Boiled rice, vegetable and pasta soup are some of the elements that Hoyan used in his latest collection, called ‘ Bio-Trimmings ‘ (Bio-Embellishments) which Hong Kong-Transforms leftovers into clothing details is the best of the new collection of fashion designer Hoyan Ip already exposed this year in Europe.
Buttons, buckles, handbags or collars for shirts are part of the collection of English Designer, who works with food scraps that she asks for her family and friends for weeks before starting their production process. The foods undergo a process of dehydration, then covered with a kind of resin and are placed into mounds with the desired shapes, and then return to be dehydrated.
Hoyan proposals is to not only innovative, but aims to boost positive change, in this case, the way we think about food and our eating habits” – she emphasized.
“Food waste generates an economic and environmental problem which we should all blame us. My intention-continues-is to establish a connection between the food and the fashion industry” – says the young woman.
Always questioning what the future holds for this industry, in which nothing is new, since trends are copied season after season, more and more emerging designers and more pieces on the market. With the idea of turning the fashion world in a more sustainable and ethical business, Hoyan began experimenting with food in 2010 while studying a master’s degree in London.
At the time, the creator wanted to establish whether the use of food waste would devalue their products or would add an ethical value in awareness about waste and food shortages.
Last year, after spending several months in her kitchen to desiccate, stitching and blending foods that debris had collapsed and arrived at the secret recipe to transform these wastes in durable materials to use for the fashion industry. From this was born, the collection ‘ Bio-‘ Ornaments, which last year was released in London fashion week. Oh I wish I was there…
Now, their sketches crossed borders and was exposed in a Hong Kong shopping mall until last February 24 2013 celebrating the Chinese New Year. After testing dozens of foods, Hoyan came to the conclusion that those rich in carbohydrates and the Chinese food work best.
But in English collections are also used seeds, vegetables and sauces that once submitted her ‘ secret recipes ‘, retained their natural color.
Despite admitting that her kitchen-which has turned into a factory of food waste during the nine months that tried to reach the strong odors exuded-technique, the end result is odorless products that, in addition, have the added value of being biodegradable. “The quality and texture of the food is what make the details such as buttons, resemble”, explains the designer.
Now, the next step for Hoyan is to achieve a waterproof coating to protect them from moisture.
“I hope to be able to further develop this technique, that part of the idea of replacing the standard metal and plastic adornments which are not only expensive to produce, but also generate environmental impact”, concludes.
Well, I personally believe that this is a very risky business development but extremely interesting! I will definitely bring more news on this topic, stay tuned… After all we all would be interested in how to transform our left over food into fashion, W-O-W!!!