When Fashion Meets Fromage

The worlds of fashion and food collided in spectacular style last week, as the disused Jubilee Line at Charing Cross transformed into a subterranean runway for a one-night-only catwalk dedicated entirely to French Cheese.

The event, hosted by CNIEL (the French Dairy Interbranch Organisation) in partnership with the University of the Arts London (UAL) and supported by the EU, showed 15 looks which each celebrated the artistry, heritage and creative potential of French cheese. 

Out of 125 students, 18 finalists brought their edible and wearable inspirations to life, turning the abandoned tube station into a runway like no other. The piece of the night went to overwall winners Daphne Chen and Edie Humphreys, with their design ‘Some Cheeses Really Grow on You.” Inspired by the Tomme de Savoie, the outfit used soft yarns and translucent tulle to replicate the cheese’s mottled rind and natural irregularities. 

Other highlights included the ‘Saint-Nectaire Terroir Volcanic Dress’, an earth-toned tribute to the cheese’s volcanic Auvergne homeland, and ‘The Cheese Pull’, a brie-inspired design that encapsulated the irresistible stretch of melted curd in motion.

The judging panel brought a mix of comedy, style, and cultural insight. Comedian Tatty Macleod and influencer Sabrina Bahsoon, better known as Tube Girl, joined UAL and CNIEL representatives to select the winning designs.

Ms Macleod said: “Fashion inspired from Fourme d’Ambert is the most ludicrously, brilliantly eccentric thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t wait to discover the next Alexander McComté or Stella MacCantal.”

The abandoned Jubilee line station turned into an intimate theatre where fashion literally met fromage. Beyond the playful homage to cheese, the show highlighted the limitless creativity of young designers and the power of unusual inspiration to spark bold and memorable art. 

Lead photo credit : Hopscotch Cheese Fashion Show 203