food and fashion

Food & Fashion: 10 Times Culinary Arts & Fashion Design Perfectly Collided

Do you possess a passion for food and cooking? A degree in the dynamic and rewarding field of the culinary arts can allow you to earn a living while exploring your creativity and flair for the fine art of cooking. Chefs and head cooks can take on all kinds of roles - and sometimes that includes the role of fashion designer!

Here are ten examples of culinarians making food into imaginative, wearable creations:

Lady Gaga's meat dress1. Beef it up.

Who could forget Lady Gaga's meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards? Made of over 40 pounds of thin-cut Argentinian beef, L.A. fashion designer Franc Fernandez also made a beef-wrapped hat, shoes, and purse with cuts from his family butcher. This meaty dress is now preserved and displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

2. Fashion forward.

Swedish two-star Michelin chef Bjorn Frantzen developed a series of culinary creations for the Spring 2015 collections of Diane Von Furstenburg, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, and Chloe. Frantzen created the tasty togs with common culinary delights, such as macaroons, chocolate, brioche, marshmallows, mushrooms, cauliflower, shallots, scallop shells, ham, and more.Each design was made by hand to be a full-scale replica of each piece before being meticulously photographed.

 

Wearable banana peel dress3. Edible art.

Over a period of a few years, Korean Artist Yeon Ju Sung created a stunning series of garments called Wearable Food. Using a variety of ingredients as her medium, the artist constructed a variety of garments with edible goods including: tomatoes, eggs, bubble gum, red cabbage, and chicken. This critically acclaimed international exhibition received accolades from not only art lovers, but key players in the culinary industry.

 

Bread Loaf Slippers4. Snug as a bug in a rug.

In 2009 Lithuanian twin designers R&E Praspaliauskas created warm wearable bread slippers in white, wheat, pumpernickel and sesame. Talk about keeping your toes toasty!

 

Cream puff wedding dress by Valentyn Shtefano5. Here comes the bride.

Over the course of two months, Ukrainian pastry chef Valentyn Shtefano created his wife's wedding dress out of cream puffs. This sweet treat was comprised of 1,500 cream puffs and weighed 20 pounds.

 

Spaghetti dress and meatballs necklace by Jeremy Scott6. That's amore.

In 2006 American fashion designer Jeremy Scott created a whimsical collection of edible clothing titled "Food Fight!" This playful collection included a spaghetti dress with a meatball necklace.

 

chocolate bustier7. For the love of chocolate.

Worn by German model Alena Gerber for an annual show in Munich in January 2010, German bakery Lambertz Delicious created an edible bustier bubble dress made of 100% solid chocolate. 

 

nike air max hamburger sneakers8. Sumptuous sneakers.

As part of an exhibition in 2008, Swedish designer Olle Hemmendorf made iconic edible Nike Air Max sneakers using hamburger patties, a hearty baguette, pickles, tomatoes, and cheese for the classic swoosh.

 

wearable culinary fashions9. Fabulous photography.

In 2010 Photographer Ted Sabarese and designer Ami Goodheart created a bready dress as part of a series titled "Hunger Pains", in which models wore clothes depicting their personal cravings. Sabarese also collaborated with designers Daniel Feld and Wesley Nault of Project Runway, who made a dress of artichokes. The model stood for six hours as the designers sewed together each individual artichoke leaf covering her body.

 

lettuce dress by Chris March10. Crunchy couture.

Season 4 Project Runway finalist Chris March created a couture, one-of-kind dress made from just $50 worth of lettuce. The dress was specifically requested by Wish-Bone to promote its line of spray-bottle salad dressings.

Hungry for More?

These fun fashions are just a few examples of how a degree in culinary arts could provide an interesting variety of opportunities all over the world. A culinary degree could help you to develop hands-on experience and skills that can lead to a possible future in various settings, including:

  • Restaurants
  • Hotels and Resorts
  • Cruise Liners
  • On- and Off-Premise Catering
  • Hospitals and Retirement Communities
  • Corporate Dining Services
  • Bake Shops/Pastry Shops
  • Schools and Universities

Fast-paced and ever-changing, there is never a dull moment in the stimulating world of the culinary arts. If you would like to explore your creativity and become a part of the exciting culinary revolution that's sweeping through kitchens around the globe, ECPI University's Associate of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts could provide you with the tools you need for a successful, rewarding future in the Culinary Arts. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Culinary Arts TODAY!

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