Community design studio wonderLAB showcases top Hungarian designers

Founded in 2012, wonderLAB is the brainchild idea that designers should have a space where they can be creative together, collaborate and meet the people who would be their customers. “It’s an opportunity for new designers to come together, and give it a go for themselves,” explains Saci. “If you try to rent your own studio, it can be very expensive, and difficult to get started. But here at wonderLAB, we can work side-by-side with fellow artists, sharing ideas and creating together.”

In total, more than 30 Hungarian designers are located in the wonderLAB showroom, with a small collective making up the core artists-in-residency. From hand-crafted jewellery to pet accessories, fine art prints, one-of-a-kind clothing and more, wonderLAB is full of beautiful and interesting things to look at, run by beautiful and interesting people.

Sixfeet

Sixfeet is the creation of Saci Arany, who was inspired by life with her own dog Szami – short for szamóca, the small, sweet strawberries that grow wild – to start this canine accessory brand. “There are lots of small, useful things which come in handy when you own a dog,” she explains, “such as these little foldable blankets, which you can take anywhere – for the floor at the café, for example.”

Sixfeet was launched in 2010, and the name itself refers to walking alongside your four-legged friend. Items in stock include keyrings, caps, collars and leashes. Always interested in collaborations, Saci has recently teamed up with another in-house artist, Eszter Sipos, founder of the funky sock brand Nebouxii, to create matching socks and collars.

“We thought about making scarves or shawls, but dogs are on the floor, so it seemed appropriate that we would create matching socks and collars,” says Saci. “That way they’re right next to each other.”

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Nebouxii

Eszter’s socks have been a staple at wonderLAB for three years now, and the brand has operated since 2014. “I studied interior design,” explains Eszter, “and I liked patterns, that was the inspiration.” Each design comes from an initial concept, which is then transformed into the iconic, vivid patterns seen in the shop by Kata Kerekes, the graphic designer who collaborates with Eszter.

“Each pair works together as odd socks,” Eszter says, “meaning that the right and left are different, but complement each other as a single pair. We come up with each design based off of a topic – for example, we have Balaton socks, Iceland socks, Swedish socks, ice cream socks, fox socks…” The designs are abstract, colourful and fun. The name Nebouxii comes from the Latin name for the blue-footed booby bird, whose bright blue feet look like they’re wearing a stylish pair of socks themselves.

The socks are all produced at a Hungarian factory, using the highest-quality German cotton. New products are also published on the Nebouxii Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Fruzsi Fekete

Fruzsi has been making jewellery since 2017, hand-crafting earrings, necklaces and rings in such a way that no two pieces are ever identical. “I use a process called wax lose casting,” she explains. “So I make each piece out of beeswax first. Then the wax is burnt away, creating a negative mould into which I pour the molten silver.” She points out where you can see the fingerprints in the silver, so fine are the casts.

WonderLAB is the first place in Hungary to display Fruzsi’s jewellery. “I was nervous at first that Hungarians wouldn’t be interested,” says Fruzsi, “so I was selling in places like Rome. But wonderLAB has given me lots of help to build my brand. Ultimately, it was a good place for me.”

Many of the pieces come from very organic shapes, including flower necklaces which are crafted out of individually-moulded petals. “I make lots of them at one time, and then I choose the best petals to make the necklace,” she explains. The colour of her jewellery comes from a special alum salt which she heats in water to a temperature of 90°C. When the jewellery is added to this mixture, it produces the signature pearly-white finish. “And the necklaces stay this colour,” she adds, “but when you wear the rings, over time they become polished and shiny”. One of her colleagues is wearing a Fruzsi Fekete ring, and she shows it side-by-side with a specimen on display, to illustrate the difference.

Fruzsi’s latest collection is called Curves, a series of earrings and pendants which twist and turn attractively. “I wanted to make something in a 3D space,” she explains. “I love these because you see different shapes when the head is turned. The necklaces can live without the wearer, but not these earrings.”

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Boborik

Bogi Bokori is a fine arts graduate whose graphic prints have been in the shop for about a year and a half. “I studied fine arts and painting,” says Bogi, “but I find this is a more accessible way of getting art into peoples’ homes. Paintings are old school, and too pricey.”

Bogi likes to balance fashion design with illustration, and is often inspired by fashion designers when creating her pieces. “For example I focus on Hungarian fashion designers, or famous international designers, and I use their collections as inspiration for my drawings.” She points to two pieces, which spell out LOVE and HOME. “The V is based on Vangrubark, who used to be a designer here at wonderLAB. And the H stands for Hermes.”

Bogi’s illustrations are clean, fine and minimalistic, sometimes with a touch of metallic foil to add an extra shimmer. Her pieces are also on display in Alapdarab, a shop near the Great Synagogue. “It’s really inspirational being here at wonderLAB though,” she adds. “Because I have all these opportunities to make collaborations with other artists.”

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INQ

INQ is the in-house clothing brand, established by wonderLAB co-founder Éva Marillai. “We started wonderLAB in 2012,” she explains. “I created INQ with another designer, and we worked together for six years. INQ stands for 'incubation' because originally we invited young talents into the brand so they could try themselves. But it incubated me, too, because I started as an economist and goldsmith!”

Another young talent has joined the team recently, 20-year-old textile specialist Zsombor Csörge. They have been working together for one year, and import special fabrics from Italy and Portugal. With the coronavirus they faced difficulty in sourcing the correct materials, but the brand has remained afloat.

“The concept is currently going through a big change,” says Éva, “from seasonal to continuous, available all year round. We call this the Essential Collection, and they are designed for men and women. We want to create pieces which can fit anyone – and we are receptive to designing outfits that are not sensitive to a trend, but everlasting. And my advice to customers is always this: buy one piece from a designer, a piece which will be with you for life, and complement it with something vintage or secondhand. Always be conscious.”

The styles available in INQ range from dresses and skirts to comfortable trousers, belt bags, boat-neck sweaters, shorts, cardigans, blouses and more. The colours are rich and warm, from golds and yellows like honey to the lilacs, lavenders, crimsons and vermilions of summer, and delicate shades of blue like overlooking an expanse of ocean.

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Webshop

Currently, wonderLAB operates a robust webshop. “For eight years I insisted there would be no webshop,” says Éva. “Then the virus came, so we needed to do something. I uploaded 650 products to a website – complete with photos, prices, descriptions… But now we keep the website updated regularly.”

WonderLAB is open Monday-Saturday from 1-7pm, and encourages members of the community, and visitors alike, to come in, meet the designers, learn about the products, and select an item which they will surely cherish for a lifetime.
 
wonderLAB
District V. Veres Pálné utca 3
Open: Mon-Sat 1pm-7pm