The Szimpla Kert, which operates in the winter as well as the summer, is one of Budapest's premiere courtyard pubs. It's improvised - albeit slightly damaged - nature offers a kind of timeless peace and harmony contrasted with the demolition and construction projects in the surrounding Jewish Quarter. This alternative island of peace offers an ideal venue to frame the Krea Arts School's dynamic.
The exhibition shows a selection of last year's thesis projects, including design plans, fashion photos and posters. All of the designs are one-of-a-kind, innovative and experimental works. Nowhere do I see the banalities of the latest fashion glossy. Nor do I see any crass imitations of foreign designers. Rather the students present independently and fully conceived clothing compositions photographed in way that captures a feeling - be it with an ironic gesture or a story. The makeup, the way the models are placed, the clothing and the movements all contribute, step by step, to the whole.
The Krea Arts School has operated for twelve years as a private institution of higher education, but it plans to apply for accreditation as a college. From now on, the school plans to take a new exhibition to the Szimpla Kert - as well as other venues in Budapest - every one or two months as a way communicating its brand of fashion and design to the public.
Author: Eszter Götz
