International Success for METU Students at the C-IDEA Design Awards

Students of Budapest Metropolitan University’s fashion design programme have achieved another remarkable international success: projects by Clarissa Bánáti and Mira Vig have both been shortlisted for the 2026 C-IDEA Design Awards in the Fashion Design category. Being shortlisted already guarantees recognition at the competition, while the exact award levels will only be revealed at the official ceremony in September.

The final event will take place in Krosno, Poland, as part of the Krosno Design Festival, a four-day professional gathering, exhibition, and conference bringing together designers and industry professionals from around the world.

Clarissa Bánáti entered the competition with two collections. Her AW2627 collection, Modern Ancestry, is inspired by the cultural heritage of Hungary and Transylvania. The project combines traditional handcraft techniques such as embroidery, felting, and hand-stitching with a contemporary fashion language. Rather than serving merely as decoration, these techniques become structural and shaping elements within the garments. Rooted in the designer’s personal connection to her Transylvanian heritage, the collection explores themes of identity, memory, and belonging while reinterpreting tradition through modern forms and materials.

Her second shortlisted project, Internal MOVEment, investigates the relationship between contemporary dance and fashion. The menswear streetwear collection was inspired by the avant-garde artistic approach of British choreographer Wayne McGregor and focuses on improvisational movement and individuality while respecting the classic lines of men’s tailoring. Adjustable details, cords, and elastic structures allow the garments to move freely with the body.

Another METU finalist, second-year BA fashion design student Mira Vig, was also shortlisted with two projects in the same competition. Her two-piece outfit titled The Arc of Tradition reinterprets Mongolian cultural heritage through a distinctly contemporary visual language. The central motif of the work is the horn, symbolising power, spirituality, and continuity. Rather than functioning as decoration, traditional references are integrated directly into the construction logic of the garments, which were created from a single continuous pattern without conventional cutting lines. Embossed aluminium details referencing Mongolian coin art further strengthen the sculptural silhouettes and conceptual depth of the collection.

Her second finalist project, The Legacy of the Little Black Dress, explores the idea of intergenerational textile memory through the contemporary reinterpretation of handmade lace fragments. Crocheted lace pieces originating from different sources are assembled into a unified sculptural garment that functions simultaneously as an archive and a contemporary fashion object. The work reflects on the relevance of handmade traditions in today’s industrialised world while creating a dialogue between past and present.

“This recognition means a lot to me, especially because both of my projects achieved success on an international level. It confirms that my way of thinking, my visual language, and the professional path I am currently following can also be relevant in an international context,” said Clarissa Bánáti.

She also emphasized that she hopes this achievement will open new professional opportunities and international collaborations in the future. Both projects were developed within the framework of her university studies during her bachelor’s and master’s programmes in fashion design.

Clarissa is currently completing her master’s degree and continuing to develop her own distinctive design identity.

As talented and active students of METU, both Clarissa Bánáti and Mira Vig have previously appeared on the University’s platforms. Most recently, Clarissa’s work was presented at the Budapest Central European Fashion Week.

Credits:

Bánáti Clarissa

Internal MOVEment:

Photographer: Soma Fábián

Make-up Artist: @nem.makeup

Models: @marcsello, @trianoni_, @tseannt

Modern Ancestry:

Photographer: Tamás Szilárd Szöllősi

Stylist: Ágnes Pető @_agnespeto

Models: Levente Kapi @leventekapi, @santhadominik

Vig Míra

The Arc of Tradition:

Designer, Styling: Mira Vig

Photographer: Tamás Levente Nagy

Model: Hajnal Bergmann

The Legacy of the Little Black Dress:

Designer, Styling: Mira Vig

Photographer: Béla Farkas

Model: Golda Abaházi