How food became fashion’s newest marketing strategy: From cringe to viral hype
With food obsession dominating social media, luxury brands serve up playful culinary content that hypes desire and reshapes engagement
It was 1937 when Elsa Schiaparelli commissioned Salvador Dalì to paint a lobster on a dinner dress, anticipating fashion’s growing fascination with food. Fast forward about a century, Loewe is now asking, in an ASMR whispered voice on TikTok, how many spaghetti strands the new Featherlight Puzzle bag can hold, highlighting the bag’s lightness over its stylistic character.
@loewe Light as a 🪶- our new Featherlight Puzzle bag. #LOEWE ♬ original sound - LOEWE
Why Gen Z’s Obsession with Food Is Shaping the Future of Fashion Marketing
According to Vogue Business, for Gen Z, food has become the new luxury. It seems that new generations of fashion lovers have “propelled food to the forefront of luxury consumption”. Brands respond accordingly by drawing inspiration from food for their designs, as seen with the Moschino celery bag and Louis Vuitton’s croissant charms. Additionally, as food evolves into a status symbol among young consumers, maisons are joining forces with buzzy culinary talent to create food as an accessible and alluring entry point.
Surreal Food-Themed Fashion: Why TikTok Loves It (and Can’t Stop Watching)
Food-related extravaganza is ruling TikTok, encouraging us to take a joke. Loewe has introduced brainrot-related content featuring a ballerina in Loewe sneakers dancing next to a cup of cappuccino while a voiceover recites the nonsensical poem “Cappuccina Ballerina”.
Nostalgia is also luring us back in time through food-inspired items. Jellycat’s Amuseables, which are cheerful plush toys shaped like katsusando, pretzels, and milkshakes with tiny hands and feet, have become a popular sensation, often found alongside Chanel bags in the wardrobes of fashion influencers.
Forget Brunch: Luxury Brands Are Turning Breakfast into the Ultimate Hype Moment
In addition to creating a milk carton-shaped bag for the opening of the brand’s first NY Boutique in SoHo, Jacquemus is also serving breakfast inside the store. Fancy an O.J.? The brand had already generated buzz in the summer of 2023 with its ice cream truck shaped like a bag and overflowing with CGI lemons at Pampelonne Beach in the French Riviera. The luxury brand also sent out actual bread-and-butter invitations to their fashion show, ensuring they stood out from the competition.
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Event flyer for Jacquemus breakfast at Galeries La Fayette
Another successful marketing initiative is “Burberry for Breakfast?” During September 2023 Fashion Week, the British house took over London café Norman’s in London, featuring plates adorned with the Equestrian Knight symbol.
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Snapshot from “Burberry for Breakfast” initiative at Norman’s cafe in London
How Ice Cream Trucks Took Over Fashion’s Social Strategy
Branded bars, restaurants and cafés—such as Choo Café by Jimmy Choo, a pop-up on the Fifth Floor at Harrods, or Le Café V. by Louis Vuitton in Osaka and Tokyo—can be seen as predictable brand extensions that have become somewhat touristy, especially as the initial hype fades quickly.
In contrast, venues like Bar Luce by Prada in Milan, designed by director Wes Anderson, and Gucci Giardino, offer a strong cultural and artistic backbone that remains resilient against fleeting trends.
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Detail from Jimmy Choo “Choo Cafe” pop-up at Harrods
The focus is now on temporary and mobile experiences. For instance, “Le Café Lacoste” was showcased as an immersive experience at Le Meridien Monte Carlo, celebrating French fine dining and featuring René Lacoste’s favourite cocktails.
Brands are also leveraging food to create engaging experiences. Last summer, as part of its literary club, Miu Miu set up book kiosks offering free books and ice pops in major cities from Milan to Tokyo, catering to our desire for unconventional summer activities.
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Highlight from tennis-inspired “Le Café” pop-up by Lacoste
The Designers Who Made Food Fashion: From Moschino to Balenciaga
Among fashion brands, Moschino has long been fascinated with food. Since its inception, many fashion designers associated with the brand, from founder Franco Moschino to Jeremy Scott, have incorporated food references into their collections.
While many fashion directors have experimented with food in their work, only a few have successfully integrated food-shaped items into our wardrobes. For instance, Demna’s Balenciaga captures our cravings for junk food with potato chip purses, while Loewe’s Tomato Bag, designed by former creative director Jonathan Anderson, offers a healthier alternative. This trend makes food more tangible (and edible), elevating the brand’s experience through a multi-sensory approach.
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Carousels of Moschino design pieces inspired by food shapes
We believe the food trend will remain timeless and will continue to delight us in various forms—whether abstract or tangible, metaphorical or literal. It plays with our basic survival needs through luxurious items, enriching our appreciation for delectable references and awakening our craving for more.
Gaia Giordani
Editor, Generative AI Explorer and New Media Communication Expert