Fashion: Is Food Fashion’s New Status Symbol?

Why is the topic trending? 

• Intersection of Fashion and Food: The article explores the growing trend of food becoming a prominent element in the fashion world, from advertising to runway themes. This unexpected combination is generating discussion.

• Food as a Symbol: The piece questions whether food is taking on the role of a status symbol within the fashion industry, akin to designer handbags or exclusive experiences.

• Juxtaposition with Thinness Trends and Weight-Loss Drugs: The article highlights a contradiction in the fashion world, where food is being aestheticized while simultaneously promoting thinness through trends and medications like Ozempic.

• Brands Building Universes: The trend reflects a strategy by brands to extend beyond their primary products and create encompassing lifestyles for consumers to buy into.

• Accessibility at Different Price Points: Engaging with food can be a more affordable way for consumers to interact with luxury brands they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Overview:

The article examines the increasing presence of food in the fashion industry, suggesting it might be the new status symbol. From Jacquemus' branded butter to Loewe's fruit and vegetable accessories, food imagery is prevalent in fashion advertising and runway collections. The article posits that this trend leverages the dual nature of food – both mundane necessity and extraordinary indulgence. This phenomenon is contrasted with the return to '90s-era thinness on runways and the rise of weight-loss drugs, creating a paradoxical relationship between food as aesthetic and the pressure to be thin. The article also explores how food allows consumers to engage with luxury brands at more accessible price points and how brands are building lifestyle universes that encompass food. Ultimately, the piece questions the implications of food becoming a status symbol, particularly within an industry that often celebrates deprivation.

Detailed Findings:

• Fashion's Love Affair with Food: Brands like Jacquemus (branded butter, banana prints), Loewe (fruit and vegetable accessories), Moschino (fried egg brooches), and Marco Rambaldi (slip dresses with table settings) are incorporating food into their designs and marketing.

• Luxury Brand Involvement: Saint Laurent opened a sushi restaurant, and Hailey Bieber featured groceries in a campaign.

• Food as Mundane and Extraordinary: The article suggests that fashion and food share the characteristic of being both everyday necessities and capable of being elevated to high art.

• Rhode's Marshmallow Blush: The beauty brand used a giant toasted marshmallow in its blush campaign, associating the product with the food's qualities of softness and sweetness.

• "Little Treat" Culture: The pairing of fashion and food is seen as a manifestation of a culture where both are considered indulgences.

• Return to Thinness: Runway shows in 2025 showed a return to predominantly straight-size models, despite previous pushes for body diversity.

• Rise of GLP-1 Medications: The popularity of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro is contributing to the emphasis on thinness.

• Food as "Cool Currency": Brands are tapping into the current hype around food culture.

• Building Brand Universes: Brands are expanding beyond single product categories to create broader lifestyle experiences.

• Accessible Entry Points: Food-related experiences or items (like a sushi meal at Saint Laurent) offer a more affordable way to engage with luxury brands.

• Saie Beauty's Ice Cream Pop-Up: The brand used an ice cream event to launch new lip oil shades, creating a tangible, sensory connection with consumers.

• Irony and Nostalgia: Brands are using nostalgic, typically unfashionable foods like doughnuts (Rhode), Heinz ketchup (Kate Spade), and Margaret mayonnaise (Chopova Lowena) to evoke joy and memories.

• Produce as Luxury: With rising food costs, fresh produce like Loewe's asparagus and tomato bags is becoming a luxury item, aligning with the fashion house's brand.

• Premium Grocers as Fashion Destinations: Stores like Erewhon and Happier Grocery are becoming popular among the fashion set, with even Erewhon's grocery bags appearing on the Balenciaga runway.

• Contradiction and Performance: The intertwining of fashion and food is seen as a contradiction, aestheticizing indulgence while seemingly celebrating deprivation. Food becomes a prop to be admired and photographed but not necessarily consumed.

• Questioning the Future: The article wonders if the next shift will be towards a genuine embrace of food and diverse bodies in the fashion industry.

Key Takeaway:

Food is increasingly being used as a powerful symbol and tool within the fashion industry, serving as a visual motif in advertising and collections, offering accessible entry points to luxury brands, and even acting as a status symbol. This trend, however, exists in tension with the industry's ongoing emphasis on thinness and the rise of weight-loss drugs, creating a paradoxical relationship with consumption.

Main Trend:

The Aestheticization of Food as a Symbolic Tool and Accessible Luxury Within the Fashion Industry

Description of the Trend (please name it):

The Edible Chic

What is consumer motivation:

• Engagement with Visual Culture: Consumers are drawn to the visually appealing nature of food imagery in fashion.

• Aspiring to a Lifestyle: Engaging with food-related fashion items or experiences allows consumers to feel connected to a desired lifestyle.

