The slippers, Szegedi papucs, originate from the city of Szeged and have been made in the region for centuries, becoming widespread at the end of the 19th century.
Hungarian designer Zita Attalai has collaborated with craftsman Tibor Sallay and his team to create a new line of the traditional slippers, which were added to the UNESCO National Cultural Heritage List in 2018.
They are also aiming for Hungarikum status, which is a collective term indicating a value worthy of distinction and highlighting within a unified system of qualification, classification, and registry and which represents the high performance of Hungarian people thanks to its typically Hungarian attribute, uniqueness, specialty and quality.
Szeged slippers are typically made from a range of materials, including leather and velvet, and often feature intricate embroidery. They are designed with a symmetrical shape from a single-foot mould.
Attalai said: “I work with genuine leather and prefer to create objects with precise attention and care, which is why I represent the attitude of slow fashion.”
