Photo credit: Janet Donovan
“We use many antique pieces,” said Hungarian Fashion Designer Katti Zoób about the fabrics she uses in her latest line at a cultural runway show at the Hungarian Embassy hosted by H.E. The Ambassador of Hungary, Dr. Laszlo Szabo and Dr. Ivonn Szeverenyi. “We also use some old designs, textiles which were definitely made for this collection. This is not the past though, this is the updated version of the old fairy tales of central Europe so it has a cultural message which is extremely optimistic because this is all about integration. This is about how different we are and how we should show compassion and how we have to integrate. So the layering is extremely important because in the past people were not using coats at all and the way they were wearing their clothing was an expression of their titles and their wealth and their position. Also, there are some people who wear everything that they have at the same time. What is most important is that fashion is communicating and it was in the past as well. It’s always positioning where you are from, where you are heading to, and this is the most exciting part of it. However, into a different century, fashion means globalization and this is what we wanted to show.”
Katti Zoób (front)
Ambassador Szabo had multiple reasons to celebrate the evening: A fabulous event, commemorating the most well-recognized Hungarian celebrity in the fashion business – the only and first time of her appearance here in the United States. “So this is the debut or a premiere for these wonderful designs.” The event was also the closing event for Hungary’s Visegrád Four Presidency. The Visegrád Four is a geopolitical association that was created by Poland, Czech, Hungary, and Slovakia before they joined the European Union. “This is one of the strongest alliance within the European Union, and we are very happy that we have a rotation of Presidency. In Hungary, the Presidency started last July, and now it is expiring at the end of this month. So we are celebrating that.” It was also his wife Yvonn’s birthday. “This is a pure coincidence. It was not by design that it happened like this, it just happened.”
Dr. Ivonn Szeverenyi
The Visegrad Group (also known as the “Visegrad Four” or simply “V4”) reflects the efforts of the countries of the Central European region to work together in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration. Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have always been part of a single civilization sharing cultural and intellectual values and common roots in diverse religious traditions, which they wish to preserve and further strengthen. In order to preserve and promote cultural cohesion, cooperation within the Visegrad Group will enhance the imparting of values in the field of culture, education, science and exchange of information. All the activities of the Visegrad Group are aimed at strengthening stability in the Central European region. The participating countries perceive their cooperation as a challenge and its success as the best proof of their ability to integrate also into such structures, such as the European Union. “So we would have a fantastic show today,” Ambassador Szabo added. “What you will see, because it’s a Visegrád Four event, are those hundred-years-old patterns representing the culture of these countries in a very modern way with beautiful materials. The models actually came from Hungary, about 15 of them. So you will see that this will be an authentic representation of Hungarian, Polish, Slovakian, and Czech culture.”
He concluded by thanking The Hungarian Foundation of North America “for helping us tremendously in this and I would love to also thank Aniko Gaal Schott. We love you, we love you. The other special feature of this event is that you will see my three daughters on stage today as well. They can not join us for the champagne because they are underage in the US; in Hungary, they could. But we will make this test for you, you have to find out who my daughters are. Also, we have a fantastic guest today, who is the CEO of the Budapest String Festival and also the CEO of the Hungarian version of the Kennedy Center, The Palace of Arts. This gentlemen is directing operas. This gentleman is creating exhibitions. This gentleman has owned the opening ceremony of the World Water Championships last year. So, he’s Mr. Culture in Hungary.”
Csaba Káel with his son and wife
Csaba Káel, managing director of the Budapest Palace of Arts (Müpa), has received the French Legion of Honour for his work to develop Hungarian-French cultural relations and his achievements as a film and theatre director and institution manager in the field of cultural diplomacy. He thanked the audience: “We Hungarians are very proud of two things: our creativity and our women. This ultimate collection of the world-famous Hungarian designer Katti Zoób is the richly imaginative Russell collection about our cultural heritage, our present, and our future.”
Dr. Yvonn Szeverenyi and Louise Linton
Yvonn invited guests to: “Take a closer look at the dresses after the show. We will close the great salon and they will move the dresses into the salon so you can have a peek backstage and take a closer look, because you will want to.”
