We aim to strengthen our cooperation and make Hungary even more visible and attractive to our partners,” said the ambassador.

On the sideline of Hungarian National Day event, the J+ did a quick interview with Hedvig, Sugarbird’s founder, to find out more about their philosophy, style and future plan in our region.

What is the design philosophy of Sugarbird?

The core of our philosophy is to see people wearing our clothes. We do not design clothes that we want to wear, but clothes we would like to see on people. We design clothes that people fall in love with; that people want more and more. We believe it is very important to always come up with something new. We deliver fresh designs every year, something that you have never seen before. Self-expression has always been our trademark, but our clothes are not too extreme or too unrealistic at the same time. We wish to dress everybody up for every occasion. Our goal is to provide fashion for everyone, that’s why we offer a wide range of styles. Our team consists of fashion designers, graphic artists, even sales managers. We love license characters and unique screen-printing technologies.

Being Hungary’s fashion representative in the world, what can you tell us about Hungarian fashion sense or style?

Hungarian women generally love to get dressed up pretty. They do not necessarily follow the latest trends of well-known international designers, but they tend to adapt certain elements of them. Hungarian women like to behave like a woman in every situation and they like to show it with their appearance as well.

Is this the first time Sugarbird has come to Indonesia? What kind of collection have you brought for this occasion?

Exactly, this is our first time. We have chosen our Zsolnay collection, which originates from a famous, internationally acknowledged Hungarian porcelain manufacture company. We started cooperating with them this year; we apply their patterns on dresses, shirts, coats and so on. Never has [there] been such cooperation in Hungary before this, and I can tell that it turned out to be quite a success. We think this is an excellent choice to introduce ourselves in Indonesia since these patterns are a part of our national culture.

What do you think about Indonesia as a market?

Obviously, it is a completely different culture, but I’m convinced that we can touch the “soul” of Indonesian women and we can offer a collection that is not strange to them. We love colors, vivid patterns, beautiful make up, so the uniqueness of Indonesia is very inspiring for us. Recently, we worked inspired by the Disney cartoon “Moana”, which is based on the traditions of Polynesian culture and we managed to design a marvelous collection. Its first performance is coming soon and we can’t wait to go public with it.

Any chance of having your products in the Southeast Asia region?

We would be more than happy to be present in Southeast Asia. I think there is always a chance if there is a need. Our brand is exactly like this: once you fall in love with it, you can never let go of it.

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