The Best Summer Look: Sunshine, a Sailboat and a Silk Dress
- Varga Zsuzsa
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
• Feature article •
Interview with Natália Gyulai, designer of the NATI100%PUREIDEA brand
At least that's how I experienced a warm August photo shoot in which photographic artist Norbert Bánhalmi captured one of the Hungarian brand NATI100%PUREIDEA's beautiful summer dresses, glowing in every colour of the rainbow.
The extraordinary dress and the professional photographer were joined by one of VezérSail's beautiful sailboats, its carefully maintained deck glowing golden in the light of the setting sun.
The team was professional. Ashlian was our model, and with her perfect figure almost any dress would have looked good. Dávid Vezér held the tiller with a steady hand and, like a true captain, entertained everyone with adventurous stories about the boat he maintains himself. Behind the camera was Norbert Bánhalmi, who has been a familiar presence on the northern shore of Lake Balaton for years during the summer, ready to create a strong photo series for anyone wanting an unforgettable sunset backdrop.
And of course there were a few of us helping, although mostly we were simply the lucky beneficiaries of a collaboration whose true star was still that light, bohemian silk dress.
That gave us the perfect opportunity to speak with designer Natália Gyulai about fashion, the profession, inspiration and the story of NATI100%PUREIDEA itself.
That's right. In 2000 I completed my master's degree in apparel design at what was then the Hungarian University of Applied Arts, within the textile art faculty. Continuity itself is an enormous achievement — for a brand to create at least two collections every year. If there is continuity, it means we are successfully present in the profession and there is demand for our clothing.
Many of our long-standing customers now collect garments and accessories that are meaningful to them with almost a collector's passion.
Looking back over the past two decades, what have been the most important milestones and greatest successes for you and the brand?
When you're a creative artist, your career naturally includes fashion shows, exhibitions, competitions and collaborations with other art forms such as theatre and dance. Our list is long as well. To name only a few: Japan, China, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Finland. These countries hosted prestigious professional competitions and exhibitions from which we returned with several major awards and recognitions.
We've had important successes in Hungary too. Perhaps I'm proudest of our exhibition at the Ludwig Museum, the Hungarian Design Award, the Textile Artist of the Year Award, and the fact that major public collections own NATI garments — including the Fashion Museum Kobe, the Hungarian National Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Hungarian Historical Museum and the Kiscelli Gallery.
No, I never really thought about quitting. I have one vocation. Difficult periods come too, but you survive them and then life continues.
What can spark inspiration for a new collection?
Anything I happen to see. But for the last few years, I have designed starting from the material itself. We are developing our own technical, experimental macro-world rather than chasing trends. That is the essence of slow fashion.
People often say that today anything can be fashion. Do you agree? And if we look at your current NATI100%PUREIDEA collections, what is the main direction or trend you follow?
We see so much, and the fashion world is incredibly noisy. It's impossible to notice everything simply because there is too much information. I have always followed my own inner voice, and even so I have plenty of ideas still waiting to be realised.
I'll be honest: I'm not an especially "colourful" person when it comes to the way I dress. Yet the multicoloured dress I saw at the sailing shoot completely captivated me. I could imagine wearing it on any summer day. What's the secret of that dress?
I'm glad you feel it has a secret. What we know for certain is that it's made from high-quality viscose with an abstract, colourful pattern and put together with careful atelier craftsmanship. But the real point is that seeing and wearing the dress should create an emotional connection. That's when a piece can become your "favourite". It's important that the wearer doesn't see clothing as a disposable consumer product but as something that stays with them for a long time.
I increasingly believe that slow fashion will continue to gain strength against fast fashion. Fortunately, we can see that development in Hungary too.
Not really. That part no longer concerns me, although of course it is a lovely feeling to see the clothes being worn or to hear customers tell stories about the compliments they receive when they're wearing a well-put-together outfit.
Summer is slowly coming to an end. What are your plans for the rest of the year with NATI100%PUREIDEA? And where can people see or hear more from you this year?
As usual, we're working on the autumn collection. Alongside the design and preparation work, my everyday routine also includes personally welcoming visitors to Prizma Designer Store every Wednesday. And we are preparing one more big surprise: we're entering another "universe", but I can't reveal anything more about that just yet.
Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem
For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.