Fashion on a Plate: How Food Became Fashion’s Favorite PR Move

There was a time when fashion stayed on the runway. Tucked behind velvet ropes and reserved for those with invites. For the public eye only documented in glossy lookbooks. Today? Fashion is literally on everybody's plate. Luxury fashion is being served as Gucci burgers and Ralph Lauren coffees are making their way across the region. The fashion houses are no longer just dressing people; they’re feeding us too. Fashion has spilled from the catwalk into cafés. It’s one of the smartest PR moves we’ve seen in recent years, but also one that raises a bigger question:

Has the fusion of food and fashion become too far?

From Jacquemus’ gelato carts in Capri to Loewe’s tomato-themed SS24 launch brunch, the line between lifestyle and literal taste has completely blurred. Fendi has a permanent café in Rome. Chanel serves branded croissants during Paris Fashion Week.
Gucci Osteria - with locations in Florence, Beverly Hills, and Seoul - offers luxury lovers a literal taste of the italian lifestyle and lets you eat tagliatelle off monogrammed Gucci plates. Reservations for the restaurants were sold out in four minutes after opening.

These branded culinary experiences do more than just charm loyal customers. They create access. Moments where the fashion world feels more approachable, while still aspirational. Food has become more than a visual metaphor (like lemons in a summer campaign). It’s a brand touchpoint to connect even more to their customers. It has become one of the most strategic PR tools in luxury marketing right now. Because what’s more intimate and more shareable than what we eat? A cookie stamped with the Celine logo? It’s not just dessert - it’s content. "Over the last five years the café culture and the high tea trend have boomed," says Chloe Reuter, founding partner and CEO at Gusto Luxe. "Coffee shops and restaurants allow brands to engage with entry level luxury consumers, potentially their consumers of tomorrow. I believe it’s a strong first step to creating brand advocacy." And being able to sip on a luxury latte painted with Chanel’s Double C logo while munching on a Louis Vuitton trunk cupcake has worked wonders on social media.

At the heart of all this lies something deeper: storytelling and atmosphere. Brands are crafting spaces where fashion lovers, foodies, and future clients can engage with them in a sensory, emotional way - extending their world from haute couture to haute cuisine. 

A Bite of Branding: Why It Works So Well

In the age of micro-attention spans and hyper-visual communication, food is one of the most effective tools a brand can use to emotionally connect fast because it is the ultimate emotional shortcut. It’s intimate, personal and comfortable. When a brand places itself inside those emotions it sticks. 

Luxury is shifting. It’s no longer only about exclusivity, it’s more about immersion. You don’t need to buy the entire runway look to feel part of a brand anymore. You can sip it. Taste it. This isn’t just about pretty cafés and pastries. It’s about absurdity and virality. Balenciaga x KFC blurred the lines between parody and prestige with branded Fastfood Buckets. It’s memeable marketing - and it works. Crocs and Pop-Tarts created an edible shoe. Was it a joke? Was it genius? Probably both.

Bottega Veneta wrapped fresh baguettes in their signature green leather bags to blur the line between high fashion and everyday life - all while promoting a four-figure handbag.

Fashionably ate… going so far that we don't just pair food and fashion. No, even farther, the collections are inspired by food; Food trends like fermented foods such as kimchi and kombucha are becoming mainstream and are influencing fashion design. For example, Loewe's SS24 'Natural Fake' collection featured garments inspired by the imperfect, organic textures of fermentation processes. Clothing that feels alive.

So yes - fashion is on our plates now. It’s about more than just trends and aesthetics. It creates experience, emotion and entry - fashion brands are learning to feed the culture, literally. And honestly? We’re eating it up.

 by Lareen Roth-Behrendt

Picture by Loewe