A fashion designer in Vietnam has recently stunned local audiences with his fashion illustrations using traditional southern delicacies, including banh xeo, to create vibrant patterns for his designs.
Nguyen Minh Cong has newly released Fashion - Food, a collection of gorgeous evening gowns inspired by southern Vietnamese specialty cakes such as banh xeo (Vietnamese pancakes), banh da lon (steamed layer cakes), and banh beo (steamed rice pancakes), to mention a few.
According to Cong, this collection was the fruit of his labor during the last four months of the social distancing period in his hometown of Vinh Long, located in the Mekong Delta.
"Initially, I only wanted to cook to relieve stress, serve my family, and reminisce about the dishes I ate as a kid," Cong told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
"However, with the endless passion for design, I have ultilized my imagination when cooking.
"My parents also contributed to this collection."
It is not simple to combine princess gowns with classic southern sweets that every Vietnamese has tasted at least once in their life.
Cong, on the other hand, has proven that fashion knows no bounds with this one-of-a-kind collection.
He made a mannequin out of paper, set it against a backdrop of banana leaves from his garden, and then created colorful princess gowns out of food.
"From brainstorming to preparing materials to create the cake, designing clothes on it takes more effort," Cong said.
"Each batch takes between one and two days to complete. It took me a week to finish seven beautiful evening dresses.
"Despite the fact that it is time-consuming, I am happy since I was able to be creative in a completely new field while avoiding sadness."
Cong hopes that his food collection will soon be able to use the language of fashion to communicate the tale of Vietnam's southern cuisine to fashionistas.
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