We Love Budapest: Where did you and BP Shop come from?
Ákos Lenkey:
I grew up in Dunaújváros. I used to look at clothes all the time, and cut them too, drew on them, I got real vicious around clothes. I’ve always wanted to work with clothes and graphics. When I moved to Budapest, I got jobs as a graphic artist at clothing companies. I spent one and a half year at them, after which we started our advertisement studio, Medeia.
WLB:
So besides being a businessman you’re a graphic artist as well?
ÁL:
Yes. And a marketing guy. I studied graphics at a decor school after which I finished two other shorter schools too. I got into contact with street wear when I got a contact at one of my former workplaces. They said that some kind of new clothes were coming from the US and I should check them out.
Then I had to get more and more clothes for my friends as they loved them. This prompted me to open a shop with one of my childhood friends in Dunaújváros, which was a sweeping success. But then the shop was broken into and later sold without us knowing about it. We could see that we had to let it go. Then I created a webshop where I could sell the remaining clothes. But at this time the advertisement company was my priority.
WLB:
How come you started producing BP-products?
ÁL:
As I always wear caps, baseball caps have always been very exciting for me. I learned that they are much cooler than T-shirts or pants. Then, once, a photo was taken of me and one of my friends, where he was wearing a cap with the letter P on it and I a cap with the letter B on it. I was sent the picture, kept eying it and then it came to me: this is BP! At the time there had already been caps with New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and all the other but not Budapest. I thought I would do one of these BP-caps just for the kicks of it. To my surprise the people in Budapest liked it. The whole brand was based on it then, with T-shirts and other various stuff. So came into being BP Clothing and we opened BP Shop.
WLB:
About the shop, do you yourself have the products of your own brand made?
ÁL:
Yes!
WLB:
In Hungary?
ÁL:
Not the caps, only the T-shirts. We only design the caps and send them abroad. Everything we can produce in Hungary is produced here. Though quality is so important to me that when it comes to caps, I'm not a man of compromises.
WLB: What do you think are the factors that made BP so cool?
ÁL:
I couldn’t tell, really. It was a real boost, though, when DJ Premier accepted to wear our cap before his concert in Budapest. He got to love it a lot and has been wearing it since. We could see him wear it in Eminem, Royce da 5' 9 and Nas videos as well as Re-generation documentaries.
WLB:
I guess it also helps that Hungarian celebrities also wear it...
ÁL:
Definitely.
WLB:
Which Hungarian stars do you present clothes?
ÁL:
Who say they want some.
WLB:
So you don’t choose?
ÁL:
No.
WLB:
And who request your clothes?
ÁL:
Who like them. For example, Wolfie from Punnany, Márk from Akkezdet, Columbo from Irie and Brains. And many others. Look, that over there, for example, is a coat I designed. (Pointing at a guy in a crimson coat.)
WLB:
Is it a good feeling?
ÁL:
It can be very good, yes, but usually I don’t feel anything special. Rather I like to concentrate on the things ahead of me.
WLB:
Have you ever said no to a celebrity asking for your clothes?
ÁL:
Never.
WLB:
Is there somebody you’d refuse to give clothes to?
ÁL:
There may be now because I can’t afford to have my customers see the brand on somebody who hasn't done more than, for example, taking part in a reality show. I haven't paid attention to this before but as I see it, those who like the brand need it.
WLB:
Who’s making the image?
ÁL: Péter Jakab since we regard it a brand. He’s the one who made minor changes to my first logo, that could be seen on the first series. Besides the image he is in charge of the graphics, too, though we usually design them together and then comes the team decision. You know, there's the nine of us, now.
WLB:
What new things are you planning to make in the near future?
ÁL:
Sunglasses and shoes. But we are strengthening the women's wear, too, and the fall collection will have no compromises. We’re going to sponsor some DJs, for example, Q-cee from Vinyl Warriors, DJ KoolKasko, DJ Mindscape and Frequent from Akkezdet.
WLB:
Any plans for the future?
ÁL: We might expand, since we have so many clothes and brands that we are in need of more room. And for me it’s very important not to pack the place full of goods but to have a neatly organized store. The shop will be double its current size in June to have room for the Nike and Jordan shoes and the baseball caps. And by the end of May BP Corner is going to open at Corvintető.
