Who would have thought that the fusion of fashion and food could be such a success? This unlikely alliance has shaken the gastronomic and fashion industry in a gourmand trend.
Surprisingly, fast food and casual food have played a major role in the popularity of the movement and have been a source of inspiration for influent designers. From Moschino to Dolce & Gabanna and even iconic high-end houses such as Chanel, notorious designers have been seduced by this food inspired trend. Cronuts (fusion of croissant and donuts) prints, McDonald’s “happy meal” inspired purses, and “lait de coco” milk carton shaped saddles have been in the spotlight illustrating the designers’ creativity and ability to transpose food into fashion.
The combination of fashion and culinary arts has become the key element in many respected designer’s collection, which in turn enhanced the success of the movement. Luxuriant food images successfully conquered the fashion world by wiping out old-fashioned stereotypes and clichés that displayed both industries as diametrically opposed.
However, the alliance between fashion and food is not a new concept, in fact, both industries breed each other. The Fashion Week known to be the industry's most exclusive event reuniting the industry’s crème de la crème, is also a gourmet rendez-vous. If assisting to the Fashion Week is not an easy task, being seated at the eccentric in-vogue tables of this prestigious event is the ultimate journey.
In New York, some gastronomic restaurants propose special Fashion Week soirées where innovative cuisine trends can be tasted. In Paris, the Fashion Week organization launched a more accessible alternative by hosting the “Fast and Food Week”, a revisited haute-couture version of the classical street-food.
Models are equally a fashionable source of culinary inspiration. For instance, the American top model Karlie Kloss launched her cookie line in collaboration with Christina Tosi, founder of Momofuku Milk Bar. Meanwhile fashion magazines are filled with model’s healthy recipes and decoding of gourmet tendencies. However, models are not the only fashion personalities captivated by the food trends, designers such as Jean Tuitou of A.P.C. and Azzedine Alaïa are renown in the fashion bubble for their cooking skills.
Furthermore, brands such as Hermés and Armani conquered the food and beverage industry by opening prestigious cafés in their stores, enhancing the luxury shopping experience into a delicious instant of taste awakening. This concept, settled in the globe’s hottest fashion capitals, has swiftly seduced the brands’ glimmering clientele.