Autumn has arrived, we are seeing wardrobes changing, shiny new shoes are out, and at Studio Snack we’ve been thinking about fashion and food. They might seem unconnected but… stay with us!
When food becomes fashion
Researching on the V&A website, we spotted some iconic pieces:
- Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup paper dress
- Dame Edna’s breakfast dress
- Broad bean salad hats and even grape shoes
- And because Bowie was such an icon, the Bowie Coca-Cola cans for charity made it onto our list too.
Of course, pop culture gave us some unforgettable food-fashion moments too:
- Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress
- Carmen Miranda’s iconic fruit hat
- Katy Perry as a burger at the Met Gala
- And Crocs x KFC
Lydia’s nerdery
- Avocado on toast: trending in the 2010s, but go back to the 1920s. Or even further… eating avocados goes all the way back to the Aztecs.
- Sourdough bread: the pandemic obsession for many, but it started in ancient Egypt.
- Cupcakes: viral in the 2000s, but our exploration took us back to 1796.
And then there’s fashion for eating.
- The dinner jacket, born from active lifestyles and commissioned in 1865 for informal dinners
- Tea dress, born as a tea gown in the late 19th century when women grew tired of corsets that were hard to breathe in, leave alone eat in.
What we’ve learned in our practice?
We learned that fashions have deeper roots than you’d expect. History often makes things more interesting. And it’s a reminder that inspiration can come from anywhere.
Experiments:
Lydia created a textile pattern using illustrations from Studio Snack episodes and even had them printed as strike-offs (textile proofs).
You can see some other textile work from Lydia at the People and Places of Newham exhibition at the Tower Gallery in East London.
Narcis went Moschino and design a croissant clutch and pins, with some left over red synthetic leather.
Join us next month for another episode of Studio Snack.