East-European, post-socialist aestethics as answer to the crisis of the fashion industry?  

There is a possibility to understand or not to understand the bold and innovative east-European rooted aesthetics of OST, but it is definitely not possible to ignore.

OST had just imploded into the domestic fashion scene this year, locating itself with a directly opposite standpoint comparing to other, already known local brands. The core DNA of the brand consists of contemporary fashion and streetwear, the classical sportswear, conventional tailoring and the fresh alloy of frock and pop culture on top with the east-European feeling of the 80’s and the 90’s. With the two founder of the brand, Olivér Lantos and Áron Sasvári I spoke about the domestic, so called safe-designing, fast fashion, roots in east-Europe and regime change besides fashion as a loss of identity, dreams and reality, future of fashion and also about locating our place on the map.

Our conversation is as their dynamics: they balance each other, coming together in unity. While Olivér tends to wander and thoroughly go into details (which is of course inevitable when such exacting and detailed clothes born between their hands), Áron is the one who straightforwardly turns back to the original question (after me myself got lost in the details).

I sat down with the two designers in their showroom located in the 8th district which is notorious in the capital city: people from minority groups live here, it’s a shabby district with the ‘living’ socialism and the mixture of ethnics.

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Which was the moment what gave you the initial stroke to start the brand?

Áron: First and foremost the initial stroke came from that the east-European aesthetics is not represented on the field of Hungarian fashion. Most of the designers tend to go in one direction, focusing on and playing the so called security game. We want to create a more exciting line, which responds to internationalism, while receiving its inspiration from local milieu. When life brought us together we wanted to create something creative. Áron as an architect stands with cooler head in this, which is essential. He does not get lost in details as much as I do. I am able to moon away with a single collar, while Áron just points out to one.

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You have brought east-European identity to the front. What personal experiences do you have from the Eastern Block, from the socialist dressing-culture?

Áron: Budapest has been a totally different place when I was a child. Somehow more old-timer. Utilized. It seemed to be a larger city. It wasn’t friendly, but for me it was more authentic. Since the regime change, we try to hide what we have, - what were we and hereby what are we now. 

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Olivér: I was born after the regime change so I only have impressions and memories through my parents. Somehow the first thing which comes to my mind is that we are always doubly dropped behind. Socialism was a kind of dam, when there was not much available, however people still tackled. The source of dressing rather sprang from the condition of need. 

How do you relate to fast fashion? Several celebrate it as a democratic initiative, as it has the side which brings international trends, so at an affordable price anyone can dress up stylish.

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Olivér: We cannot consider something stylish just because it was put in front of you and it is available on a cheap price. It is even better if someone dresses from a second-hand shop or choose vintage pieces. Definitely it is a more stylish solution. Not mentioning the ethical side of fast fashion, wrapped in this undisputedly, seemingly democratic package.

Áron: The production side and copying, imitation of catwalks is also anxious which concerns the ethical side of the industry. For me, “made available” is not.

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Olivér: Unfortunately, people tend to think, that 25 euros is a reasonable price for a jacket, while 5 euros for a t-shirt. I would give them 5 euros to produce a t-shirt. It won’t be enough for a single ticket to get to the dressmaker’s shop.

Áron: Ten years ago, even on Chinese markets, t-shirts were more expensive.

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Olivér: After three times of washing the sewing coils around twice. It has happened that we have tailored a piece three or four times. We just got the feedback from the dressmaker’s shop that we are awful as we tend examine each and every part with magnifying glass.

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How do you consider the uprising, inland brand’s hype?

Olivér: I do not feel like this way. This is only made by a narrow group of people to a narrow target group.

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Áron: Compared to the situation ten years ago, in our current state, we can undoubtedly speak about some forms of hype. There was the Nanushka-USE generation and now somehow it seems that there is a 6-7 year break and then another wave.

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Olivér: It can be, that local brands are too young, however also those who are considered older on local stages are fresh on the market too. There are a varieties of fashion- days and shows but the majority of them are one and the same. Being concerned with fashion became fashionable and as a result of this, not so much of characteristic brands exists, rather the same Instagram filter is applied.

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How could you define your goals? With such “extremist” style how far could you reach (considering business)? Up to what degree do you design yourselves?

Olivér: Our target group are those between who are between twenty and fourty years and this in the near future will rather change to those between 25 and 40 years. Of course, the responsive 18 year old is still a part of the group.

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Áron: We create for those who intellectually fastidious, go in for fashion, especially for the story behind the pieces – where do they originate and why do they look like this. Curious and bohemian at the same time.

Olivér: Standing firmly with two feet on the ground and don’t want to please anyone.

