THE DESIGNER
Borbala Ferencz, is the founder and designer of the brand BORBALA. She was born is Tirgu-Mures, Romania. She continued her studios in Cluj-Napoca (RO), Pécs (HU), Turku (FI) and Eindhoven (NL). In her work she is creating new garment from already existing materials through the technique of upcycling. Her work has been exhibited in many different countries and many events, from San Francisco till Kyiv. She participated several times at the Romanian Design Week and Romanian Creative Week.
THE BRAND
Borbala is an upcycling fashion collective based in Budapest and Targu-Mures. They create one of a kind, experimental garments, and earrings from post-consumer plastic waste, leftovers, and second-hand clothes. They deconstruct and regenerate second-hand clothes while pushing forward traditional techniques and DIY methods like patchwork, quilting or textile collage. Their aesthetic is spontaneous and colorful always playing around with the concept of old and new, waste and precious, traditional and contemporary. Besides production, they are hosting workshops at festivals and schools to present their recycling methods and to raise awareness of plastic pollution.
THE COLLECTION
The collection is a personal storytelling, inspired by the cultural heritage of Transylvania, the birthplace of our founder, Borbala. She was a kid in the early 2000’s when Romanian society quickly absorbed American and Western European influences, while preserving an incredibly rich and multinational heritage of Hungarian, Romanian, Saxon, and Gipsy folklore. The collection is created as a mix of all these elements, from the grandmother’s handmade embroidery to the 2000s children’s cartoon characters. It features many handmade and DIY technologies, playful finishings, and bold, contrasting textures. It is created entirely from leftover and recycled materials, and many of the pieces are unique. Traditional silhouettes become contemporary versatile garments, that can be incorporated into today’s wardrobe. But at the same time, they are searching for new possibilities for a more responsible and sustainable way of dressing.