Be Stylish and Different: Be Yourself!

Having spent two decades working for multinational companies, Anita Kurunczi has decided to accomplish her long cherished dream based on what she had learned from her tailor grandfather: design and sell stylish fashion clothes with an eye to environmental considerations.

She has long been making dresses – even during those ‘multinational years’ – but just for herself and friends. “My grandfather taught me the authentic tailoring skills to make lasting and quality clothing and this is the tradition that I wish to carry on now,” Anita Kurunczi tells Diplomacy&Trade. She was further encouraged by the words of appreciation she received from people at various events where she appeared in dresses she designed.
Following the launch of her website and web shop in February 2020, she opened her shop and showroom in downtown Budapest in February this year – soon to be closed due to pandemic restrictions. Now, the shop is open to customers again.

Style – Different – You
She stresses that the three words in the slogan of her business (Style – Different – You) should be interpreted together, in relation to each other. “Be stylish, dare to be different, dare to be You! I like it very much when someone does not follow a trend just because it is said to be fashionable – especially that it does not suit everybody. Everyone is different but they should be themselves, should be of individual style, matching who they are.”
This philosophy behind the slogan is also behind the dresses she makes. “I also draw dresses and have several clients for whom the dresses are individually designed – ‘tailor-made’ in the true sense of this expression. I consult with the client, we talk a bit so that I can get to know her. Then, a few designs are created – designs that are modified together. Of course, by then, I have some ideas: what style would suit her, what type she is, what her figure is like – all this let me design a dress for her.”

For a ‘feel-good’ wardrobe
As for the shop, she says “it may look like a boutique but – in my eyes – it is much more than that. The dresses available here are fitted to the customer most of whom do not fall into the idealistic female shape of 36-38, not to speak of the fact that different women feel different in the same dress! My intention is to create a wardrobe of comfortable, fitting, tailor-made and lasting pieces of clothes.” This individualism is well-reflected in the shopwindow mannequin wearing a crystal mask. “My vision is to have a fashion show where the models’ faces are covered by crystal masks so that their face does not distract attention from the dresses,” she says.
In the future, Anita Kurunczi would like to complement this ‘be yourself’ line with a coaching activity. She is of the view that people should also express who they are with their clothes. She understands that it is a difficult story for many people, thus, she would like to start coaching on this theme in small groups. “But that is going to be a different story,” she concludes.