Design Diaries is a five-part event series that explores the contemporary challenges facing design from a regional perspective, the specific characteristics of individual countriesโ design strategies, and current issues concerning designers across various fields. During the thematic evenings, regional representatives of each topic (both designers and theorists) share their thoughts through short presentations inspired by professional diary entries. The aim of the program is to facilitate knowledge exchange and professional networking in the fields of design and object culture among the V4 countries, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, and to foster potential future collaborations.
Location: editory Budapest
Dรฉri Miksa u. 6.
september 24
object-making
October 29
fashion design
speakers
Beata Modrzyลska
FASHION DESIGNER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FOUNDER OF APOREEI
Warsaw-based fashion designer and founder of aporeei, she holds an MA from HEADโGenรจve and has worked across Western Europe before developing her own label. Her work explores how clothing becomes part of everyday life, bringing together style, construction, sourcing, and fit to create pieces that feel thoughtful, expressive, and wearable.
Drawing on deconstruction, she distorts familiar garment archetypes through fluid forms and signature openings, using the recurring motif of the hole as both ornament and function. This open-ended language invites personal gestures and allows garments to gain meaning with wear. Through aporeei, she develops expressive ready-to-wear that balances sculptural outerwear with soft, fluid essentials, combining intricate pattern-making, reclaimed materials, and intentional production grounded in long-term product thinking. All pieces are crafted in Poland.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.
Mรกria ล tranekovรก
FASHION DESIGNER & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Slovak fashion designer and academic working under the Mayamay label since 2008. Her practice focuses on sustainable fashion, minimalist design, and zero-waste principles. She is the author of the โLife Care Instructionโ concept, which promotes a more responsible relationship between garments and their wearers. She has long been active at Tomas Bata University in Zlรญn, where she currently teaches in the Arts Management Studio. Her ongoing artistic and sustainable projects, Material Memory and Identity, explore new materials and collaborations. Her project Natural Mode was awarded the National Design Award and presented at Milan Design Week 2024. Her work has been exhibited internationally in New York, Vancouver, and across Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, and Budapest.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.
Noรฉmi Szilรกdi
FOUNDER AND DESIGNER OF KAMAY KO
Born in Budapest, fashion designer Noรฉmi Szilรกdi is the founder of the fashion brand Kamay Ko. Inspired by her fatherโs leather craftsmanship, she graduated from MOME in 2016 with a degree in leather accessory and printed pattern design, and she founded the brand in 2020. Her creative vision blends Central and Eastern European roots with the lightness and sensibility of Italian life. After spending the last few years in Rome while designing for her Budapest-based brand, she has recently returned home.
The name Kamay Ko means โmy handโ in Filipino, referring to the idea that the brand is created, strengthened, and shaped by many hands. Today, the brand has grown into a community grounded in sustainable thinking and the belief that objects can bring people together. Its Budapest base is Sisko Studio, where visitors can discover Kamay Ko alongside a curated selection of other Hungarian brands.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.
FASHION DESIGNERS, FOUNDERS OF GONOE
From Knives to Furniture
Patrik and Max both graduated with First Class Honours in Fashion Design from Coventry University in the UK. In 2019, they founded their brand, GONOE. Their work is rooted in sustainability, craftsmanship and individuality, transforming worn and unwanted clothing through innovative design, fabric manipulation and a personal approach to garment making.
Alongside their one-of-a-kind pieces, they create seasonal collections and collaborate with other brands and creatives, exploring diverse materials, techniques and approaches to clothing. Everything they create is driven by a strong focus on individuality, craftsmanship, and giving materials a new purpose.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF PETRA PTACKOVA BRAND
Dividing her life between Prague and Paris for the past 15 years, she has balanced her design practice with a career in the film industry as a stunt performer. This dual life has deeply shaped her approach to design, reflecting a constant tension between her roots and the effortless fashion culture she encounters in Paris.
Today, she focuses on her own brand. She has always found it fascinating to delve into the details of textiles: their origins, possibilities, and limits. More than two decades of working as a stunt performer have taught her to consider the practical side of clothing, yet she feels lucky to work within these limitations in a world of seemingly endless possibilities. Storytelling, fantasy, and tales are equally essential to her creative world. From the very beginning, she called this collision of worlds Magic Realism: a term she borrowed from literature.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.
Terike from Budapest
INDEPENDENT FASHION PLATFORM
Terike from Budapest (TfB) began in June 2020 as an Instagram page dedicated to showcasing young fashion designers, but it quickly grew beyond the social media platform. Since then, it has evolved into an independent platform with the mission of protecting and representing the integrity of fashion design and increasing the visibility of emerging designers.
Since the team was renewed in the summer of 2023, it has considered fashion education to be of key importance. The name Terike symbolically reflects the many misconceptions and preconceptions surrounding the profession, both in Hungary and globally today. TfB believes that showcasing the work of young designers and raising awareness of the challenges they face are key to (re)shaping and strengthening contemporary fashion culture.
Presentation will be available to watch on YouTube after the event.