Romani Design Fashion Art
The exhibition of the Roma fashion brand Romani , which has been conveying the traditions of the Roma from the Carpathian basin to the whole world for 13 years, will present iconic pieces of clothing, jewelry and accessories connecting traditions and cultural heritage with the modern demands of today's world in the ÚĽUV Gallery at Mäsiarská 52 in Košice. The founders of the Romani Design studio, sisters Erika and Helena Varga, proudly advocate the waste-free use of traditional materials and maintain social responsibility for their community. The colorfulness, the quality of the processing of the motifs and the digitized textile patterns create a unique experience that will offer visitors the opportunity to look into the depths of the diversity of the Roma soul.
Exhibition name: Romani Design Fashion Art
Location: ÚĽUV Gallery, Mäsiarska 52, Košice
Duration of the exhibition: 17/10/2024 – 17/1/2025
Opening hours: Monday - Friday | 13.00 – 17.00
Exhibition opening: October 17, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Curator: Erika Varga, Szilvia Czingel
Visual design and graphic elements: Beatrix Torma and Péter Zalán Salát
Organization of the exhibition in cooperation with: ÚĽUV, Hagyományok Háza/House of Traditions (Budapest), Romani Design Studio (Budapest)
Romani Design is the first Roma fashion studio in the world. Its founders - designers Erika and Helena Varga - as important personalities of the Hungarian and international art and creative industry, use fashion, design and music to build the prestige of Roma communities. During their 14 years of operation, they have created a number of fashion collections, exhibitions and community works in Hungary and in foreign cities in cooperation with various institutions. In 2023, the cooperation with the Budapest House of Traditions brought another exhibition called Romani Design Fashion Art . The author of the theme is Szilvia Czingel, director of the Museum of Folk Applied Art (Budapest), the graphics were provided by Beatrix Torma and Péter Zalán Salát based on the artistic concept of Erika Varga.
Central elements of the exhibition concept are contemporary clothes, accessories and works of art of Roma clothing culture. Using the language of fashion, the exhibition conveys different layers of artistic activism, ideas and visions of Romani Design designers, their creative methods and the cultural mission that inspired the creation of the brand. On display are iconic pieces from the Romani Design collections created over the past 13 years, complemented by archival and contemporary photographs. Traditional clothes come from the collections of the House of Traditions and the Museum of Folk Applied Art, and objects for the exhibition were also lent by private individuals, e.g. singer Andrea Malek, director of the Foundation for Roma Education Szilvia Szénási and painter Anita Dangel. An imaginative addition are traditional wooden Japanese kokeshi dolls dressed in Roma clothes, created especially for the purpose of the exhibition in collaboration with the internationally renowned artist Réka Tóth-Vásárhelyi. Among the exhibited exhibits are also the original clothes of the designer's mother and grandmother, reflecting their creative approach and inspiration from the example of their ancestors.
Through thematic lookbooks with photos and curated texts supplemented with handmade textile works, you will learn about the proven methods of brand sustainability and the preparation stages of digitized textile patterns. The whole is complemented by two video documentaries - an interview with the authors and a clip from previous fashion shows.