14

14 MARCH 20 MARCH 2011

CULTURE

Sew different

THE BUDAPEST TIMES

Designers in Hungary Part IV:

Rbert Lbor & Retrock shop & label

How did the shop and the fashion label

Retrock come to be established?
Lbor: That goes back a long way. I have
always been fascinated by second-hand
clothes. I like psychedelic rock, underground
and all that kind of thing. As a teenager I used
to hunt in shops for suitable clothes. I would
search for and find clothes for my friends as
well as myself. That was what gave me the
idea of opening a second-hand shop, which I
did in Szeged. After three years the city
became too small for me despite all the
students so I came to Budapest. In 2001 I
opened Retrock in a courtyard very close to
the current location. The retro trend had just
begun in Hungary and there were only a few
shops offering that style. After around half a
year I began making clothes myself.

Gyngysi: We also look abroad for new

designers who have innovative, new lines
and suit our concept. Sometimes we sell
just one or two of their pieces in the shop on
a one-off basis.
How would you describe the shop?
Gyngysi: Retrock isnt a standard
second-hand shop. Really its a vintage
shop. Around 30 per cent of the items that
we sell are second-hand but the rest have
been redesigned by us or by the labels. We
change and revamp used clothing to
create something totally new. That
doesnt have much to do with secondhand in the original sense. Better
words to describe it are oldschool, vintage or underground. Its a unique, new
style.
Lbor: Second-hand
clothes are not all
born
equal
(laughs). We
sell special
secondh a n d

When did the others join?

Lbor: Dra has been helping me since 2002
and Klra for a year and a half. Their own
label Acid&Zorro, which was earlier called
Lollipop, has been sold in our shop for
eight years. We work permanently
with three other designers, whose
clothes we sell in Retrock. An
additional
roughly
ten
designers make earrings,
bags, badges and other
accessories.

items from
the 1960s to
the 1980s that
we have found at
flea markets or in
other shops. Most of
them are one-off pieces.
We are always on the
lookout for unique pieces that
we can adapt. We are helped
by a number of dressmakers who
realise our ideas and can also tailor
the item of clothing to the customer.
That is true of both the vintage one-off
pieces and our own pieces. The latter are
not always available in all sizes because we
usually only produce a small number of
items. Sometimes we have to quickly turn
an extra-large T-shirt into a medium-sized
one for a customer.
How often do you get new stock?
Erdlyi: We arent a factory so we dont get
new stock every day. The pieces take time to
be created. I would say we get new items in
every week. Sometimes they are one-off
pieces like a bag that is the result of a spontaneous idea, but other items such as spring
jackets are planned so that they arrive in the
shop in a certain month to suit the season.

Dra Gyngysi,
Rbert Lbor and
Klra Erdlyi of Retrock.
Gyngysi: We dont have
collections because that would
make us less spontaneous. New
items are created throughout the year.
We are self-taught, which is why we have
a different approach. But there are pieces
that we produce another run of as soon as
they have sold out. Those include the mens
silkscreen T-shirts. But of course they are
not exactly identical.
Lbor: Its like a treasure hunt. We are
always looking for inspiration, which can
come from a beautiful material or a T-shirt.
The process of making clothes is spontaneous. We can let our creativity run riot.

BZT/Aaron Taylor (4)

etrock near Astoria offers

revamped vintage clothing and
new designs with a hint of punk
and underground style at
reasonable
prices.
The
Budapest Times spoke to shop owner Rbert
Lbor and his colleagues Dra Gyngysi
and Klra Erdlyi about how the business
started, what kind of customers they attract
and their plans.

What kind of customers does Retrock

attract?
Lbor: Our success and the rapid development of the shop are mainly thanks to our
Hungarian customers but now an incredible
number of foreigners also shop here. Our
customers are very mixed in terms of age
and social background
Gyngysi: Thats true. I really couldnt say
what a typical customer is like. In addition to
Retrock we have the Retrock Deluxe shop,
which is just one street away by Krolyi
Krt. The clothes that we sell there are
somewhat more mature and smarter but the
designs are still fresh and new. We dont
have a designer for mens fashion there but
we import such items. We offer something
for everyone, regardless of whether they like
one-off items, vintage or modern.
What is the secret of your success?
Gyngysi: Retrock was ahead of its time
and became known for that. Now we are

fortunate that a lot of foreigners, for example

from the Netherlands, France, Germany and
Scandinavia, visit our shop. Our stand at the
Sziget Festival is popular each year. People
love our clothes and want more of them.
Lbor: We had and still have the kind of
selection that can be found in only a very
few shops in Budapest. Our success has
encouraged a lot of young designers to
establish themselves in the same quarter.

Lbor: We recently tried to establish

ourselves in Berlin. Unfortunately it wasnt
successful because of the economic crisis
but we certainly havent given up on the
idea. The tax conditions in Vienna and
Berlin are incredibly good compared to
Hungary.
Ines Gruber

Vintage with a revamp

What are your plans?

Gyngysi: We recently set up a Facebook
page where we present the latest pieces
and we have started developing a webshop.
That will be particularly useful for foreign
customers who would also like to buy things
from us when they are back at home. A lot
of customers have asked us whether our
pieces can be bought in Paris, Milan or
Amsterdam. Of course it would be nice to
open our own shop abroad.

Retrock
Ferenczy Istvn utca 28
Retrock Deluxe
Henszlmann Imre utca 3, floor 2
Open:
Monday to Friday 10.30am to 7.30pm
Saturday 10.30am to 3.30pm
Closed on Sunday
www.retrock.com
Tel.: +36 30 678 8430
Email: retrorocker@gmail.com