Fashion designers have always found inspiration in odd places. Meet the fashionistas of University of the Arts London (UAL), who’ve created an un-brie-lievable cheese-themed collection
And so, it’s come to this. I’m sitting in the carriage of a long-abandoned train, deep in the bowels of London’s Charing Cross, slightly hungover. The crowd is fashionable, glamorous. And they’re all talking about cheese.
The ethereal music starts and the show begins. There are models walking among us, serious and solemn, in outfits inspired by “iconic French cheeses.” They are beautiful. I’m starting to wonder if this is really happening – it feels like I’ve eaten too much cheese and gone to bed.
One woman is swathed in diaphanous tulle, tufted with fluffy grey embellishments. They’re mould, apparently. She’s a Tomme de Savoie cheese, from Savoy in the French Alps, and those are her mould-covered rinds.
A Camembert struts past. An Époisses, too tall to fit in the carriage, hobbles down the platform outside, dragging a huge, architectural structure inspired by the abbey where the Burgundy cheese was invented. A decadent Langres skips through the train, flashing her frilly cheese bloomers as she leaves.
This bizarre event, hosted by CNIEL (the French Dairy Interbranch Organisation), will end with an awards show presented by comedian Tatty Macleod. And she doesn’t see anything unusual about it.
“Food fashion in general is having a moment,” she says. “You just need to look at the designer Jacquemus – he’s all the rage. He did a collection called Le Paysan, inspired by where he’s from in rural France, that featured a leek-shaped handbag.”
She points out that luxury fashion house Loewe has been selling shoes with a sculpted broken egg in each heel. “I like to think of it as neo-naturalism,” she adds. “It’s about wanting to go back to the everyday. There’s something quite natural, quite basic about inspiring yourself with food.”
But looking at the fashion cheeseboard in front of us, there’s nothing basic about these clothes. The 15 looks have been put together by Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students, specialising in 3D Design.
At the post-show reception, I pull Miss Tomme de Savoie aside for a chat. She’s actually a model called Elle Lyu, 18, from Beijing, China – and she’s delighted to be dressed as a cheese. “I love this,” she says. “The mould is so scary and spooky.”
The outfit was designed by Edie Humphreys, from Norfolk, and Daphne Chen, from China. In a few hours’ time, they’ll find out they’re the winners of the ‘best in show’ award.
Edie, 18, says: “This cheese is basically made in a cave, so I wanted to make something that looked like it could be a cave-dwelling spirit.”
Daphne, 17, adds: “My first impression of the blue cheese, I wasn’t sure. But when I took a closer look, I realised the mould looked a bit like a birthmark.
“Some people think birthmarks are ugly, or they bring back bad memories. But they’re part of what makes us unique individuals and I think we should celebrate that.”
This talented teenager has clearly thought long and hard about cheese – and there’s something uplifting about that. As I wander around the room, I meet crowds of young people who are clearly having a brilliant day.
Model Willow Ratcliffe, 19, is wearing an outfit inspired by Époisses cheese, from Burgundy. It features a broad shoulder piece, based on a milkmaid’s yolk, and she’s carrying a tiny cheeseboard.
Willow, from London, says: “I feel very confident, I feel very powerful, I feel… wide. It’s structural, it’s fashion.”
And who am I to argue? By the sound of it, dressing like cheese feels surprisingly great. I might have just witnessed the birth of the next big thing – or maybe I’m just a bit hungry.
Obligatory cheese fashion puns
“I thought that model was really tall, but she’s just got a Stilton.”
“I hope there’s a shy koala on the catwalk with someone urging it to come out. Camembert!”
“Helena Christensen did a show with just cheese to preserve her modesty. That’s a bit Danish Blue, isn’t it?”
“One model put her Edam dress on the wrong way round. It was made backwards.”
“This Greek model was wearing an all-in-one jumpsuit. It was a feta complis.”
That’s enough now – Ed.
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