When you think of your all-time favorite foods, you may picture your go-to, hometown restaurant. Or maybe a popular Instagram account with mouthwatering food porn from travel destinations all around the world (shoutout to @newforkcity for constantly adding to my bucket list). No matter what foods you crave on the daily, in the world we live in today, it’s clear that food is more than just a tasty treat. Rather, it’s a lifestyle and means of self-expression in the world of fashion.
Although avocado toast and bowls of every kind may be featured on modern restaurant menus and addictive food videos take up our social media feeds, these aren’t the only ways for our food-obsessed culture to display love for delicious eats. From catchy slogans to aesthetically pleasing graphics, the fashion industry has transformed their role from stylish powerhouse to the ultimate foodie.
1. Graphic Clothing
Okay, but first graphic clothing. This is one of the most common ways to represent your foodie status. Many popular brands take common sayings, relate them to hipster foods, and place them on their merchandise. Junk Food Clothing (aka childhood), Wildfox, Betches, and Shelfies are just a few of the many brands that have successfully taken on this trend.
Is kale your favorite salad base and smoothie addition? Is coffee the only way that you can start your day? Are you an avocado-obsessed, sushi-loving, brunch-finatic? Yes, that’s me. No matter what food is at the top of your list, fashion designers prove that self-expression as a foodie has become a societal norm.
2. Patches
If you want to wear the foods you love, patches are a common way to do this with a more personal touch. Designers suggest that ironing or sticking patches on clothing can allow you to avoid being fully basic, while still following popular styles and modern food trends.
The beauty of these embellishments is that they vary, therefore it’s impossible for even the most unique foodies to be excluded from this fad. Unemployed Denim and Cafe Press are two companies with patches of every kind. Whether you choose to wear one on a jean jacket, bomber, or on your favorite pair of overalls, there’s definitely a patch to represent the cravings that describe you best.
3. Accessory Enhancements
Clothing isn’t the only merchandise that contributes to your overall style. If wearing food on your sleeve isn’t enough, the accessories that you pair with your outfit can also be used to represent your inner foodie. Popular styles include graphic backpacks or patches on bags, as well as printed cases and stickers for technology that you carry around on a daily basis.
Jansport is one of many companies that uses highly realistic food prints to enhance their merchandise, with the bento box bag being at the top of my wishlist. However, if you aren’t ready to go to that extreme just yet, adding to your computer or phone can still get you in the spirit. Society Stitched and Rebubble carry great ideas for embellishments on your laptop or cellphone.
6. Food as Footwear
A true fashion statement can’t be made without the perfect pair of shoes. According to the fashion industry, a true foodie status can’t be declared without the purchase of food-inspired footwear. Although modern cuisine as clothing may be more common, a true food enthusiast is one that takes the trend beyond basic and towards the extreme.
From inspiration to an actual creation, food has taken footwear to a level beyond what designers imagined was even possible. Graphic ice cream cone high heels, Starbucks-inspired sneakers by Nike, and flip-flops made of actual chickpeas are among the many ways shoe companies have made all of your favorite foods available at the tip of your fingers (or, in this case at the tip of your toes).
5. Marketing Strategy
The use of food in the fashion industry goes beyond influencing apparel. As assets to our culture, fine food meets high fashion as a way of promoting luxury brand names in both industries. Many well-known fashion designers collaborate with owners and chefs of the hottest restaurants to draw in fashion and food connoisseurs.
One brand that put this idea to the test is Magnum, an ice cream company that emphasizes indulgences in food as fashion-forward. From their partnership with Christina Siriano who added to the visual aesthetic of the actual bar, to Dolce and Gabanna who put a stylish touch on the packaging, the company was able to use the term fashionable as a description of their newest creation.
Through social media posts next to fashion magazines, chic brands, and stylish trends, Magnum uses a promotional strategy that associates good taste in food with good taste in fashion. Who knew chocolate drizzle could be so glamorous?
6. Food on the Runway
Fashion shows are about more than just the physical makeup of garments. Rather, they’re about the greater meaning behind different features of clothing, along with expression of both the designer and target buyer. Among the newest trends on the catwalk is the representation of culture through clothing. With this type of appeal in mind, designers turn to food.
The terms fashionable, gourmet, and delicious are intertwined and applied to more than just the creations of world-renowned chefs. Food-inspired designs attract a greater variety of consumers, ranging from those who indulge in Chanel to those who prefer a juicy burger.
Jeremy Scott’s McDonald’s-inspired line and Hershey Moschino dress, as well as designs by Dolce and Gabanna, Chanel, and Stella McCartney are proof that clothing can just as delectable as the food that inspired it.
7. Fashion Designers as Restaurant Owners
Essentially, if you are one to keep up with the seasonal trends of high-fashion brands, you most likely eat in style as well. Purchasing your favorite handbag or piece of clothing is no longer the only way to support your favorite designers. In fact, many have taken their expertise beyond the creation of textiles and have branded their name through the restaurant industry.
Ralph Lauren is among the many designer brands that have put their creative minds to the test through food. One of my all-time favorite restaurants is RL in Chicago. However the designer is also known for The Polo Bar in New York, as well as their newest creation of Ralph’s Coffee. With a famous designer’s name on the menu, consumers of both fashion and food are drawn to this modern twist on classic American indulgences.
Whether you’re basic or exotic, prefer sweet or savory, are a meat lover or vegetarian, there’s a way for every foodie to keep up with the trendiest eats and fashionable fads of our time. Food-inspired style has the power to fulfill our most indulgent cravings. And the best part is that the satisfaction is guilt-free. Through clothing, accessories, shoes, and luxury designers, the world of fashion has made a very profound statement: eat your favorite food and wear it too.