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A balloon artist has used her keen eye for dress design to create a show stopping gown to mark Black History Month.
Business owner Sylvia Udomhiaye is used to making quirky arches and displays for birthday bashes and other celebratory events in Dartford and Gravesend.
The 34-year-old works with corporate clients ranging from small nail salons to larger venues such as the Holiday Inn chain of hotels.
But when the mum-of-three went online to browse balloon displays specifically celebrating Black History Month she was shocked to find hardly anything existed.
Sylvia said: "I wanted to create something that showcased and celebrated Black History Month.
"It is a whole month to celebrate Black British history and there is not really anything."
That's when the small business owner, who moved to Erith from Dartford before lockdown, decided to mark the occasion in her own unique way.
Sylvia came up with the idea of creating an dress made entirely out of balloons and even drafted in family members to help with the fitting.
She said: "In an ideal world I would have had a mannequin but because of the time I had to do it in I had to ask my husband at first.
"When it came to fitting it on me he helped me out. The skirt was fine as you can do that without fitting."
The artist completed the quirky costume last week and posted images on her Instagram account.
Her work drew plenty of praise on social media with one user reacting "so creative, wow", whilst another added "now you can add seamstress to your bow".
"It was crazy I have never had that sort of feedback before about anything, I was like wow."
Sylvia was overwhelmed by the feedback which even saw her dress display shared by BAPIA, the leading trade organisation for the UK balloon and party industry.
She said: "It was crazy I have never had that sort of feedback before about anything, I was like wow.
The mum-of-three now hopes her work will help stimulate discussion and encourage others to celebrate black history in their own way.
"It's quite interesting actually that in the balloon world Black History Month hasn't really been marked or celebrated on a large scale,"she said.
"There's still so much work to be done in raising awareness."
