It’s the end of an era: soybean milk has supplanted ‘Bolly’ – the champagne brand so beloved of the ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ character Patsy Stone – at this year’s London Fashion Week.
At one of its hottest tickets last night – the launch of Chinese designer Victor Wong’s new eyewear range at the Caledonian Club in Belgravia – models and influencers abandoned the traditional champagne flutes in favour of beakers of soybean milk.
The life-prolonging milk was supplied by one of Wong’s chief sponsors, Joyoung, China’s leading kitchen appliance and soybean milk machine manufacturer.
Discussing the collaboration, Wong said: ‘Joyoung’s active promotion of a healthy lifestyle is a perfect match for my designs – both emphasise the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, as well as the consistent innovation of a modern, healthy lifestyle.’
While once it could only be found in health shops, soybean milk is now sold in all the UK’s major supermarkets. High in protein and low in fat, it is a perfect complement to a healthy diet, reducing the risk of cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer.
The soybean milk at Wong’s presentation was made using Joyoung’s revolutionary K-mini, a powerful, compact new machine that will be launched in China in March 2019. The soy beans come in sachets that include quinoa, oats and purple sweet potatoes. There are no plans to launch the appliance in Europe, however the appetite for such a machine clearly exists – the EU currently imports about 14 million tonnes of soya beans per year.