The exhibition entitled "20 suits for Europe. Designers converse with literature" is the creative result of twenty designers from Spain, Belgium and Hungary being inspired by the works of other Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian writers and poets. The first destination of the itinerant exhibition will be Brussels, where it will be open to the public in the Hotel de Ville, the headquarters of the city council in the Belgian capital, from 3 February to 4 April. It will then go to Budapest and Madrid.

Twenty designers from Spain, Belgium and Hungary present dresses inspired by the works of twenty Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian writers. The project is part of the special cultural programme organised by the Spanish Presidency in coordination with Belgium and Hungary, the other two countries in the "EU trio".

The creative exhibits of "20 suits for Europe" are from twenty designers: twelve Spanish, four Belgian and four Hungarian. They were commissioned to 'dress' the prose and poetry of another twenty Belgian, Hungarian and Spanish writers in an initiative that goes beyond fashion and literature. It is a clear example of the dialogue between the arts that defines today's society.

"20 suits for Europe" is a project organised by the Spanish Presidency through the Cervantes Institute , Spanish Ministry of Culture, Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade(Icex) and the Association of Fashion Creators in Spain, in collaboration with Wallonie-Bruxelles Design/Mode, Modo Bruxellae, lthe Flanders Fashion Institute and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Hungary.

This is not the first cultural activity organized by the Trio of presidencies. Last month, the spanish dancing travelled to Budapest thanks to the cooperation among presidencies and other cultural organizations. 

Twenty suits for twenty texts

In the case of Spanish literature, the experience was based not only on Spanish authors, but also on famous Latin American writers awarded the highest distinctions in Hispanic Literature (the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, Prince of Asturias Award, Reina Sofía Poetry Prize), such as Juan Gelman, Álvaro Mutis, Carlos Fuentes and the Nobel Prize winner, Gabriel García Márquez.

List of designers and writers

Spain:

• Devota & Lomba for "Cien años de soledad", by Gabriel García Márquez.
• Agatha Ruíz de la Prada for "LLona llegó con la lluvia", by Álvaro Mutis.
• Victorio & Lucchino for "Soles", by Juan Gelman.
• Carmen March for "Cinco horas con Mario", by Miguel Delibes.
• Jesús del Pozo for "Los años con Laura Díaz", by Carlos Fuentes.
• Hannibal Laguna for "Latitud. Mandorla", by José Ángel Valente.
• Miguel Palacio for "La Reina de las Nieves", by Carmen Martín Gaite.
• Purificación García for "Jardín", by Dulce María Loynaz.
• Davidelfin for "Exentos II", by Antonio Gamoneda.
• Amaya Arzuaga for "Delirio y Destino. La loca", by María Zambrano
• Roberto Torretta for "Carlota Fainberg", by Antonio Muñoz Molina.
• Lydia Delgado for "Barrio Maravillas", by Rosa Chacel.

Belgium:

• Michael Guerra for "Les aveugles", by Émile Verhaeren.
• Katrien Van Hecke for "Het verdriet van België", by Hugo Claus.
• José  Enrique Oña Selfa for "Ni d'Eve ni d'Adam", by Amélie Nothomb.
• Anna Heylen for "Dertig", by Stefan Hertmans.

Hungary:

• Tamás Náray for "La porte", by Magda Szabó.
• Miklós Pazicski for "Vos jours sont comptés", by Miklós Bánffy.
• Kati Zoób for "Les Confessions d'un bourgeois", by Sándor Márai.
• Natália Gyulai for "99 poésies", by Zsuzsa Takács.