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Áron: Two things are indispensable: approach to life with humour and wants to feel that it can be as it is.  The current collection carries the mixture of Arab and socialist marks on itself. For those who belongs to our target group, clothing is a chance to release self-expression.

To what extent were people responsive in Hungary? How do they welcome the brand on the first round?

Olivér: We base less on the local market. They do or do not understand, and welcome is also divisive.

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Áron: First and foremost we target foreign countries. Those who might be interested in our work, had already seen and have responded to it. Besides all these, sceptical-toned articles have been published about the brand.

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Globally, socialistic East-Europe is trendy (Gvasalia brothers, Gosha Ruchinskiy, LottaVolkova etc.) – what do you think, what can be the reason for this? Aestheticisation of deformity and shabby clothing is a radical change compared to being well-dressed. Why does it work nowadays?

Áron: It is fairly mingled what is considered to be east-European. Mostly those brands and project tend to run nowadays and has high interest which answer gives an alternative to boredom. An answer to that everything is nice, good and perfectly edited. Loads of pictures became globally boring, the same visual material, the mentality which represents that “everything should be like this”. Ordinariness is cool. Non east-European can be also exciting, and labelling something as east-European does not necessarily allude to something exciting.

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Olivér: Everyone has the chance to raise, which is widely unlike to the tendency. A Russian designer is also markedly famous who specifies in folk inspirited pieces.

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How does getting cheesed off the perfection of Instagram? What do you think, what will be the fate of Insta-queen?

Olivér: They earn a lot of money and start a fashion brand.

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Áron: For those who is one step forward this whole thing is boring. Instagram will eventually lose its wind.

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Olivér: Over 25 years, the false picture it broadcasts does not affect self-assessment that much as it would be harmful for a much younger person.

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Áron: We would like to “troll” this, for which we already have a plan.

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In connection with this: How do you imagine the fashion industry in the next 5 years? What do you think, what tendencies will rule the stage of fashion in the upcoming years? Sustainability vs. fast fashion is one of a kind.

Olivér: I consider that it is easier to keep going in the upcoming years for those who starts now. It is easier for them to conform with the insanely quick changes. We are constantly analyse these tendencies as for our façade to see where do the world is moving. Everyone is fighting with fast fashion and as a result, run away. Anyways, you don’t have the chance to compete. Fast fashion swallow everything and has no façade: you can add anything but it will still exist without identity.

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Áron: There are two things that it cannot fallow: the very selective, rich hand-made based pieces and the very ordinary, normcore pieces. And how do you catch that? Probably the brand’s façade and profitable part will divide and have a sharper borderline.

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How do you consider Hungary’s and Budapest’s role in the global fashion world? Where do we come from, in which direction we go or should we go?

Áron: We have a group of people, here in our country, who has fair enough money. It would be great if these people would buy less and more unique, instead of they go to Zara and leave with a bunch of clothes. As Vivienne Westwood claimed: „Buy less. Choosewell. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’ buying far too many clothes.”Otherwise, we do not see Budapest and Hungary on the picture: there is no adequate target market and cultural agent, while we don’t have industry at all.

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Olivér: Maybe we don’t even have to put Hungary up to the map, as the appropriate creative education lacks.

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Áron: There are designers who has a bright future ahead and can get far from here. It would be ideal if we could promote these fashion brands so that they could break into international scene.

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The brand represents opinion, self-expression and creative reflexion. You mentioned a sweatshirt with a Tünde Kiszel quote on it. How much do you follow the popular culture and the world of tabloids (for inspiration)? As an artist is it expedient and worth independently exist or to fallow the mass taste?

Áron: We are not allowed to undermine people’s demand and we are not allowed to tell what do they need. Meanwhile, it is important to answer to happenings. At home as also abroad not only in fashion, but there are several who do not look around and estimate what is going on, which is a problem. From reality yellow press cannot be excluded. From a certain point of view and within bounds it can be entertaining indeed.

In this region, fashion is considered as elitist anyway.

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Olivér: Fashion, as creating “dreams” basically tranfers to trash. Creating should be more earth-bounded, reflecting to real life.

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Here, the famous trend researcher, Li Edelkoort manifestation echoes, in which he states as a core problem, that fashion lost its connection with society and this is one of the reason for the current crisis. What is the next step for the brand, what are your plans for the future?

Áron: We would like to reach a larger group of people with our work, such as a culture-mission, but definitely not as a proselytization. We will introduce our collection unlike usual and we will evolve the conception of our brand even more.

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Olivér: There are a lot, who incorrectly describes our work as streetwear. To boost the identity of our brand we will introduce distinct, but still coherent components.