2025/11/24
The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) will continue its operations under the name Creative Hungary (CH) from 1 December to carry out its expanded activities more effectively. The name change is not only formal but also a strategically significant step: it reflects the extended creative industry role assigned to the Agency at the beginning of 2025, while also supporting efforts to increase the international visibility of the Hungarian creative industry.
Since its establishment in 2018, the HFDA Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency Nonprofit Zrt. (HFDA) has been working on the strategic development of the fashion and design sectors, through professional coordination, strengthening the accessibility and export capacity of domestic products, and improving the manufacturing and educational background. Over the years, the Organisation has become a key player in the Hungarian creative industry: it implements major events such as Budapest Central European Fashion Week, the region’s central fashion event; Budapest Design Week, with a history of two decades; and the internationally awarded 360 Design Budapest exhibition. In addition, through numerous international events, it provides opportunities for Hungarian fashion and product designers, as well as applied and fine artists, to present their work.
The creative industry is an increasingly prominent economic factor both worldwide and in Hungary. It accounts for around 3% of global GDP, but estimates suggest that this proportion could rise to 8–10% by 2030. Moreover, the sector sustains more than eight million jobs in Europe. In Hungary, the creative industry accounts for nearly 3% of GDP and is the second-fastest-growing sector, supporting thousands of rural small and medium-sized enterprises, with outstanding export potential and significant innovation capacity.
The name change clearly reflects the Organisation’s previously expanded role within the creative industry. As one of the six priority sectors identified in Hungary’s competitiveness strategy, strengthening the creative industry is now in focus. Supporting this, the Agency’s development activities, since the beginning of 2025, have extended to the fashion and textile industry, furniture manufacturing and product design, offline and online game design, and the beauty and personal care industry. The Agency has already integrated these new areas into several of its existing projects, and the development of new programmes related to them is also underway.
“The creative industry is no longer a collection of isolated sectors, but an interconnected ecosystem that generates economic value. It is no coincidence that the world’s most successful economies — such as France, Italy, the United States, and South Korea — have long treated the creative industry as a priority sector. The name change reflects this strategic direction: the Organisation is now working on the development of a broader segment of the creative industry than before, through which we aim to strengthen Hungary’s creative industry position in the long term,” said Zsófia Jakab, CEO of Creative Hungary (CH) and Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sectoral Coordination.
The Ministerial Commissioner added that, in response to the expanded operational scope, the Agency has launched an industry survey to map the current state of the sector and, based on business feedback, initiate new projects and expand its existing ones. “The name change aligns with the international practice in which the creative economy operates within well-defined institutional structures tied to a country brand. In this way, the new name also supports the ability of domestic creative industry actors to appear within a unified, internationally comprehensible professional framework,” Zsófia Jakab explained regarding the background of the name change.
Through the Agency’s work, Hungarian designers have been able to present themselves abroad, from London to Milan and from Dubai to Paris; more than 140 domestic brands have participated in mentoring and development programmes, and the Hungarian creative industry has appeared at more than 50 domestic and international events through the Budapest Select umbrella brand.
The Organisation will continue to contribute to the development of the Hungarian creative industry on a nonprofit basis, by strengthening domestic and international collaborations and supporting talent.
© Creative Hungary. 2026. Minden jog fenntartva.
