2 MAY 8 MAY 2011

THE BUDAPEST TIMES

CULTURE

Leather bound
Designers in Hungary Part IX: Rka Vg
and her labels rekavago and r by rekavago

hoe and bag designer Rka Vg works on her latest

creations in a small workshop in the company of her
two dogs. The Budapest Times had the chance to
take a peek over her shoulder as she worked and to ask a
few questions about her designs and shoes in general.
How did you get into shoe design?
Ive been interested in design and fashion since primary
school. In the fifth class one of my friends and I even developed our own fashion label. I always knew that I wanted a
creative job and that I wasnt going to study law or
economics. I went through phases of wanting to study
things like geology, egyptology or archaeology but I always
came back to fashion. I really got into shoes while I was
doing my degree. Id designed my own dance costumes and
costumes for friends for competitions but somehow
designing clothes never really grabbed me. When we got
the chance to specialise, I decided on shoes. In each year
there were at most six or so people specialising in shoes so
it was a very close-knit group, which I really liked.

people buy something from both lines. It depends what the

shoes are needed for. Budapest is not very shoe-friendly,
so people think about whether they should wear their delicate shoes or not. Of course you can always take a change
of shoes with you like the women in New York. Theres
something chic about that too.
Do you also make custom-made shoes?
BZT/Aaron Taylor

16

Why do you prefer designing shoes to clothes?

Textiles slip out of my hands. Creating a three-dimensional object from leather has an element of sculpture to
it. I can remember a lot of shoes from my childhood: my first red sandals, the wedding
shoes of my mother, the shoes of
my teacher and the awful shoes
of an actress in a musical.
Do you always notice
peoples shoes?
Yes (laughs). On the metro,
on the tram, everywhere
really. I do that to collect
ideas rather than to be critical
of the wearers. I dont mean
that I copy the designs of others. I
couldnt do that. What interests me is
how people wear their shoes and their
preferences. Observing such things
helps me to keep the needs of
my customers in mind when I
design my shoes.
Do shoes also reveal
something to you about
the wearer?
They reveal a lot about the
wearer. You can leave off
accessories like necklaces, rings
and bags but everyone needs shoes
regardless of where they are going. They
make the outfit complete and contribute to the
statement of the whole person. Shoes tell you what the
wearer places value on. Is it comfort or emphasising their
own appearance? How does the person want to feel? Sexy
or more feminine? Or do they want to draw attention? You
can learn a lot about priorities by observing shoes.
What kind of shoes do you like designing best?
Personally I like wearing flats such as ballerinas and
moccasins so I also like designing those best. But I also like
beautiful, sexy sandals for the summer and platforms.
Wedges are not really my thing because they suit very few
people. It depends on where you are going and what kind

Yes, certainly. Fifty per cent of the shoes are custommade; either they are versions of a collection shoe that is
needed in another size or something else should be
changed. I get orders from brides who would like to have
great wedding shoes or from other women who have an
idea that they would like to have made.
And how do you design?

Kicking up a storm
Rka Vg studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts and
Design in Bratislava and at
the Moholy-Nagy University
of Art and Design in
Budapest,
where
she
completed her Masters in 2003.
She has attended shoe design
courses at the London College of
Fashion. After working for two years at
Tisza Cip and the Juhos Shoe
Salon she brought out her first
collection in 2005 with couture
and ready-to-walk shoes
under her own label. Not long
after she added bags in her
autumn 2006/07 Silhouette
of impression you want to
make. People should wear the
right shoe for the right occasion.
What is most important to you when
you are designing?
I pay great attention to the quality of the leather, I usually
use more than one colour and I test the shoes myself. I
wont make a design that isnt comfortable. Shoes are the
love of my life. They should be as unique as possible, a
showstopper. With shoes I can really go to town. With my
bags its slightly different. There my practical side comes
to the fore. Sometimes I practically live out of my bag and
the women who buy my products have similarly active
lives. My designs have to provide a lot of space, regardless of whether they are evening bags or handbags.
And who are your customers?

collection. Vg also works together with other

designers such as Kiren Passi, Bori Tth, Aquanauta
and Anna Pter.

PAZICSKI Budapest
District V, Henszlmann Imre utca 3.
Tel: (06-1) 411 0631 / 32
Appointments: (06 70) 380-4754
Open Monday to Friday from 10am
to 6pm and Saturday from 10am
to 5pm
www.ourstyle.hu
www.rekavago.com
Blog: rekavago.wordpress.com

It varies. I cant say that

theres one particular age
group. They are women who
like unusual things. Soon there
will be men too, when my new mens
label is launched. I have the premium
line rekavago, for which I use more
expensive basic materials and
more work by hand is
required, and the label r by
rekavago, which is twothirds cheaper and accessible to more customers.
Both Hungarians and
foreigners buy my shoes.
The number of foreigners is
growing because they like the
quality and design and can buy
from me at a good price. A lot of

I develop a new collection every six months, or to be more

precise two for the womens line and from this year one
for the mens line. They build on the previous collections.
I take my popular, what I can call classic, models and
change them a little. Otherwise I have a story in my head
and a theme. I imagine what clothes the shoes go with
and the women that Im designing for. Designing one-off
pairs of shoes also gives me new ideas. Its like a playground for me where I can try things out. If a lot of people
like the design then I include it in the collection. And for
each season there is also a bag which ties in with the
overall concept.
What are your plans for the future?
An online shop. At the moment my
designs are only available in the
Pazicski Showroom or on the
www.ourstyle.hu website.
Right now I always post my
most recent news on my
blog because my website
is being updated to accommodate the online shop.
That will let me reach
people living outside of
Budapest and abroad.
How would you describe your
designs?
I like to think Im modernising
the world of shoes and
setting trends with shoes
that are wearable, comfortable and eye-catching. I try
to anticipate peoples
needs with the creations
and offer an alternative to
others shoes. Hopefully I also
encourage people to dare to
stand out.
Ines Gruber