The HÉV Upholstery Backpack: A Piece of Hungarian Retro

If you grew up in Budapest, or have ridden a HÉV suburban train, a tram, a bus or a train in Hungary even a few times, you know this pattern. Patches of brown, beige and black that somehow look both chaotic and calming. For decades we sat on it on the way to work, to school, to the lido, back home. Now it's a backpack.

A fabric a whole country travelled on

The seat upholstery used on HÉV trains, buses, trams and trains was woven in Kőszeg, a small town in western Hungary. Furniture fabric had been made there since 1928, and the transport industry ordered from there too. The factory has sadly closed, so this pattern is no longer made.

We managed to get hold of the last metres. This isn't a new fabric with a retro look. It's exactly the same fabric passengers sat on for decades. A genuine piece of transport history.

Imagine how tough it is

Think about what this fabric has been through. Thousands of passengers getting on and off, winter coats, muddy jeans, school bags, shopping bags, summer sweat, winter road salt. Not for a year or two, but for decades. If a fabric survives that on a HÉV seat, it won't tire easily on a backpack.

The rest of the bag keeps up: waterproof, UV- and abrasion-resistant materials, strong webbing and stainless steel hardware, with a lifetime warranty.

First we thought it was interesting. Then we saw it was beautiful.

Honestly: when we first got our hands on it, we thought the pattern was more interesting than beautiful. A bit of nostalgia, a bit of a joke. But the more we worked with it, the more we realised it really is beautiful. The rhythm of the patches, the warmth of the colours, the way it looks almost painterly up close.

The secret is the context. On a worn tram seat you don't notice how good this pattern is. On a clean, modern backpack framed in black or brown, it suddenly holds its own. And yes, this one comes without chewing gum stuck to it.

The Hungarian retro line

This backpack is part of a bigger feeling, one many of us know: the old Ikarus buses, the yellow trams, the HÉV, the railway stations, the corner greengrocer, the lido. Hungarian retro isn't just nostalgia. It's a visual language of its own, worth keeping and bringing into new places.

We didn't want to make a museum piece, but something you wear today. The pattern is the one your parents travelled on, but the bag is made for your day: work, school, a gig, a trip.

The two HÉV upholstery backpacks

• H.ELIX Nr.02: brown flap and base, black tarp.
• H.ELIX Nr.03: black flap and base, khaki tarp.

Both are rolltop backpacks with a laptop pocket, a small zipped inner pocket, and a front pocket with two more compartments and a key holder. They come in Mini, S, M and L, while the fabric lasts.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really the same fabric that was on the vehicles?

Yes. It isn't a reproduction or a lookalike, but original leftover stock from the Kőszeg factory.

Is it used fabric taken out of old vehicles?

No. It's unused deadstock that stayed in storage, so the pattern and fabric are the same, but nobody has sat on it yet.

Will there be more when it runs out?

The factory has closed, so we can't get any more of this fabric. When it's gone, the series ends.

A piece of history, on your back

If you'd like to see them in person, come to our showroom at Szervita tér 3, or browse all our rolltop backpacks.