Szandra Sándor: Contrasting Contours

Inspired by her travels, Szandra Sándor is never away for too long from the city she grew up in, Budapest, immersed in the world of clothing. “My mother was a fashion designer for children’s clothing and father, a gynaecologist,” she says, adding that she received a broad education from her parents which laid emphasis on languages. “I studied in an English-medium school, after which my parents sent me to Portugal for a year at the age of nine,” Szandra says. After finishing high school, she moved to England and enrolled at the London College of Fashion, from where she received her degree. On her return to Budapest in 2005, after four intense years, she decided to launch her own label, Nanushka that happens to be her pet name as a child.

She never wanted to work for someone else, but started working in her mother’s ateliers to get some firsthand experience. Her first collection was presented in the summer of 2006 garnering appreciation. “Those were the good days in Hungary. The country was on the brink of new things and I was fortunate to have made friends who helped me with the distribution of my line in America,” she adds. The turning point was when her fiancé, Peter Baldaszti, joined the venture as a general manager to the brand in 2016. “He immediately loved the product and saw tremendous potential for the label. He helped us organise new fundraisers and moved us to the industrial and business hub, where all the ateliers are and where, now, we make the prototypes.

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As it happens, 85 per cent of our creations are manufactured in Hungary. Peter helped restructure the business, the communications and the identity of the brand. He brought us a breath of fresh air and helped us make the most of his experience. Today, Nanushka has more than 30 people as its employ,” says Szandra. A businessman at heart, initially worked for the most prestigious restaurants in Budapest, a total of five establishments that he sold so that he could dedicate himself completely to Nanushka. “The pair of us is perfectionist and maximalist. We look at the things for they can become.”

Two sides of a coin

Ever since they met four years ago, Peter and Szandra have never been away from each other. “We love road trips and often take off with our dog, Ginie. Hungary is centrally located in Europe, and we are at a couple of hours’ drive from Vienna or Tuscany.” A lover of art and craft, Szandra collects and transports things from across the globe. Her home is filled with carpets and fabrics, baskets and porcelain, pottery from Bali and Marrakech, from Tokyo and more.

She moved into a loft near Danube river, a year ago now, the couple chose to live in a building adjoining their new place of work. Just across the Danube river, the Buda part of the Hungarian capital lies, on the western bank of the river, all green and undulating, and then the Peston. “I grew up on the Buda side of the Danube, in the historical neighbourhood of the royal palace, but now I live on the other side, which was once an industrial area. It is a completely different experience here. The charisma of this city is in the coexistence of the metropolitan elegance of days gone by and the brutal reality of socialism,” Szandra says.

A topographical and aesthetic dichotomy, which has subconsciously inspired this designer, the beauty of contrast is seen at her home and in her work. The general style of their apartment is resolutely eclectic. An assemblage of modern furniture of the 20th century, vintage Hungarian designs and art deco pieces with a hint of the exotic. “Some pieces of furniture are from one or more of Peter’s old restaurants, others we found and restored and took care of while other, are older, such as my bedside lamp, those are form my childhood.”

Subtle femininity

Determined and intuitive, Szandra always had a flair for fashion, but never compromised on comfort. Her daily uniform? An oversized shirt, a pair of jeans and a men’s overcoat. “I can be an ambassador of natural and relaxed style.” Her philosophy of art has been influenced greatly by the Bauhaus movement. “Beauty should follow functionality,” she says. In her almirahs, one would find different pairs of jeans, her preferred garment and vintage pieces. “I only keep clothes that bring me happiness. After reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Japanese essayist Marie Kondō, she cleaned up her wardrobe.

Made of a mix of unexpected details, of subtle femininity and versatility, Szandra’s creations for Nanushka are in her own image. She uses trench-coats that she goes back to every season, vegan leather and denims. “I like pieces that are easy to wear and keep, those which can make the transition from day to night.” Her Spring/Summer 2018 collection attests to that, conceived as the ideal wardrobe for a traveller, made uniquely of practical articles of clothing. “There is an unmistakable link between the vibe of the brand and travel. Open, observant and receptive, the state of being and mind of a traveller is one that never stops inspiring me when I create.” Available on her e-boutique and Net-a- Porter, her Budapest boutique houses the collection. The boutique recently reopened after a makeover by Peter and Szandra, as she wanted it to have more of a concept store allure. “We have set up a café and in addition to our creations, lingerie, jewellery and photographs are available as well,” she sums up.

Photography: Andi Gáldi Vinkó.

From the March 2018 issue of L’Officiel India.