Designers acclaimed worldwide and awarded with numerous professional prizes, as well as young talents aspiring to international honours, digital design based on the most up-to-date technological developments, just like workshops maintaining local values and traditional handicrafts, all participate in the initiative.

Among the Hungarian participants of this year's program we can meet designers who have achieved worldwide fame in their profession, like the Emmy Award nominee set designer Judit Varga, whose PROP CLUB studio has been responsible for the set decoration of megaproductions, for example The Borgias, Hellboy II: the Golden Army, or Season of the Witch starring Nicholas Cage.

Another internationally acclaimed representative of Hungarian design is the 15 year old CarnationGroup digital creative agency, winner of over 130 local and international awards, a place where high-level technological innovation and creative imagination work together in a productive cooperation. One of the emerging young talents, director Emil Goodman, a graduate of MOME Animation (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest) is introduced this year and we can get a glimpse into the production of his magical sci-fi film titled Henry Waltz.

The diversity of this year's Open Studios is clearly reflected by FLATLAB workshop, where visitors get an exciting overview of Hungarian design, as the six young designers working there represent different fields of the profession and aim at actively shaping the local design and art scene. Another creative platform symbolising Hungarian design's diversity is a founder and operator of KÉK – Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre, Sporaarchitects that was conceived by architects and thinkers in order to create new values in the fields of architecture, urbanism, environment-consciousness, research and development. MYD-II design studio working in the fields of interior and object design was founded by Csaba Finta – in the framework of the program they present the creating process of their high-end audio-system made in cooperation with bodor audio + starting from the initial concepts to the actual production.

The glass artist and sculptor György Gáspár, though working in a traditional area of the design profession, produces not the least conventional pieces that are displayed in some of the leading private and public collections around the globe, as well as in the most prestigious international galleries. Graphical design is this year represented by Zsolt Czakó who has achieved significant results in the traditional genres of graphic art, as well as in the field of television and new media.

Some of the real pearls of Hungarian fashion are also presented in the framework of the Open Studios program this year. Barnoff Showroom is a must for fashion fanatics, as in the showroom reflecting the unique style and life philosophy of Tamara Barnoff visitors can not only talk to the designer, but also prepare accessories with her help. The enchantingly romantic salon of fashion designer Nóra Sármán, who has studied and worked in Budapest, Paris and London, promises to be a similarly memorable experience.

Fashion experts know very well that a set is never complete without the right bag and accessories, similarly the program of Open Studios would not be complete without them, either. This autumn we can look around the accessories showcased in the turn of the century atmosphere Anna Amélie Showroom and the workshop of Judit Ducsai, who recently graduated as a textile designer and won the special award of the Hungarian Design Council in 2011.

The tour around the world of Hungarian fashion is made complete with a visit to the studio of fashion photographer Vivienne Balla. We can also visit and design our own, perfect bicycle to go to all the exciting Budapest Design Week programs in Csajbringa Műhely, a workshop making unique bicycles for ladies who keep an eye on environmental protection even in city transportation, and are equally devoted to movement and design.

The program of the festival again appears in a two-language catalogue available from the middle of September, while our www.designweek.hu web site offers up-to-date and detailed information.

Further information: www.designweek.hu