• Seeking Affordable Luxury: Food-related interactions with brands can provide a taste of luxury at a lower price point.

• Nostalgia and Playfulness: Brands using familiar, comforting foods evoke positive memories and a sense of fun.

• Identification with Status Symbols: As food, particularly premium groceries, takes on a status element, consumers may be motivated to display this.

What is driving trend:

• Brand Differentiation: In a saturated market, using food in unexpected ways helps brands stand out.

• Social Media Engagement: Food is highly photogenic and shareable, making it ideal for online marketing.

• Cultural Relevance of Food: Food is a universal language and a significant part of culture.

• Economic Factors: Food-related items can be a more accessible entry point to luxury brands during times of economic uncertainty.

What is motivation beyond the trend:

• Basic needs for food and clothing.

• Desire for self-expression through both fashion and lifestyle choices.

Description of consumers article is referring to:

• Age: Likely a broad range, but particularly relevant to those active on social media and interested in fashion and lifestyle trends. Younger shoppers are specifically mentioned as being interested in premium groceries.

• Gender: Not specified in the article, likely applicable to all genders interested in fashion.

• Income: Ranges from those who can afford high fashion to those seeking more accessible ways to engage with luxury brands through food-related items or experiences.

• Lifestyle: Individuals who are engaged with fashion trends, active on social media, and potentially interested in food culture and experiences.

Conclusions:

Food has become a significant aesthetic and symbolic element within the fashion industry, serving as a marketing tool, a representation of lifestyle, and even a form of accessible luxury. This trend exists within a complex context of body image ideals and consumerism.

Implications for brands:

• Fashion brands can leverage food imagery and collaborations to create buzz and engage consumers across different price points.

• Beauty brands can use food associations to evoke specific qualities for their products.

• Food brands might find opportunities for collaborations with fashion houses.

Implication for society:

• Raises questions about the performative nature of consumption and the complex relationship between food, body image, and status.

• Reflects a blurring of lines between different industries and cultural spheres.

Implications for consumers:

• May find new and unexpected ways to engage with fashion brands.

• Could be influenced by the aestheticization of food in ways that affect their own perceptions and relationships with eating.

Implication for future:

The trend of food and fashion intertwining is likely to continue, potentially evolving further into more integrated collaborations or a deeper examination of the relationship between consumption, body image, and well-being within both industries.

Consumer Trend (name, detailed description):

The Gastronomic Aesthetic: This trend describes the increasing use of food as a visual and symbolic element within fashion and lifestyle, where edible items and food-related imagery are employed for their aesthetic appeal and to convey specific messages or associations with brands and products.

Consumer Sub Trend (name, detailed description):

The Accessible Indulgence Seeker (Luxury): A sub-trend highlighting consumers who engage with luxury brands through more affordable food-related items or experiences as a way to participate in and aspire to a high-end lifestyle.

Big Social Trend (name, detailed description):

The Blurring of Industry Lines: Traditional boundaries between sectors like fashion, food, and beauty are becoming increasingly fluid, with brands exploring cross-industry collaborations and integrated lifestyle offerings.

Worldwide Social Trend (name, detailed description):

The Power of Visual Culture: In a digitally saturated world, visually striking and shareable content, including the aesthetic use of food, holds significant cultural and marketing power.

Social Drive (name, detailed description):

The Desire for Connection and Aspiration: Consumers often seek to connect with brands and aspirational lifestyles through various means, including visual cues and accessible entry points.

Learnings for brands to use in 2025: (bullets, detailed description)

• Food can be a powerful and versatile tool for visual marketing and brand storytelling.

• Collaborations across industries can create unique and engaging consumer experiences.

• Offering accessible entry points allows a broader audience to connect with luxury brands.

• Understanding the cultural significance and emotional associations of food is crucial for effective campaigns.

Strategy Recommendations for brands to follow in 2025: (bullets, detail description)

• Explore creative collaborations with food brands or incorporate food imagery into marketing campaigns.

• Consider offering food-related merchandise or experiences as a way to engage consumers at different price points.

• Utilize social media to showcase visually appealing food elements in brand messaging.

• Be mindful of the potential contradictions between aestheticizing food and promoting certain body image ideals.

Final sentence (key concept) describing main trend from article (which is a summary of all trends specified):

In 2025, "The Edible Chic" trend signifies food's ascendance as a symbolic tool and a means of accessible luxury within the fashion industry, reflecting a complex interplay of consumer desires, brand strategies, and cultural narratives around consumption and aesthetics.

What brands & companies should do in 2025 to benefit from trend and how to do it:

In 2025, fashion and lifestyle brands should strategically explore incorporating food-related elements into their marketing, collaborations, and product offerings to tap into the trend of "The Edible Chic." This can be achieved through visually appealing food imagery in campaigns, partnerships with food brands or influencers, and the creation of more accessible, food-inspired merchandise or experiences that allow a broader range of consumers to engage with the brand's universe and aspirational lifestyle.

