How Coffee Culture Became Fashion's Latest Obsession
With a little help from TikTok, “Little Treat Culture” and changing economies.
Coffee culture has become one of fashion’s biggest trends in the last few years — and there are a few reasons for it. It’s no secret that luxury spend is in a bit of a decline and as a result, brands have had to think of alternative avenues to encourage their consumers to continue spending. Because of that, free experiences are at an all-time high, with more and more of us flocking to insanely large pop-up queues where we can get a taste of something without parting with our hard-earned cash.
Take rhode’s recent pop-up in London as an example. Fans of the brand queued for hours to experience Hailey Bieber‘s make-up dream world and as a reward, queuers were rewarded with a free rhode x Cafe Kitsune hot beverage. Whether or not they then went on to purchase something after that didn’t actually matter — because every person that wanted to experience a taste of rhode, was able to. For them, being a part of the conversation, being able to capture their experiences for TikTok and still take something away whether they spent money or not, was all they needed to regard it as a positive experience.
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Along with that, TikTok’s influence on IRL shopping habits is a significant part of the shift. Search the words “Little treat culture” on the app and you’ll be met with dozens of videos analyzing the act of getting yourself a “little treat” while out and about at the weekend. What first started as a humble meme has actually become a pretty significant sign of the times. It’s no secret that many of us are grappling with financial insecurity amidst numerous lockdowns, layoffs and the rising cost of living so naturally, how we spend — what little money we do have — has significantly changed.
As a result, the emphasis we put on where we go to enjoy said treat, is a lot bigger than it used to be. After lockdown, the idea of going out for a coffee transformed from something that was done out of necessity to an experience that may well be the only thing we spend money on that day. So it has to count. This is something that luxury fashion houses like Prada, Saint Laurent and Gucci are fully aware of, opening their own cafe takeovers and coffee pop-ups in recent years, with alaïa just catching on as it opens its own coffee shop as part of its London boutique.
That said, for brands like Maison Kitsuné, Carhartt WIP and Aimé Leon Dore, cafe culture has been an intrinsic part of their identity for some time. In 2013, Maison Kitsuné expanded 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 launched Carhartt Coffee as part of its special projects store in London and since then, it’s been a continual part of its in-store experience. This time last year, the brand teamed up with Rocket Espresso Milano for a limited-edition coffee machine and grinder along with a clothing capsule to accompany the launch.
Similarly, when Aimé Leon Dore opened its London flagship in 2022, it arrived complete with Cafe Leon Dore — an immersive cafe experience located right next door, which sells a variation of hot and cold drinks along with Greek pastries and branded cafe merchandise. For these lifestyle brands, the concept of offering more than just a product is one that’s been a part of their strategy from the very beginning, something the luxury world only just seems to be catching up with.
The rise in cafe culture also comes down to the somewhat recent realization that food and drink is f-cking cool. Post-pandemic (and unfortunately, we’ll be studying those effects for some time now), more of us spent time at home. As a result, more of us began to care about the “bigger” things in life, particularly the things we quite literally consume every day and night. As fashion fans and pioneers of the internet grow up and find themselves with more disposable income, they wonder what else is worth the investment. Enter the world of design-led homeware, barista coffee and affordable experiences.
A segment of the continuing food and fashion crossover, cafe culture has become the ultimate experience, home to guest baristas as much as guest chefs, beginning to offer unique small plates and paying special attention to branded merchandise. It’s much easier to invest in smaller coffee-based experiences than fancy supper clubs and three-course meals, so as everything gets pricier and pricier, affordable experiences have become our go-to.
With that in mind, American coffee company Blank Street launched in New York in 2020. Four years and over 50 locations later, the brand’s mint green hue and blueberry matcha have become instantly recognizable — often acting as the perfect accessory for fashion fit checks. The brand’s rise signifies a shift towards design-led consumables, where the colors, fonts and packaging design are just as important as what’s inside — if not more so. Similarly, brands like Grind have contributed to the shift by introducing lifestyle products and collaborating with fashion brands like Ashish and Lazy Oaf.
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Celebrities have played their part too, with Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” dominating the charts and subsequently altering our brain chemistry this summer, plus celeb-led launches like Emma Chamberlain‘s Chamberlain Coffee.
As with all fashion trends, the concept of coffee as part of an experience isn’t entirely new. Household names like IKEA have had food and drink built into their physical store-fronts for many years, while locations like Carhartt Coffee and Kitsuné have long preceded today’s pop-ups. But whatever way you look at it, the relationship between coffee and fashion is evolving and given the examples from the last year alone, it’s clear to see it’s not just a trend anymore. It’s a way of life.
