Andrea Pintér has walked a long and winding road from her native Budapest, Hungary to Urbanna, Virginia, where she hopes to bring her dream of creating art through couture to reality in the fall of 2020. Although her journey has been full of twists and turns, she can now see herself poised at the clearing of a new path. After years of design training and the hands-on creation of hundreds of leather and textile pieces, Pintér hopes to finally bring her design skills to a wider audience by introducing a Spring 2021 collection of fine leather goods and complimentary women’s couture, which she hopes to put into production soon.
Pintér grew up in cold war-era Budapest, a comfortable childhood carefully curated by her hardworking father — complete with a regal home on a hilltop in her native village and a summer house on the Duna River, as well as other countryside properties ready for family excursions. Her life was somewhat sheltered from many of the harsh realities of the time. She was always drawn to textiles. Her earliest memories are of creating dollhouses out of hand-painted matchboxes and fashioning wardrobes for her Russian-made Barbie doll. “I was always busy drawing and sketching,” she said. “Taking what was in my brain and transforming it into three dimensions."
Early on, she said, “An awareness of nature, music and colors impacted my developing skills.” Her father didn’t approve of “art,” so she studied chemistry in high school. She survived chemistry classes by designing the chemistry school’s magazine. “I was a horrible chemistry student,” she said. Instead, she went on to study at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) in Budapest. She apprenticed with Master Artist György Korga and Judit Bráda, a professor of fine leather work at MOME, who encouraged her to further studies in the design and manufacture of fine leather goods. As she cruised from class to class in her fashionable Citroën, “I was stepping very fast to be someone in my chosen profession, day and night gaining knowledge from every corner of this ancient capital city.”
She spent three years as a skilled leather craftsman, two years as an apparel pattern maker and four years training in fashion design. She met her husband, Balázs Gyenge, in the late 90s. Gyenge is a talent in his own right — a musician, woodworker and chef. In 2000, the couple came to the United States, at first to be near family in Fredericksburg. Then they moved to Clinton, South Carolina for work, and later, on to Callao, where Gyenge was a chef. Finally, they put down roots in Urbanna.
“Coming to this country was a 180-degree turn for me, a totally different world. I thought we’d be here for six months,” she said. “I was a city girl; it was culture shock. It turned out I was homesick for ten years.”
Through it all, she adjusted to a new country and culture, a new language, married life and children (she has two sons, Bence, 18, and Levente, 11), while still keeping her art alive. “My adopted country and the growth of my family had a positive and interesting impact on my art and designs,” Pintér said. From a landlady, she borrowed a sewing machine strong enough to sew leather. She bought and collected fabric samples and made handbags. She sold her samples at farmers’ markets, country fairs and local art shows, “with a baby on each shoulder.”
In the meantime, she worked at a marina, a golf course and gift shops to make ends meet. At one point, while making a little money from her paintings and portraits, she rented gallery space at Haywood’s Antiques & Art Studio in Urbanna. “Summer visitors would come to my little store to shop, and I made enough money to pay rent and day care,” she said. “I was happy doing what I loved.” She reluctantly left the gallery when she couldn’t make income and expenses break even. She has worked at R.S. Bristow’s Store in Urbanna for the past four years.
Pintér says she’s learned valuable lessons while working at Bristow’s, especially from owner Pat Marshall. “I learned about customers, going to markets and what the ladies are looking for. I learned about the business side, too,” she said. One of those hard lessons is that one-of-a-kind handmade products “pay dimes instead of dollars.”
At home, she’s surrounded by her paintings and drawings, her husband’s signature wood pieces, and beautiful objects she’s collected over a lifetime. She’s also an accomplished painter and portrait artist. Her workshop is filled with sketches, fabric, leather, accessories and clothing she’s created, all of which reflect her “wild and feminine vision of couture.” Her work embodies a bit of whimsy, comfort and joy, while still reflecting a chic, elegant and sophisticated style — quite ageless.
Along with her unique designs, Pintér has crafted an ambitious business plan. She’s secured a manufacturer for her collections, with production to begin in the fall. She hopes to introduce her work to high-end boutiques in larger markets across the region, and she’s looking to attract investors who share her vision.
Like her art, Pintér’s dream has been years in the making. She’s hoping that her long and winding road will soon lead to her dream becoming reality.