Traditional crafts who support the fashion industry for a greener Europe were extremely hit by COVID-19. On the 14th October 2021, Budapest Enterprise Agency (BEA) organised an online conference as official side event, titled, 'Good practices and recovery of the craft industry – green transition'. The event was organised under the umbrella of the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities in synergy with the Interreg Europe CRAFTS CODE project and the BDW New Standards 2021 initiative (Budapest Design Week 2021).
After a brief introduction by the moderator of the programme, Mónika Alíz Mészáros, the General Director of the Budapest Enterprise Agency, János Kele informed the participants of the services of the BEA as well as the specific services for designers and crafts (e.g. dedicated and tailored micro-loan). He highlighted the micro-finance scheme, which can also help early stage and new fashion designer and craft companies which are non-credit worthy by banks.
The programme continued with a presentation by Carlotta Viviani, project manager of the Municipality of Florence, which is leading the Interreg Europe-funded CRAFTS CODE project. Carlotta highlighted that the craft sector, as one of the fundamental pillars of the creative industry, has a positive impact on the economy. The main objective of the project was identified to prevent the disappearance of traditional crafts.
The next speaker was Ricardo Fibla, member of the D-Tool strategic team who shared information about a self-assessment tool (a tool developed through Ricardo's contribution) which can validate the design level of a company. The D-Tool is a recognised good practice in the CRAFTS CODE project in Spain.
As one of the Hungarian good practices of the CRAFTS CODE project, Veronika Böröndy presented the Festival of Folk Arts event organised by the Union of Hungarian Folk Art Association. The festival is a forum for living folk art. Held in the historic Royal Buda Castle District of Budapest, Hungary, folk artists show the tricks of their trade at on-site workshops, giving visitors the chance to test their dexterity and creativity. Apart from shows by traditional crafts masters, their wares are also for sale at the Folk Art Market, while revival and traditional dance and music groups from around Hungary and the world grace the stages. Throughout the festival market farce acts, street theatre, puppet theatre, productions as well as kiddie programmes, traditional food shows and nightly dance house parties entertain the visitors.
BEA informed the audience about the upcoming CRAFTS CODE programmes such as the 4th Interregional Thematic Seminar and also about the final event which will take place in Budapest, Hungary in June 2022. At the end of the event, BEA asked the audience to follow the news of the project on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and the website.
