Fashion Without Capitalism
Design from behind the iron curtain
To save space for images, I’m not going to add a lot of words here. Just know that almost everything you’re about to see took place behind the iron curtain. In the 1980s, Budapest was not quite socialist and not quite capitalist, and there was one fashion designer who thrived in this moment.
This is the story of Tamás Király, an unusual artist from an unusual period of Hungarian history, both of which were unusually short-lived.
Because Király was murdered in 2013.
This is the famous hat that is a perfect replica of the Hungarian Parliament.
Was the hat making a political statement? Or was it a joke? Or was it just a cool hat? No one really knew. Although the police certainly tried to figure it out.
Király made his international debut in 1988, at the Dressater show in West Berlin, at the then-abandoned Hamburger Bahnhof.
The sources for this story, and for all these images, are the following two publications:
Tamás Király. Out of the Box, the catalog for the retrospective at the Ludwig Museum
Tamás Király 80s, the book assembled by Gyula Musckovics and Andrea Soós. You can see a talk they gave here - which has great footage of the Dressater show.
Other Articles Of Interest
Hungary has great local fashion today- as artist and designers continue to do their own thing. My favorites are THEFOUR, Daige, Vengru (makes geometric bags that stand beautifully on their own, or you can clip them to custom canvas totes when you need more space. Smart idea!) and I adore the corduroy getups of Donna Terra (and her hemp tulip top)
Yours,
Avery
Dear Avery
I wanted to share a less public, but no less sincere, THANK Y0U! I tried on IG and Reddit, but could not find you so thought I would leave a comment here.
I've been a fan of your work since I first heard the exciting news from 99PI that you have your own podcast on the way. I have cherished each and every episode, not least of all for your buoyant and generous spirit. From learning about legendary Princess Liliuokalana writing Aloha Oe and being a founding designer for the 'aloha shirt' till your compelling conversation with Jason Jules on the idea of 'cool' and beyond.
The work in which you're involved is incredibly interesting, relevant, and just delightful to unpack and stimulate one's creative soul.
FYI I ended up having a lovely convo with Mr. Jules and now he follows me after I tagged him in a photo with my purple socks, one of his
iconic expressions. Our fashion
In languages of my home, IsiZulu, and isiXhosa, respectively, I say thank you: ngiyabonga; enkosi!
and in the language of my matrilineal line, I say share the sentiment in Hebrew: Toda!
Warm regards and hugs from sunny South Afrika,
Aaron, known as ASARIO
@AsarioTyro
@BienHabilleDesign
Just listened and had to see what you all are talking about! So interesting. Thank you.