Just in time for Christmas, a fresh little design fair has popped up, debuting last Saturday at Toldi Cinema. Toldi Trafik’s on a far smaller scale than the likes of WAMP, but the quality’s high, and the intimate, cozy atmosphere of the retro cinema’s entrance and café made a great home for a collection of young, Hungarian designers showcasing their work, along with books, vintage records and the like.
The number of vendors definitely wasn’t huge, but there was great variety amongst them. Books on street art, urban culture and more were on offer, along with fine art prints by street artist Budha Tomi, courtesy of Király’s recently opened mini urban haven, Korcsma. The neon peddling Lollipop guys were there, too, along with Fregoli Bolt and their usual eco-friendly Balkan Tango bags and wallets (made of used bike tires), retro Budapest inspired T-Shirts (far less tacky touristy than they sound) and handmade notebooks, badges and the like.
Other stands included jewelry, knitwear, T-shirts, some particularly useful looking thin fleece-like bands to wrap around your waist and keep your vitals warm (you know how Magyars like to look out for their kidneys in chilly weather), alongside some super cute, hand knitted baby boots and a range of cycling wear and accessories.
A stand out for me (and clearly many others there) was the jewelry stand of local designer Fanni Sarkadi. Her collection of handmade necklaces, constructed of impossibly soft T-shirt fabric, artfully shredded and combined with fabric covered beads, left plain or adorned with fabric flowers, will be making three of my finest female friends and relatives very happy this Christmas.
Budapest’s a city full of some truly talented designers doing some great stuff right now. So, while Toldi Trafik’s touted as a Christmas fair, it’s definitely not just a place to pick up gifts. It’s a perfect opportunity to get introduced to some current Hungarian design; in fact, the small-scale, friendly nature of the event makes an ideal chance to have a chat with the designers themselves, about the ideas and processes behind their creations. And, when it comes to using it as a way to start ticking off your gift list, you can grab presents you really can’t get your hands on at home, with the added bonus of supporting independent, local designers and stores – surely better than piling mass-produced treats from chain stores under the tree, no? To me, it seems far more personal to give or receive a handmade ring or cycling hoodie, along with the story to go with it.
It wasn’t just about retail therapy at the fair, though, and the atmosphere was bustling with people discussing the work on offer, their party plans for the weekend, sipping lattes and munching cakes from the cinema’s recently refurbished cafe and taking in the chilled tunes provided by DJs Elliot, Séf and Killbert.
The second installment of Toldi Trafik will be held next Saturday, December 19th, 2 p.m.-9 p.m.. This time, there’ll also be a free screening of the hauntingly stunning Swedish film, Let the Right One in at the cinema, so you can take a break from your browsing. Tunes will be spun by the same DJs, but vendors will differ somewhat from the last event (Fregoli Bolt and Balkan Tango can’t make it this time), and will include more silver, glass and textile jewelry, CDs, clothing and eco-friendly products.
More info on some of the vendors:
Írisz Agócs Graphics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iriszagocs/
Gruzzwe T-shirts:
http://www.myspace.com/gruzzwe
Pono Earrings:
http://ponomuhely.blogspot.com/?zx=c2a1ceb7a8e8594e
Rododendron:
Korcsma:
Lollipop:
http://www.myspace.com/shop_lollipop
Toldi Trafik
December 19, 2 p.m.-9 p.m.
Toldi Cinema
1054 Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 36-38
http://tolditrafik.blogspot.com/