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26
WIZZ MAGAZINE
JUNE-JULY 2012
Downtown Design District is a 20-member
association of Hungarian designers,
manufacturers and shopkeepers whose
businesses occupy the twisty old streets
of historic Pest. Twice a year, it organises
flagship event Stylewalker, an after-dark,
open-doors opportunity to meet these
modern-day artisans over the course of
one night. DJ parties are held in District
V’s trendier, design-conscious bars, to
complement the workshop visits.
Design District and Stylewalker swim
against the tide of malls and chains and
offer something unique to Budapest. And,
rather than wait twice a year, the itinerary
can be followed any day of the week.
It was fashion designer Szidónia Szép
who, along with a handful of enthusiastic
creatives, launched Design District to
raise the profile of quality Hungarian
manufacture, both high-end and street-
level, in this compact, walkable quarter. At
one extreme are the contemporary, urban
fashions of Mono and Retrock. At the other,
the niche perfumes of parfumier Zsolt
Zólymoi. Zsolt’s creations at Le Parfum
are conceived from age-old Hungarian
compounds – even the glass bottles are
manufactured by local glassmakers. This is
a singularly artisanal and proudly Magyar
approach to retail. And he has achieved
this on so-called ‘Fashion Street’, Deák
Ferenc utca, the pedestrianised stretch
of high-end chains and five-star hotels,
COVER FEATURE
BUDAPEST
TOP LEFT:
THE TEXTILES
AT
EVENTUELL.
ABOVE:
KÁROLYI PARK, THE
PERFECT PLACE TO RELAX.
OPPOSITE:
RETROCK
DELUXE’S BOUTIQUE
FASHION AND MONO’S
JEWELLERY
SHOPPING, DOWNTOWN