2025/11/21
Budapest, 25 November 2025 – The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) is launching a new incubation call under the name Creative LAB, aimed at providing comprehensive support for the development of the domestic creative industry. The programme, with a total budget of approximately HUF 220 million, builds on the experience and results of the previous, highly successful design LAB project, but encompasses a significantly broader professional spectrum. Its goal is to support the creation of serial-production-ready, competitive design, fashion, beauty industry, and formulation-based products developed jointly by domestic distributors and creative professionals. It also seeks to encourage distributors to carry out a well-planned market introduction of new finished products that respond to real market needs. The open call is available to domestic distributors until 5 January 2026.
The HFDA has been providing structured and coordinated professional support for the Hungarian fashion and design sectors since 2018. Last year, the Organisation’s scope of activities expanded: in addition to strengthening designer and manufacturer capacities, its tasks now include the development of offline and online game design, beauty, and the personal care industries as well. Laying the foundations for a more expansive role, the Agency launched a comprehensive research in 2024 to map the current situation of the sectors. The feedback demonstrated that the Hungarian creative industry needs a support model that not only helps the creation of an idea but also covers the entire innovation pathway. Thus, through the Creative LAB, the HFDA created a complex and structured incubation opportunity that provides professional support from concept creation and prototype making to development and the preparation for series production and market entry.
Applicants have to submit visual concepts and detailed “go-to-market” strategies that describe the product’s market positioning, target audience, and launch process. Almost one year will be available for the creation of prototypes developed in collaboration with Hungarian fashion and product designers and formulation creators, after which, the distributors must launch the finished product or product line, preferably manufactured by a domestic manufacturer, on the market within three years. Participants may apply for non-refundable support ranging from HUF 5 million to HUF 50 million, which can also promote the development of several actors within the domestic creative industry supply chain. During the selection, functionality, aesthetic value, sustainability, and high-quality standards will be key criteria, and the products, whether in the use of materials, cultural references, or innovative solutions, must connect to the Hungarian creative heritage.
Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sectoral Coordination, and CEO of the HFDA, highlighted that the programme is a key element in the long-term development of the Hungarian creative industry: “One of the most important missions of the HFDA is to strengthen the international presence of Hungarian creative industry brands. However, for the implementation of a successful product, a good idea is not enough. A series of well-thought-out business decisions has to accompany the market launch. Considering this, we announced the call for Hungarian distributors this time, since the Creative LAB aims to contribute to products that can become important actors in the domestic and international markets for years to come. It is therefore important that the creations are easy to use, react to industry challenges and consumer trends, and are accessible to a wide audience, thus carrying a real business potential. In this way, the programme can simultaneously support creative thinking, business growth, the development of manufacturing capacities, and the preservation of Hungary's creative heritage, while also contributing to increasing the competitiveness and export potential of the Hungarian creative industry.”
The establishment of the Creative LAB is not without precedent. The design LAB programme, held on four occasions between 2020 and 2023, successfully helped creative industry players launch new collaborations for years. The programme was implemented through collaboration between manufacturers and designers, and supported the creation of products that placed sustainability, innovation, and serial-production readiness at the forefront.
Over three years, 22 manufacturers and 16 designers created a total of 137 serial-production-ready design products, including furniture lines made from recycled materials, items produced with modern composite technologies, modular interior design solutions, environmentally conscious acoustic panels, and handmade glass art objects. The programme also highlighted that developing the creative industry is a form of nation branding: innovative, sustainable, and aesthetically outstanding Hungarian products demonstrate the strength of domestic expertise on an international level. Furthermore, the incubation programme showed that collaboration between designers and manufacturers can create a new type of knowledge transfer that strengthens the long-term competitiveness of the domestic manufacturing base.
The results of the design LAB have been validated on the international stage as well. The HFDA sought to present the completed products to both the professional community and the wider public at domestic and international exhibitions alike. Thus, they appeared at 360 Design Budapest, the flagship event of Budapest Design Week, and renowned international design exhibitions, including the Italian Milan Design Week, the French Maison & Objet trade fair, and the Dubai Downtown Design in the Middle East. The projects received several domestic product design awards and numerous international recognitions, including one of the world’s most prestigious design prizes, the Red Dot Design Award. According to feedback from the participating designers and manufacturers, the programme not only contributed to the creation of unique objects but also helped establish long-term collaborations and new business partnerships.
The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency builds on this heritage with the Creative LAB incubation programme, this time in an expanded format. While design LAB focused on the design and furniture sectors, the new programme connects broader areas of the creative industry in a unified structure. It aims to allow the different sectors, whether product development, beauty industry innovations, formulation development, or a design or fashion item, to participate in the call under modern professional conditions, reinforcing one another in the process.
You can find detailed information about the call for applications on HFDA’s platforms. Distributors can apply to the call by 5 January 2026.
From 1 December, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) will continue its operations under the name Creative Hungary Nonprofit Zrt. (CH). Since its establishment in 2018, 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. Since the beginning of 2025, the Agency’s activities have extended not only to the fashion and textile industry and to furniture manufacturing and product design, but also to offline and online game design and the beauty and personal care industries. To ensure the effective implementation of its broader responsibilities, the Agency is already expanding its ongoing projects and launching new programmes related to the newly integrated industry areas.
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About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was founded in 2018 to support every actor in the fashion and design industries in an efficient and structured way, following predetermined strategic pillars: professional coordination, enhancing Hungarian brands’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise these goals, HFDA organises domestic events each year, such as the region’s major fashion event, the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, Budapest Design Week, or the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which has received international awards. Besides, they provide Hungarian creators opportunities for participation and debuting at international professional events such as the Milano Fashion Week and the Maison & Objet design fair. Their primary tasks include strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentorship programmes.
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