The Best of Domestic and Regional Contemporary Product Design at the Twice Red Dot-Winning 360 Design Budapest Exhibition
Budapest, 2 October 2025 ‒ Nearly 400 creations by almost 100 domestic and regional designers and manufacturers will await the audience at this year’s 360 Design Budapest exhibition from 9–19 October in the Buda Castle District. The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) is presenting works by Hungarian and Central European design brands, product designers and applied and fine artists for the sixth year. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to discover the domestic creative industry’s manufacturing developments and ‒ for the first time in Hungary ‒ enjoy a curated selection highlighting the work of renowned Hungarian product designer Sándor Borz Kováts. Moreover, the central exhibition of Budapest Design Week offers numerous programmes as well, including subjective guided tours by renowned musicians, actors and content creators, workshops, musical and dance performances, and professional panel discussions. The event is free of charge, but requires registration, which is already available on the 360 Design Budapest website.
The exhibition aims to draw attention to the cultural and economic significance of design, which is present in all areas of life. It presents a wide range of contemporary object culture from small-series or unique pieces of artistic value to furniture, home accessories, and mass-produced objects. The event goes beyond the framework of a traditional exhibition: it is a meeting point where designers, manufacturers and the public can connect directly. It also serves as a platform that strongly supports Hungary’s creative industry ecosystem, contributing to the strengthening of professional collaborations.
“Over the years of the exhibition series, we have often witnessed Hungarian design and manufacturing innovations that originated within the exhibition space. It is especially important for the domestic creative industry since today, creativity is not only a cultural issue but also an economic driving force. Across Europe, revenues from the creative industries already surpass those of the telecommunications and automotive sectors, while in Hungary, the industry maintains production capacities and creates highly skilled jobs. Our aim is to use this event – now recognised as a leading platform at the regional level – to draw both national and international attention to the work of Hungarian designers and manufacturers. This can significantly enhance their visibility and strengthen their competitiveness in the market. At the same time, the audience is offered a high-quality selection of the latest design trends, as evidenced by the fact that nearly every year, works premiered at 360 Design Budapest go on to receive top awards at international competitions,” highlighted Zsófia Jakab, CEO of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency.
Following the remarkable interest shown last year, this year’s exhibition will be open for eleven days in the Buda Castle District, hosted in the Baroque palace at 1 Táncsics Mihály Street. The interplay between the historic, currently unused building and contemporary artworks generates a distinctive atmosphere, safeguarding the heritage of the past while providing a platform for future innovation. This year’s motto reflects this convergence: “Design Aligns – Creating Together, Living Connected”. The exhibition highlights the connective power of design across different eras and sectors, encouraging visitors to discover not only the objects themselves but also the human stories behind them.
In line with this idea, for the first time this year, HFDA launched an open curatorial and architectural competition. The winners, Barna Erdész, founder of the contemporary Gallery East of Eden and co-owner of Erdész Galéria & Design, and Ingrid and Albert Manhertz of Space Buffet, have created a distinctive concept, the key element of which lies in the contemporary reinterpretation of inspirations drawn from the past. Visitors are able to view contemporary design works in the context of a significant cultural background or formal heritage. The exhibition thus becomes not merely a collection of individual creations, but a space for shared thinking, collaboration, and intertwining.
Once again, product designers, applied and fine artists could submit their works in diverse categories: mass-producible products, fine and applied arts objects, prototypes and/or digital designs. The evaluation of the submissions – as well as the assessment of the curatorial and architectural calls – was carried out with the support of advisory panels composed of respected professionals from the fields of art theory and the creative industries. These three committees, comprising a total of ten experts, represented various sectors of the creative industry and were able to provide recommendations regarding the implementation, final structure, and selection of the exhibition. As a result of the selection process, the exhibition this year features products from around ten Hungarian design industry manufacturers, along with works by more than seventy domestic designers and over ten regional creators from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine, Romania, and Armenia. The HFDA continues to place particular emphasis on emerging Hungarian talent: in 2025, the works of more than thirty young designers will make their debut at 360 Design Budapest.
In addition to the exhibition, the event hosts a wide range of cultural, professional, and creative programmes. Visitors can take part in workshops and guided tours led by renowned design experts, writers, musicians, and content creators, as well as enjoy music and dance performances or professional roundtable discussions. This diverse programme ensures that every visitor can find an activity suited to their interests and preferences, whether they wish to engage playfully or explore the world of contemporary design more deeply.
Exhibition within the Exhibition: The Sándor Borz Kováts Selection
For the first time in Hungary, a showcase of the work of one of the country’s most significant designers, Sándor Borz Kováts, is presented within the 360DBP exhibition. Realised in collaboration with the Hungarian National Museum’s Public Collections Centre – Museum of Applied Arts and the HFDA, the exhibition features the internationally acclaimed designer’s works alongside models and video projects by students from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. The exhibition is curated by Dr Judit Horváth, museologist and Head of the Contemporary Design Collection at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest.
Through this event, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) also aims to draw attention to the importance of skilled professions within the creative industries and to enhance their recognition in society. In line with this goal, the Agency once again offers free professional guided tours for students and educators from vocational and higher education institutions, allowing them to experience the inspiring impact of the exhibition first-hand.
The 360 Design Budapest exhibition collaborates with the Hungarian National Museum Public Collections Centre – Museum of Applied Arts.
The event’s programmes are free to attend but require registration. The detailed programme guide and registration portal are available on the 360 Design Budapest website.
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About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency
The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was founded in 2018 to support every actor in the fashion and design industries in an efficient and structured way, following predetermined strategic pillars: professional coordination, enhancing Hungarian brands’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise these goals, HFDA organises domestic events each year, such as the region’s major fashion event, the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, or the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which has received international awards. Besides, they provide Hungarian creators opportunities for participation and debuting at international professional events such as the Milano Fashion Week and the Maison & Objet design fair. Their primary tasks include strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentorship programmes.
360 Design Budapest
The 360 Design Budapest event series, organised yearly by the HFDA, draws attention to the everyday role of design surrounding us in 360 degrees. The event aims to make Hungarian and regional product designers more widely known using modern tools, help domestic design brands enter the international market, and present new, innovative, sustainable directions for the target audience interested in design. By realising the event, the Agency wants to help Hungary become a regional centre in the design industry and create a programme which is attractive to tourists from all around Europe.
Budapest Design Week
Budapest Design Week is the largest experience-based domestic event series, targeting a broad audience. Organised annually by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, the series aims to highlight the direct impact of design across all aspects of life while raising awareness and recognition of design as both a cultural and economic resource. The event features a diverse programme of accompanying events, featured highlights, and partner-organised side events, offering activities in the capital and major cities across the country through associated programmes. HFDA’s long-term goal is to transform BDW into a leading regional, experience-based design event series.
