How Fashion Brands Are Turning Cafes, Airport Lounges Into New Runways Of Luxury

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Luxury today is no longer confined to what we wear‭. ‬Increasingly‭, ‬it is about how we spend our time‭, ‬where we linger‭, ‬and what we‭ ‬taste‭. ‬Across the world‭, ‬fashion houses are transforming the dining landscape‭, ‬turning cafés‭, ‬restaurants‭, ‬and patisseries into‭ ‬the new catwalks of culture‭.‬

From the white-gloved sophistication of Café Dior in Seoul to the buzzing energy of Prada Caffè at Harrods‭, ‬luxury labels are now offering curated culinary experiences‭, ‬each stamped with the same design precision and aspiration that made them global icons‭.‬

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The world's finest chefs are donning creative director hats‭, ‬and the runway is extending to the dinner table‭. ‬Welcome to the new frontier‭ ‬of luxury‭, ‬where Michelin meets maison‭.‬

From Couture to Culinary

The idea isn't new‭. ‬Ralph Lauren's Polo Bar in New York has long blended fashion and dining‭. ‬But today's renaissance‭, ‬led by brands like Dior‭, ‬Prada and Gucci‭, ‬is on another level entirely‭.‬

Dior's Paris flagship now houses the elegant Monsieur Dior Restaurant‭, ‬where dishes are plated with the same artistry as couture gowns‭. ‬Prada's acquisition of Milan's Pasticceria Marchesi 1824‭ ‬resulted in cafés where mint green interiors and velvet seats create an atmosphere as rich as its espresso‭.‬

Gucci Osteria‭, ‬under Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura‭, ‬offers high fashion on a plate in Florence‭, ‬Beverly Hills‭, ‬Seoul and‭ ‬Tokyo‭. ‬Dishes like Parmigiano foam and gourmet burgers capture the maison's playful spirit‭.‬

Why Fashion Brands Are Dining Out

In a post-pandemic world‭, ‬experiences matter more than possessions‭. ‬Dining offers tactility‭, ‬time‭, ‬memory‭. ‬A handbag may get you‭ ‬likes‭, ‬but a lunch at Tiffany Blue Box Café gives you a story‭.‬

LVMH leads this charge with culinary activations‭. ‬The Tiffany Blue Box Café in New York serves afternoon tea in robin's-egg-blue settings‭, ‬a modern nod to Breakfast at Tiffany's‭. ‬Such experiences extend brand value‭, ‬increase dwell time‭, ‬and attract younger audiences‭. ‬Suddenly‭, ‬a‭ ‬€20‭ ‬signature cake at Milan's Cova Montenapoleone can deliver the same luxury thrill as a‭ ‬€5,000‭ ‬handbag‭.‬

Pop-Up Cafés and Passport Moments

Pop-up cafés are turning fashion weeks and summer destinations into tasting experiences‭. ‬Miu Miu's roving cafés in Paris‭, ‬Shanghai‭, ‬and Amalfi offer playful brand immersion through gingham cushions‭, ‬pastel espresso machines‭, ‬and runway-inspired staff‭.‬

Jacquemus‭, ‬the darling of digital-age minimalism‭, ‬created Café Citron and Oursin in Paris with Caviar Kaspia‭. ‬Every plate evokes‭ ‬the designer's dreamy Provencal world‭.‬

Bulgari extends luxury lifestyle through its hotel restaurants in Milan‭, ‬Dubai‭, ‬Tokyo‭ and London‭, ‬where caviar and fine Italian design blend seamlessly‭.‬

Dubai‭: ‬Where It's All Coming Together

Dubai is an epicentre for this movement‭, ‬blending fashion‭, ‬food‭, ‬and architecture in spectacular ways‭.‬

At Dubai Mall‭, ‬shoppers can now indulge at the Tiffany Café‭, ‬where robin's-egg blue walls‭, ‬jewel-inspired desserts‭, ‬and signature lattes elevate afternoon tea to an event‭.‬

Local retailers are following suit‭. ‬DIFC and Jumeirah concept stores now blend cafés with curated fashion‭, ‬knowing that today's customer values experience as much as the product‭.‬

When Chefs Become Creative Directors

Chefs are now fashion collaborators‭. ‬Massimo Bottura with Gucci‭. ‬Jean Imbert with Dior‭. ‬Alain Ducasse with LVMH‭. ‬And most recently‭, ‬Chef Gaggan Anand's collaboration with Louis Vuitton in Bangkok‭.‬

At Gaggan at Louis Vuitton‭, ‬a 17-course spectacle sees edible monograms and dishes echoing LV's heritage‭. ‬It's molecular gastronomy meets maison luxury‭, ‬performance art disguised as dinner‭. ‬LV's choice of Gaggan‭, ‬a rebel of Indian fine dining‭, ‬signals the brand's embrace of bold‭, ‬immersive experiences‭.‬

Luxury at 30,000‭ ‬Feet‭: ‬Airport Cafés Take Off

Luxury cafés are now landing in airports‭. ‬Louis Vuitton has launched cafés at Doha's Hamad International Airport and London Heathrow‭. ‬At Doha‭, ‬travellers sip single-origin coffee under gold accents‭. ‬At Heathrow‭ ‬Terminal 5‭, ‬LV's café offers branded pastries and cappuccinos‭, ‬turning layovers into luxury moments‭.‬

Airports‭, ‬with their captive‭, ‬high-spending audience‭, ‬are ideal for brands to blend retail with refined respite‭.‬

The Experience Boom

A shift in consumer psychology drives this trend‭. ‬Post-pandemic‭, ‬people crave moments over objects‭. ‬After digital fatigue and isolation‭, ‬they want to be seen‭, ‬felt‭, ‬and fed‭, ‬emotionally‭, ‬sensorially‭, ‬physically‭.‬

Fine dining bookings are booming‭. ‬Lifestyle cafés have waitlists‭. ‬Pop-ups sell out in hours‭. ‬Consumers‭, ‬especially younger luxury buyers‭, ‬are investing in experiences‭. ‬A‭ ‬€200‭ ‬dinner with cultural cachet‭? ‬Far more desirable than another monogrammed accessory‭.‬

Luxury brands have mastered this shift‭. ‬They now offer not just status‭, ‬but story‭, ‬and where better to tell a story than around‭ ‬a table‭?‬

A New Kind of Status

Ultimately‭, ‬this signals a profound shift in luxury consumption‭. ‬It is no longer just about the wardrobe‭. ‬It is about the palate‭, ‬about sensory memory‭.‬

Because the future of luxury isn't just about looking good‭. ‬It's about feeling something‭, ‬and tasting something‭, ‬you'll never forget‭.‬

So yes‭, ‬that espresso might cost‭ ‬€40‭. ‬But in a Dior cup‭, ‬under a chandelier‭, ‬among a couture-clad crowd‭? ‬That's not overpriced‭.‬

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