AWEAR – we are aware of what we wear

Have you ever thought of having a capsule wardrobe where most of your clothes are made out of high-quality fabrics? A wardrobe where each piece has a classic and timeless design and you don’t have a morning headache while choosing your outfit? Sounds like a dream? Not really, since we have a relatively new multi-brand online store – AWEAR where you can find great clothes from Polish and Hungarian small fashion brands.

Magda Horváth who is the owner of this store follows the rule of ‘quality over quantity, she doesn’t get distracted by short-term fashion trends, and finally, she believes in the power of high-quality, timeless garments that can serve us for many years. We had an interesting conversation about the shortage of sustainable proposals in the Hungarian fashion market, the huge price gap between fast fashion and designer clothes, and finally the ideal wardrobe where all the clothes match.

In our short interview, Magda told me about her first impulse to start an online store, the type of clothes we can find there, and also her ambitious plans regarding sustainable fashion.

Why did you decide to open an online store with Polish and Hungarian fashion brands?

It was really hard for me to find great quality clothing for a reasonable price and I knew many really good Polish brands that provided what I was looking for. So I used to buy things from Poland for a long time while living in Budapest. I thought how about I make some use of the time I spent searching for those really great, small brands and just show them to customers here?

I opened the shop with the hope that I was not the only one looking for quality, timeless and sustainable fashion and there are other women who search for it here as well. Meanwhile, I found some interesting Hungarian brands as well and decided to include them in the portfolio to support them in a way, but also did it in the name of Polish- Hungarian friendship, as I feel strong bonds to this country already (also, my husband is Hungarian), so I really want to do something good for the fashion market here. As for starting a business in general, my thought was, either I try and – worst case – fail, or gonna forever wonder ‘what if’.

What type of clothes can we find in your store?

You could easily call them smart casual. But I like to describe the pieces I bring in as timeless and quality. It is something you see and immediately knows it is not just some cheap thing. They are meant to make us feel good in them, thanks to the natural and breathable, often thermoregulation materials used (like wool for example). 

The garments – tops, dresses, blazers, knitwear, trousers, coats – are there to be your versatile wardrobe base, allowing you to style them in many ways, just as you like, to show your personal style.

Do you think that nowadays people pay more attention to sustainable fashion?

It is getting more and more visible nowadays, luckily for all of us, we start to care more about sustainability. It is also visible in the actions of the producers who want to satisfy customers and put themselves in the best possible light by often using greenwashing – miscommunicating about the brand’s real efforts towards more sustainable operations. They want us the consumers to believe they really do something good for the environment or that their garments are better than they really are.

Of course, sustainability is about much more than just fashion, but considering how a huge impact fashion has in polluting our planet, the choice we make when dressing up each morning gets instantly much more significant. In many countries conscious consumerism is already really leading the way, here in Hungary, I think it is picking up as well. What is important in all that though, is whether we really pay attention to sustainability, or are satisfied with just nice green ‘sustainable’ or ‘conscious’ signs on the stuff we buy.

I believe we can be the customers who really educate themselves, check, ask questions and hold the brands responsible for their words. We choose whom to support with the power of our wallets and I do believe we can choose for a better future.

What are your plans for the future regarding your online store?

I look for opening a physical store in Budapest because I know how important it is to try the clothes on before making a purchase. Especially when you are a conscious customer and care about your carbon footprint. Also, from a purely business perspective, I know that it would work great, as anyone who ever sees and touches the quality AWEAR clothing offers, falls in love. 

At the moment I am focusing on organizing or attending small events where my clothing can be shown. I am also working on extending my shop’s recognition as well as searching for new potential partners, especially among Hungarian brands. I hope one day when someone is looking for quality clothing from natural materials, one of the first places they think of is the AWEAR store.

I have also selected a few clothes from the AWEAR store and created classic outfits which you can wear for any occasion!