Food and Fashion's Love Affair
Food and fashion unite to take branded experiences to the next level
The worlds of fashion and food have joined forces. By serving up new, physical experiences that leave taste buds tingling, fashion is in its culinary era as branded cafés take over retail spaces.
Food and fashion are the two greatest loves of my life, which is perhaps why I find the concept of fashion-themed cafés and restaurants so intriguing.
I visited Sadelle’s at the Kith Paris flagship store. While the tuna salad and grilled cheese I had was a little underwhelming, if I’m honest I was there for the vibes. It was getting a taste of an iconic New York Eatery in Europe that I cared about. And it didn’t hurt that the vertical garden looked good on my IG stories and I could do my shopping after.
But it's not just Kith, some of the world's most iconic fashion brands — both conglomerate-backed and independent — are expanding beyond the realms of fashion and venturing into the world of food.
It's a fashion-food-fuelled love affair and I’m into it.
Prada Caffè and Anya Cafe in London. Gucci Osteria in Florence. The Hall by Louis Vuitton in Chengdu, China. Restaurant Monsieur Dior in Paris. Beige by Chanel in Tokyo. Café Kitsuné in New York. A pop-up Coach Café in Dubai and a Jacquemus pop-up Café Citron in Paris… the list is endless.
And there’s a reason why fashion is eating up the food scene.
Fashion-themed restaurants and cafés plate up not only a feast for the mouth but also for the eyes, they give us a little something extra, something immersive and sense-inducing when the world around us seems so bleak.
Amid a global cost of living crisis and the constant presence of inflation, luxury and premium labels aren’t shying away from introducing boujee coffee shops, cafés and restaurants across big cities — and some are even doing so in unlikely settings.
Two heavyweight British institutions, Norman’s cafe in North London and Burberry, came together for LFW AW23 to celebrate British iconography — reinforcing Burberry’s “iconic British DNA” at every touch point.
As a Londoner born and raised this is something I can get behind. And if you haven't already, get yourself down to a greasy spoon like Norman’s. It’s worth it I promise.
But whether you're drawn to logo-infused interiors, you're trying to flex and status signal on socials, or maybe you just want a cup of coffee, either way fashion is carving a niche that capitalises on the inherent parallels between style and gastronomy.
We’re seeing tongues wag, bellies rumble and eyeballs gawk all at once as fashion moves beyond the wearable in favour of the experiential.
So, if a Tiffany ring isn’t your thing, how about a latte in a mug in that familiar turquoise hue? It’s affordable, it looks good on the ‘gram and it's a dining experience you can brag about.
Maybe that’s why when Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Box Cafe opened in Shanghai in 2019, there was reportedly a six-month waiting list as the influencer elite flocked to it and posed with robin-egg-blue cocktails and jewellery box patisseries.
It may be cringe and elicit a few eye rolls, but for brands fashion’s food play is paying off.
Fashion eateries serve a new purpose. There’s more of a draw to visit IRL locations as people munch on banana splits at Gucci, sip on Dom Pérignon at Chanel and lap up Prada’s pistachio tiramisù.
Teaming the culture of dining out with top chefs and stylised, branded aesthetics allows fashion's big players to craft entire universes around new, food-led touchpoints. It's a clever extension of branding that’s subtle but unmistakable if done right.
In this space, the currency is not just in products but in an immersive experience that elicits an emotional response. You know that one dish you can't forget about and nothing else you eat will ever compare? Well, fashion eateries are trying to capitalise on that.
There’s also brand iconography and new forms of storytelling that play up food's cultural cache.
Foodie fashion can position a brand you’d only associate with clothing as a lifestyle choice, creating a space where brands can experiment, tweak and play with their image in a less risky way.
At a time when fashion brands big and small are forced to constantly reinvent themselves, branded experiences have become valuable commodities. And with the influx of cafés and restaurants adorned with logos and merch, experience is fashion's new mantra.
But is this food and fashion union a flash in a pan or a long-term thing?
No one knows. Only time will tell if the fashion pivot into the food space has worked as consumers opt to eat their money in the form of fashionable treats rather than seeing it hung up in their closets.
But if you want to get your fashion fix more affordably, pop down to a fashion café or restaurant and soak up the vibes. I’ve done it and I have no regrets.
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