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Fashion as a reflection of the social changes of our time. Based on this approach, the most cutting-edge brands in the system are constantly immersing themselves in reality to adapt to the needs of the modern consumer who places value on really important issues such as eating or drinking, as part of the post-pandemic effect. Beyond that, the rise of gastronomy as a universal -and transversal- macro-trend has led to the fact that coffee culture has had a great impact on the textile industry, becoming more than a fashion, it has become a lifestyle.
When poverty grows, luxury can be reduced to a simple cup of coffee. A beverage that is served in this era as a pop-up experience IRL, as a simple alternative with which brands encourage their customers to keep spending.
At Rhode‘s recent pop-up in London, Hailey Bieber‘s beauty community would queue for hours to experience her makeup or skincare products while being treated to a coffee in collaboration with Café Kistune. An action with which profits are not redeemed through money, but through virtual dialogue and viral experiences that project on TikTok.
Little treat culture
The little treat culture has been another factor that has driven the rise of this trend in which fashion has fully immersed itself. What seemed at first an ironic trend or a network meme, would end up becoming an important sign of the times. In a whim consisting of buying a coffee sealed by a luxury logo as something valuable to highlight.
In this sense, brands such as Prada, Saint Laurent or Gucci have been aware of this and have opened their own coffee shops and coffee pop-ups in recent years. Meanwhile, Alaïa has just introduced its own coffee shop inside its London boutique. Other brands linked to ‘lifestyles’ such as Maison Kitsuné, Carhartt WIP and Aimé Leon Dore also once incorporated coffee culture within their DNA.
In 2013, Maison Kitsuné would also expand its retail presence with the launch of Cafe Kitsuné in Tokyo, followed by locations in Paris and New York in 2019, before opening in London’s Pantechnicon in 2020.
In 2016, Carhartt WIP would launch Carhartt Coffee as part of its London flagship store. This time last year, the brand would likewise partner with Rocket Espresso Milano to design a limited edition coffee machine and grinder along with a clothing capsule to accompany the drop.
Similarly, when Aimé Leon Dore opened its London flagship in 2022, it did so with Café Leon Dore, an immersive coffee shop experience serving a variety of hot and cold beverages, as well as Greek pastries and branded products.
Late last year, this experiential fashion arrived in Madrid with the Maison Margiela café. The first European ‘Casa Margiela‘ pop-up paid tribute to its ‘Replica’ fragrance collection, which harmoniously encapsulated special moments in life.
Beyond the olfactory workshops that took place, this one included a specialty coffee shop inside where they served free coffee in glasses stamped by the brand’s logo. The drink could be combined with mini-macarons also dressed in the Margiela identity.
Within this exhilarating trend, celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter have also wanted to launch their own iterations. She, of course, referencing her big hit with an ‘Espresso’ for Dunkin’; plus numerous drops led by global icons like Emma Chamberlain for her inspirational coffee brand Chamberlain Coffee.
