Five designers can participate in the second design start mentoring program

Due to the viral situation, the second design START mentoring program for designers has been launched digitally, in which five designers can participate in almost a year of training - the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (MDDÜ) told MTI on Tuesday.

The five designers selected by the seven-member professional jury – Edina Andrási, Sára Kele, Kerekes Furniture, Apol Temesi and László Tompa – will be able to develop their skills in the design, manufacturing and business areas of the training programme. Once they have completed the mentoring programme, they will be able to become more robust and become known for their brand, the agency said in a statement. Designers could apply for the mentoring program through an open competition. The primary criterion for the selection was that the applicants should think in terms of unique, creative and at the same time commercially feasible ideas. In recent weeks, mentors have been able to broaden their knowledge in business planning, financing, design communication, marketing and digital technology within the framework of individualized, online trainings. In all this they were assisted by such authorities as Attila Gaszt, CEO; Nikolett Kázsmér, Ádám Halász and Sára Szendrő, investment manager; Attila Nemes is a cultural mediator and Marcell Tóth is an online marketing expert who provided valuable and credible advice through their extensive expertise and experience. In the next part of the training program, the mentors can deepen their knowledge of branding and law with the help of Gergely Hosszú, the designer awarded with multiple design awards, and Ádám György, lawyer. If the epidemiological situation allows, designers can also take part in study trips and internships within a few months. After the first successful design start mentoring programme, the second round was launched at the end of April, focusing again on the transfer of knowledge necessary for more efficient business operations. Taking into account the viral situation, the MDDÜ, as the responsible organisation, organised the six-module lecture series, the first stage of the training programme, online, but also reflects on the new challenges arising from the changed economic situation with its topics. In the economic situation created by the pandemic, Hungarian design companies are particularly vulnerable, so their professional support is now even more important. The first design Start programme was launched in 2019, and its former participants now have a solid business model and experienced positive changes in their reputation in Hungary, says Zsófia Bata-Jakab, head of the MDDÜ, who added: the long journey they have taken has also been exemplary for other designers, which has led to the industry’s need to continue designing Start. “The new mentees each represent an outstanding professional standard, and I am sure that their results will inspire other Hungarian designers as well”, stressed the head of the agency.