A fashion studio in Hungary is challenging the centuries-old stereotypes faced by the country’s Roma minority, and claiming a place on the high cultural table for the historically marginalized group.
Founded by sisters Erika and Helena Varga in 2010, fashion studio Romani Design has a mission to use fashion and applied arts to build the socio-cultural credibility of the Roma community and re-establish culture. Rome in the modern context.
Erika Varga, co-founder of Romani Design, said: “We were one of the first brands to really give an answer to how to rebuild (Roma) traditions in a contemporary way, modern.
Roma are Hungary’s largest minority and make up about 10% of the population in the central European country. Like their counterparts across Europe, the Roma people of Hungary are often the subject of economic and social exclusion, and face discrimination, discrimination and poverty.
Present in Hungary since the 15th century, many Roman traditions are deeply ingrained in the broader Hungarian culture. However, many of their unique customs and occupations – as well as their language, Romanian – have slowly died out after centuries of official and unofficial marginalization.
Romanian Design is challenging the centuries-old stereotypes faced by the country’s Roma minority and claiming a place on the high cultural table for the historically marginalized group. (AP Photo / Bela Szandelszky)
Before starting the Romanian design company, the Varga sisters worked as jewelry designers and manufacturers. But finding the social acceptance their community has long sought remains elusive, they worry that valuable Roman traditions are being lost and excluded from conceptions of what is. create a high culture.
“We want to tap into the majority of society, including the elite in society,” says Erika. “This is important because it is social class that determines who has value and what place they can occupy in the social hierarchy. … We also want to convey to our community that we don’t have to give up our traditional values.”
Incorporating floral motifs, colorful fabrics and depictions of the Virgin Mary common in traditional Roman dress and folklore, Romanian Design creates clothing, jewelry and accessories. Modern events place the Roman cultural tradition in a contemporary context.
Helena, her sister who oversees the design of their products, says many of the outfits and accessories are a reflection of life experiences she went through while growing up in Roma in Hungary.
“When I design, I live entirely up to my own gypsy identity, and my roots are entirely here in my heart and soul,” says Helena, using a term for the Roma people considered. is devastating in some places but is commonly used by Roma in Hungary. “I have seen how (Roma communities) live, what they wear, what type of house they live in and the interior design… These memories and experiences are completely etched in my mind as I go design something.”
While some Hungarian advocacy groups promote equality and social inclusion among Roma people by representing elements of Roman culture such as folk music and dance, the Varga sisters say that Fashion is one of the most powerful means of bridging the gap between their culture and the rest of society. .
“Fashion, the way we dress, the clothes we wear can send a message so quickly and so intensely that it reaches a target audience very quickly,” says Helena. “It’s very effective.”
In the designer fashion world, choosing to shop at Romanian Design represents a conscious statement of value, says Helena, and their customers often buy their products for the purpose of expressing their opinion. about integration.
Six Romani Design dresses are currently on display at an exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts in the Hungarian capital Budapest. (AP Photo / Bela Szandelszky)
Most of the studio’s clients are “people who want more from fashion,” says Erika.
“They want to express their individuality as much as possible, to shape the environment they live in and to represent important values in their personal and community lives, such as values,” she said. value of multiculturalism.
Six Romani Design dresses are currently on display at an exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
In the rotating exhibition, “In Circulation,” artists select items from the museum’s permanent collection and create their own works inspired by them. Once on display, the new contemporary works will become part of the museum’s collection – ensuring they are reflected for posterity for generations to come.
Judit Horvath, the museum’s head of contemporary design, says the museum’s mission is to “analyze social issues”, and Romani Design’s appearance in the exhibition has been very successful. .
“In the context of this exhibition, we wanted to make it clear what a social problem is,” says Horvath. “What is this problem? Conflict, fear, discord and anger often exist between Roma and non-Roman communities… the things we wanted were not there.”
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