Today we launch a new feature, which will introduce upcoming, young, Hungarian talent. The first person we think deserves to get some credit is Boglárka Csömör who just graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, and runs her own label, LAARKA.

Check out the interview and her creations after the jump.

Why did you choose to get into fashion?
By the time I was 14, I knew I wanted to apply to university for textile design, and I ended up graduating this year at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. It really was always evident that I’d get into fashion, and really never even thought about anything else, but I had the will and perseverence, which made everything possible.

Where do you get your inspiration, and what inspired your thesis collection?
I’m very sensitive to the outside world, and my designs come as a direct result of the impulses I receive, which lay the foundation from which I create a garment or collection.

Nowadays, it seems that roles are much harder to define, and this situation is what I tried to emphasize with my thesis collection. I designed outfits that could just as easily be worn by women as by men.

There are a whole bunch of products we use everyday that are completely irrelevant as far as genders are concerned. It could be a pair of shoes, a fragrance, glasses. If I follow the principle that even the most simplest of products are free from gender, then why couldn’t clothes be as well? Is it possible to create clothing that - in time - would become just as unisex as a pair of jeans, which first started out as a work pant. Then men started wearing them casually, and later women. It has now become a staple in everyone’s wardrobe.

This collection was inspired by such iconic names as, say a James Dean or Marlon Brando. Cult figures who have a particular garment that many associate with (in this case, jeans), or who helped to popularize a certain style or look, and assisted in freeing typical gender constraints from fashion. Or those, who even played around with their own gender (Marlon Brando, Twiggy, Grace Jones, David Bowie, Marlene Dietrich). These characters all inspired me in different ways when designing the collection, since they all played a role, either directly or indirectly, in popularizing unisex.

I looked for classic forms, which every now and again pop up in the fashion world, and which both genres wear freely, regardless of who it was originally intended for. I also kept in mind to create certain male and female garments in some outfits in an effort to even further emphasize its unisex characteristics. I designed a total of five outfits, in which the jacket plays the lead role. There has always been three major jacket styles present in fashion: the trench coat, the tail-coat, and the windbreaker. I wasn’t looking to unify forms, since the materials bring together the pieces into one collection. These combinations resulted in jackets that at first glance you notice that they can be worn by both men and women. The jackets were inspired by men’s clothing, which is why I turned to women’s clothing when designing the pants and accessories. This resulted in tight-fitting pants, while the tops were given slouched necks to help retain the outfits’ unisex look.

For the collection, I chose multiple shades of grey, and I kept form and the overall aesthetic when picking materials. The shiny metallic materials give it an impression of plastic, and with its precise details the modern materials conform well with the classic silhouettes. The varying shades of grey make it possible to create a feeling of stiffness, softness, a sort of elastic feeling. I personally adjust the fit, because it’s the fine tuning that makes the pieces either a men’s or women’s item. Using shiny, elastic satin, and the windbreaker’s material, paired with finely-looped cotton, I was able to make a pret-a-porter collection, which can not only be easily worn, but also be easily manufactured.

What do you feel is your biggest success to date?
All the positive feedback, whether it be from people placing orders, or kind words coming from university or in the press. I find each segment to be just as important. I find if someone can do what they love, then that in itself is a big success.

What are your thoughts about the Hungarian fashion industry and your contemporaries? Who’s work do you admire?
I don’t believe there is such a thing as Hungarian fashion. Fashion is fashion because it isn’t about borders or people from different backgrounds, except for the person who is designing the clothing regardless of whether he/she is Hungarian or not. I see universality when looking at the fashion world, which Hungarian fashion is a part of.

There are some specific designers whom I’ve been keeping a close eye on, but I wouldn’t pick any one specifically, because it isn’t necessarily their collections, usually just one or two characteristics that I like, or get me thinking.

Where do you see yourself in a few years?
I launched my brand, LAARKA in early 2008, loosely based on my first name. My main goal is to work on expanding and growing the label as much as possible. It’s hard to say, but I’m really hopeful that my own brand will be able to stay afloat, but sometimes there are those external factors that are out of your power to change.

Photo: Bálint Trunkó
Models: Luca (attractive), Will (face)
Hair: Anikó Kaluczki
Make up: Renáta Vörös
Shoes: Vagabond

Tags: Boglarka Csomor, Young Hungarian Talent