Szputyink shop is a lovechild. A fashion concept that was created by mixing the old and the new, the vintage romantic and the provocative modern style. We have been talking to Ingrid Szekeres and Vanda Lengyel, who are now managing the brand of Szputnyik which was originally established by Roland Vörös. The two girls are now working in their second, sunny and bright shop which is situated in the city centre.
How did it all begin?Ingrid: We all came from very different places and basically we were united by a series of coincidences. The love of fashion, the openness towards the past and the creativity is what really connects us. The first boutique, close to Bakáts square was opened in 2009 by Roland Vörös. He was one of the joint-owners of many alternative concept stores before, but Szuptnyik was his first very own enterprise. I met Roland for the first time about two years ago and I really liked what he was doing. I loved his unique ideas so much that we opened the second shop together, close to Dohány Street. By the way I am designer and Vanda is an expert of PR and marketing. At the very beginning she had some free time on her hands, she recognised the potentials and the opportunities so she joined us.
Vanda: The everyday work and the projects on which we have been working on together made us come together and now we are a real team. We believe in teamwork, and we think that we can create something amazing if we work together in good mood and with a positive mental attitude. During this creative process we can learn a lot.What is there to know about Szputnyik shop?Vanda: Nowadays a lot of people have a strong desire to own a few unique accessories, a few one of a kind bags that they most definitely won’t come across when the walk down the street. The aim of Szputynik is to provide these pieces, alongside vintage items of clothing and limited edition design objects at a reasonable price.Where do you get these pieces from?Ingrid: The vintage pieces that are available at our shop come from all over the world after being carefully selected out of thousands of items. Sometimes we travel if we find something that we would really-really like to put our hands on. We also try to keep our eyes open because interesting items – real treasures and treats – can be found in the western parts of Hungary and in Austria, especially at smaller marketplaces and fairs.Are you focusing on a very specific era or style?Ingrid: No, we are not. We don’t discriminate against any particular era or style – we think that a vintage jacket from the 80’s can be mixed and matched with a brand new designer piece for example. The uniqueness and the diversity lie in the eclectic style. It is the character of the clothes that enjoys priority, we focus on this rather than the brand or the label but no matter what, exceptional quality is a must.Vanda: Our stock includes lots of items from different eras, different styles and trends from the beginning of the early 1920s up until today. We have a wide range of goods: from vintage dresses to studded blazers, from crazy sunglasses to high heels not to mention all the bags, the jewels, the elegant headpieces, shirts and other accessories that are available to satisfy the needs of the costumers who happen to pop in the shop.
Where do you get the new items from?Ingrid: We try to collect them from all over the world. We travel, we arrange meetings with designers and we choose from their collections. When selecting these new pieces we keep in mind that the chosen clothes should be matched to and combined with vintage items. We go crazy for T-shirts for example that have prints of iconic people, such as band members printed all over them, but we also like bold graphics, vivacious patterns and surreal motifs.What’s your new editorial like? What should we expect from Szputynik this summer?Vanda: Our latest editorial is titled “Dress to express” and it captures individuality and personality at its finest. The photos are also focusing on the liveliness of the vintage style; however, contemporary pieces of clothing also played an important role during the shooting. Trying to blend the past with the present is a very exciting and daring task but this new season offers a great opportunity for experimenting and trying to express personal style.Ingrid: We encourage everyone to be creative, to be expressive and we also try to inspire people to find their own personal style. They should play with different styles, patterns and colours. Fashion is all about the identity; choosing certain pieces of clothing for an outfit is only a matter of personal style and taste. That is what we tried to capture in our latest, summer editorial.
Who do you work with during these editorial shoots?Our 2011 winter editorial “Vintage winter” was photographed by Szilveszter Makó, and the latest one, titled “Dress to express” is photographed by Dávid Ajkai and styled by Márk Kiss.
What are your future perspectives with Szputnyik?Vanda:This project is our true love. We have loads of new ideas and plans, we would like to open new exhibitions and we would also like to continue our co-operations – but we shall see what the future brings us. Up until then you can meet with us at summer art fairs like WAMP or Gouba, and we are going to have our own spot at Sziget Festival as well. We have also arranged a very exciting photo exhibition for the autumn Design Week at a venue that is yet to be announced.Ingrid: We are going to collect all the pieces with the same enthusiasm and we will try to find items that are carrying a special meaning and an obvious relevance for the Hungarian costumers – that is for sure. I wish that a day would have 48 hours instead of just 24, so that we could achieve all our goals and realize our plans as soon as possible.
