THE DESIGNER
Judit Bárány is a fashion designer whose work focuses on androgynous fashion. Her designs emphasize tradition, experimentation with traditional techniques, and value creation. Her themes explore human values, which are reflected in her upcoming textile and fashion collections.
In her design process, she is deeply influenced by the experience of craft and making. At its core is the interaction between manual and digital technologies. It is important to her that the material conveys the message behind the collection.
Time is a tool that allows space for reflection and contemplation. She believes that in today’s fast-paced world, society needs processes that encourage pause and introspection. In fashion, she is still finding her path and often ventures into other artistic disciplines. Her goal is to give clothing a valuable and meaningful purpose through design.
THE COLLECTION
Throughout the designer’s professional career, great emphasis has been placed on experimenting with traditional technologies and creating value in all projects. In the next fashion collection, this experience will be translated into a contemporary interpretation.
This collection marks a new direction in the designer’s professional journey in several ways. Visuality is reinterpreted, new technologies are explored, and women’s clothing is designed alongside men’s outfits. The new direction represents an openness toward androgynous fashion.
Initially, no specific theme was set; the workflow was based solely on technological experimentation. As a young designer, the goal was to explore the possibilities within the domestic textile industry and to gain a realistic picture of how a collection could evolve when working exclusively with local solutions. The biggest challenge was sourcing materials for knitted products, as knitting machine yarns are not available on the local market. As a result, the designer turned to a sustainable solution: using deadstock yarns from factories. However, this approach requires adapting to the available color and quality options. Subsequently, the designer rediscovered the technological challenges offered by her own workshop using the sourced materials.
The SS26 collection was preceded by a transitional capsule collection. The earlier outfits mainly focused on knitted products, which were later complemented with garments featuring prints and modern tailoring solutions. The final 9-piece collection was created by combining elements of sportswear with more extreme streetwear styles.
The experience of this research process and the internal professional journey inspired the title of the SS26 collection: “comeback kid,” a term used to describe people who manage to be reborn despite difficulties. The designer first encountered this phrase in the title of a song, and it eventually became the title of the collection. Initially, there was no intention of introducing a personal theme, yet it naturally evolved that way. The collection expresses a feeling familiar to everyone — a sense of lightness. The garments evoke concepts of freshness, courage, and openness.