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10 JUNE 16 JUNE 2011

THE BUDAPEST TIMES

CULTURE
Designers in Hungary Part XIV:
Zoltn Herczeg & his labels
Herczeg & American Badass

Fashion for the flamboyant man

alking from the Western Station to
Oktogon you could easily pass by the
small, bright shop of the extreme
designer Zoltn Herczeg without noticing it.
The well-designed shop, in a courtyard on
Terz krt, sells flamboyant clothing and
accessories, mainly for men. The Budapest Times
spoke to Herczeg, a lover of extravagant
eyeglasses, about the past and present, and why
his designs sell better abroad.
On entering the shop there can be no mistake
about who the customer is and who the
designer is. Herczeg is wearing glasses with glittering frames that could easily hold their own in
Elton Johns collection, a well-fitted, striped
shirt, worn jeans and red cowboy half-boots.
Once the customers have left, Herczeg tells us
that even as a child he always loved painting,
drawing and designing.
My parents couldnt get me away from my
table and pens and out of the house, he laughs.
Herczeg also took up sculpture and writing.
Ive always had an artistic vein, he says.
At the end of the 1980s a mixture of hip hop
and rock flooded Hungary but there was no
clothing to match. My brothers girlfriend was
a seamstress; I took my designs for Bermuda
shorts to her and she made them. Later
Herczeg designed trousers and shirts, and by
the time he graduated from university virtually
his whole wardrobe was self-designed.

are worn by people who are open to the world,

feel at home in it and want to live their lives
on their own terms, he explains.
Customers include foreigners who have
discovered the shop and often buy a lot in one
go, including Herczegs most outlandish
designs. Hungarians are more reserved. They
tend to buy one or two things, and these tend
to be the safer options. Herczeg chalks that up
to Hungarys backwardness when it comes to
fashion: Because of the years of communism
people are less open and not so daring. They
care a lot what other people think and they
dont have the necessary spare cash.

Economics first
He studied economics at Corvinus University
in Budapest rather than training as a designer.
The reason was that his marks at an economics
secondary school were too good, he says. I
didnt have a clear idea about what I wanted to
do. My teachers and parents assumed that I
would go to Corvinus, and I enjoyed it there.
After graduating, however, he turned his attention to fashion. His parents were sceptical. But
theyve always been behind me. Now that business is good and Im making money from it,
theyre very proud of me, the self-made
designer says.

From the street to the internet

Herczeg started out in 1996 with just HUF
30,000 (200 USD at the time) that he had
borrowed from a friend, his designs in felt-tip
pen and the help of a seamstress. He began by

BZT/Aaron Taylor

oltn Herczeg has worked

as a clothes designer
since he graduated from
Corvinus University 15 years ago.
After opening his shop in 1997 he
received orders from various
Hungarian world-music bands,
including Back II Black, Hooligans
and Romantic. Later several international companies put him in

charge of designing outfits for

their hostesses. He has appeared
on television as a jury member,
presented his collections on the
catwalks of Madrid and in 2005
was the Fashion Awards
Hungary young designer of the
year. In 2008 he made it into the
Hungarian Whos Who yearbook.
Since 2009 he has been collabo-

selling womens trousers on the street and in

student halls of residence to acquaintances and
strangers alike, carrying them around through
the city on the bus and metro. A year later he
had opened his first shop, which was one courtyard away from his current shop and even
smaller.
Herczeg has since opened a webshop, which
attracts customers from far and wide, including
Slovakia and Romania as well as the whole of
Hungary. He has a Facebook page because you
have to get with the times and use all the possibilities available. His latest project is the label
American Badass, which is sold in the USA.
The film star Michael Madsen (Reservoir
Dogs, Donnie Brasco, Thelma and Louise) came
into my shop one day, took a liking to my
designs and asked me there and then if I would
like to work with him. Unsurprisingly Herczeg
took him up on the offer and is now designing
under two labels, his original Herczeg label
and the joint American Badass label.

rating with American film star

Michael Madsen on a new label,
and in 2010 he brought out his
own trainers in collaboration with
Puma.
Zoltn Herczeg
District VI, Terz krt 35
Tel.: +36209730443
www.herczegzoltan.hu

Shoe line
About 90 per cent of the clothes in the shop
are for men. He understands men, which is
why he mainly designs for them. However,
Herczeg also works together with large international companies, for which he designs
hostess outfits. Given that hostesses tend to be
women, it occurs to him that around half of
his designs are in fact for women.
His new shoe line, however, consisting of
riding boots, cowboy half-boots and loafers, is
targeted at men. Herczeg won a design
competition for the trainers that he brought
out last year in collaboration with Puma, and
of which he received 30 limited-edition pairs.

Not for the faint-hearted

Different mentality

Autodidact Herczeg designs in his head

first and then puts his ideas down on paper.
Sometimes hes inspired to make an item by a
nice material but sometimes it happens in
reverse.
If you go through life with your eyes wide
open then ideas just come to you. I was in
London and Paris recently and I came back
with so much energy, inspiration and fabrics
that it will take some time to absorb it all.
Herczeg describes his style as classic: his
trousers have two legs and shirts have two
sleeves, he says. The clothes, however, are
bright and highly individual thanks to the use
of appliqu, patterns and details such as twotone buttons and shirt pockets. The overall
impression is what counts.
The best word for it is actually badass,
says the designer. His clothes are slightly
exhibitionist, out-there, bold and sexy. They

He takes a critical view of the economic

situation: A lot of Hungarians are struggling
just to get by. They work to the grindstone
and theyre unhappy. That reduces their
purchasing power but also their desire and
courage to stand out from the crowd. People
in the West have a different mentality. Theyre
happy and have a healthy outlook; thats why
theyre more daring.
Despite such observations, Herczeg says he
doesnt want to leave. Instead he wants to help
improve life in Hungary, a country that he
believes has great potential for development if
only the political climate were different. He
hopes his extravagant, high-quality clothes
will make the world more colourful because, as
he puts it, my job is to sell happiness and
joy.
Ines Gruber