Every month since 2009, WAMP has been introducing designers who elevate the market hype to share more about a designer than just his or her products. Three years after the 1990 regime change in Hungary, Artista was already in full swing of becoming a well known, and now is a highly sought after design studio even beyond the Hungarian borders. The design group has been present week after week since the beginning of WAMP elevating the level of the market. As the Artista ladies show off their fall-winter collection this October. You must make a visit to their table if you have not yet done so.
Brand
The brand was established in 1993 by Katalin Imre, Júlia Iván, Ábel Köves, Nóra Rácz, Edina Schön and Katalin Stampf. Currently three designers run the studio: Katalin Imre, Katalin Stampf and Nóra Rácz. Their very first, now legend-worthy fashion show was held in the halls of Gellert Bath in front of 800 people. Since then they have been considered the pillars of Hungarian fashion.
Over the years, the designers studied overseas at acclaimed colleges and universities, such as MOME, Brighton University, Marangoni Institute in Milan, and Lemberg University in Ukraine. “A lot of us had scholarships and opportunities to study outside of Hungary, and it was great, because we became open to other cultures and languages.” The hard work paid off: today you can buy their clothing in Vienna, Greece, Tokyo, the Netherlands and Slovenia. Their showrooms are located on Puskin Street (in Budapest) and in the Museums Quartier (in Vienna).
The studio creates unique and seasonal items, but can custom design gowns and other special occasion pieces as well. A few years ago the unmistakable Artista bags have surfaced, too, decorated with Austrian Andy Leikauf’s paintings, and Georgian as well as Ukrainian artists’works.
Favorites
From the world: Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Alexander McQueen and many Japanese designers. From WAMP: Pucc!
Quote from artist
“To be a designer in Hungary is a continuous challenge.”
Quote about the artist
“The Artista philosophy honors classic and traditional tailoring but transplants them into the contemporary urban environment with extreme lines, expressing the person wearing the garment a unique and individual point of view. The Artista garment is feminine, wearable, and timeless, does not follow trends but is highly conceptual. The Artista designers are intrigued by nature and eastern philosophies.” (divat.hu)
“The success of Artista probably stems from the fact that four different designers come together under one studio name.” (cotcot.hu)
Inspiration
Inspiration comes from many places for them: music, contemporary dance, travels abroad, to a small village or from the streets.
About WAMP
“They have participated in WAMP markets since the beginning. It’s in our bloods, actually, our children now shop at WAMP, too.”
Feedback
“When a Horticultural Studies classmate asked me why I bother studying ecology with the profession I have, I responded: because I can do more good for the environment this way. She bought clothes from us for a friend of hers who after hearing the story above could have not been happier with the final garments.” (Katalin Stampf)
Awards
“If our clothes are well liked, the existing awards don’t seem important.”
Beyond design
“We protect our environment, recycle trash, garden a lot, raise children (or they raise us by telling us to go home on time).”