Final Note:

• Core Trend: The Aestheticization of Food as a Symbolic Tool and Accessible Luxury Within the Fashion Industry: Food is being used for its visual appeal and as a way for consumers to engage with fashion brands, sometimes at a lower cost.

• Core Strategy: Incorporate food imagery in marketing, explore cross-industry collaborations, and offer accessible food-related items or experiences.

• Core Industry Trend: Increased blending of the fashion and food industries for marketing and brand building.

• Core Consumer Motivation: Engagement with visual culture, aspiration to a lifestyle, seeking affordable luxury, and appreciation for nostalgia and playfulness.

• Final Conclusion: The trend of "The Edible Chic" reveals a fascinating and sometimes contradictory relationship between fashion, food, and consumer culture, offering brands new avenues for engagement while raising questions about consumption and body image.

Core Trend Detailed (The Aestheticization of Food as a Symbolic Tool and Accessible Luxury Within the Fashion Industry):

• Description: This core trend describes the increasing phenomenon where food, both in its raw form and as branded products or culinary experiences, is being strategically utilized by the fashion industry for its visual appeal, symbolic connotations, and as a more approachable point of entry into the world of luxury and aspirational lifestyles. Food items and imagery are being integrated into fashion advertising, runway presentations, and even as physical products, leveraging their inherent qualities to communicate brand values, evoke emotions, and tap into current cultural fascinations with gastronomy. This trend reflects a blurring of traditional industry lines and a creative approach to consumer engagement.

• Key Characteristics of the Trend (summary):

  • Food as Visual Motif: Use of edible items and food-related imagery in fashion campaigns and collections.

  • Symbolic Representation: Food chosen for its ability to evoke specific feelings (e.g., comfort, nostalgia, luxury).

  • Accessible Luxury: Food-related items or experiences offered at a lower price point than traditional fashion goods.

  • Brand Lifestyle Extension: Food is used to build out a broader lifestyle narrative around fashion brands.

  • Cross-Industry Collaborations: Partnerships between fashion brands, food companies, or culinary personalities.

  • Playfulness and Irony: Sometimes involves the use of nostalgic or unexpected food items in a stylish context.

• Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend (summary):

  • Jacquemus using branded sticks of butter and featuring banana prints in clothing.

  • Loewe showcasing accessories resembling fruits and vegetables like asparagus and tomatoes.

  • Saint Laurent opening a sushi restaurant within its store.

  • Hailey Bieber's campaign featuring groceries.

  • Rhode's use of a giant toasted marshmallow in its blush advertisement.

  • Kate Spade collaborating with Heinz, featuring ketchup branding on fashion items.

  • Erewhon collaborating with Balenciaga, with Erewhon grocery bags appearing on the runway.

  • Happier Grocery in New York becoming a destination for the fashion set.

• How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior (summary):

  • Increased Engagement with Fashion on a Sensory Level: Food adds a tangible and emotional dimension to fashion consumption.

  • Seeking More Accessible Ways to Connect with Luxury Brands: Consumers can engage with high-end brands through food-related items or experiences without a significant financial investment.

  • Embracing Playfulness and Nostalgia in Fashion: The use of familiar foods evokes positive memories and a sense of lightheartedness.

  • Growing Interest in the Lifestyle Aspect of Brands: Consumers are drawn to brands that offer a cohesive and appealing lifestyle narrative that includes food.

• Implications Across the Ecosystem (For Brands and CPGs, For Retailers, For Consumers, summary):

  • For Brands and CPGs: Fashion brands can create buzz and broaden their reach through food-related collaborations and imagery. Food brands might find new avenues for promotion and brand association through partnerships with fashion houses.

  • For Retailers: Fashion retailers can offer unique in-store experiences through food partnerships (e.g., cafes, restaurants). Grocery retailers, particularly those with a premium or lifestyle focus, can become destinations for the fashion-conscious consumer.

  • For Consumers: Gain more accessible points of entry into the world of luxury fashion. Experience a more sensory and playful approach to fashion and brand engagement.

• Strategic Forecast: The trend of food and fashion intertwining is likely to continue, with brands becoming increasingly creative in their collaborations and the ways they integrate food into their narratives. This trend may evolve to explore deeper connections between consumption, well-being, and lifestyle.

• Final Thought: The aestheticization of food within the fashion industry reflects a clever strategy for brands to connect with consumers on multiple levels, offering a taste of luxury and lifestyle through something as universal as food, while also adding an element of playfulness and visual interest to the fashion landscape.

Source: https://www.marieclaire.com.au/fashion/fashion-food-trend/