Luxury brands are taking over our meals (and they don’t stop there!)

Alina Aliman| July 24, 2025

Louis Vuitton ice-cream. Longchamp croissants and pain au chocolat. Prada cafes. A Gucci food van. A Ralph Lauren dedicated lunch. And some taste delicious Lacoste sandwiches. If I add to that Marine Serre ceramics, an escape room put together at Hermès and a beautiful Porsche car accessorized by Ferragamo, a Vespa customized by Jaquemus, Pucci, Chanel or Prada (plus some beaches – from Monte Carlo to Sicily and Saint Tropez covered with Dolce & Gabbana, Bvlgari, Gucci and Fendi) I only can say that luxury brands are trying to tease their customers more than ever.

Let’s get a luxury lunch!

“Food is very sensory, it’s evocative. It delivers something that feels tangible and real in the context of everything feeling synthetic and overdone”, says Karen Fielding, Chief Startegy Officer at Business of Fashion about this rising trend. Therefore, a lot of iconic brands took the food world by storm and opened up some new restaurants, cafes and pop-up ice-cream carts.

* The Polo Bar, Ralph Lauren’s restaurant in New York City, has opened in January 2015, adjacent to Ralph Lauren’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue. The Prada Cafe in Milan is actually Pasticceria Marchesi 1824, a historic pastry shop acquired by Prada in 2014 and the Prada Caffè opened in Harrods, in 2023. The Tiffany Blue Box Café has opened in New York a couple of years ago, while Gucci Osteria, Dior Café or Armani Ristorante are already some marks in the food & luxury industry.

After three years of restoration, Louis Vuitton has reopened its iconic flagship on Via Montenapoleone -and it’s more than a store. Designed by renowned architect Peter Marino, the space blends Milanese heritage with LV’s timeless elegance. Housed inside the historic Palazzo Taverna, the revamped boutique features neoclassical architecture, sun-drenched courtyards, contemporary art, and luxury craftsmanship sourced from local artisans. The space now hosts a new cultural and culinary destination: Da Vittorio Café and DaV restaurant, both created in collaboration with the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio.

Features punk-inspired design and offers a distinctive dining experience, Vivienne Westwood has two cafés globally, in Hong Kong and Shanghai. A collaboration between Chanel and chef Alain Ducass Beige offers refined French cuisine in a chic atmospher embodying Chanel’s luxury branding. It is located in Tokyo’s Chanel Ginza Building in Beige by Chanel. Even Lacoste took a swing at the culinary world with the pre-launch of Le Café Lacoste: an immersive pop-up experience at Le Meridien Monte Carlo. Expect all-day French dining, elegant desserts with a tennis twist, and cocktails inspired by René Lacoste’s favourites.

* But, this year, things went a little bit more… casual. To the streets, for all customers, not so stiff, not so posh – coffees and ice-creams and croissants from Prada, Valentino, Saint Laurent, Laneige, Louis Vuitton (Forte dei Marni), Longchamp (in Bangkok) and more… Coach launched a “Coach on Wheels” truck, offering limited-edition accessories and complimentary snacks in major cities. Jacquemus created a “Le Chiquito” bag vending truck, giving away mini pastries and branded treats alongside its iconic micro bags.

* Fendi stayed true to their italian roots once and sent pasta as an invitation to one of its shows, Jaquemus sent a slice of bread plus butter, while Burberry recently partnered with @normanscafelondon, a cult British café in London known for its nostalgic take on British classics.

(READ here, on the platform, about the coolest fashion restaurants)

Accessories and (mental) games

Of course we needed some cool plates to go with the sweets. Of course there are some luxury lines (as Gucci, Vuitton or Prada, even Hermès) of home decorations. But even fashion brands by excellence (as Marine Serre) sets the table, literally. The designer known for her moon-marked fashion makes her first foray into homeware with Marine Serre Maison, in collaboration with French ceramic institution @gienfrance. Think crescent-branded dessert plates, mugs, and coffee cups made with centuries-old savoir-faire from the Loire Valley.

* But maybe we needed a relaxation moment. Reflecting on the power of the written word. Miu Miu Summer Reads transforms iconic green spaces across Beijing, Hong Kong, Milan, Osaka, and Paris into vibrant places for reading and reflection. Each city offers a uniquely immersive space, distinguished by its own colour and ex-libris symbol. At the heart of the project was a curated selection of works by two visionary women writers; guests were gifted copies of Simone de Beauvoir “The Inseparables” and Fumiko Enchi “The Waiting Years”.

* Plus: Hermès put all the creative and witty minds to work with an escape room. The Hermès escape game “The Keys to la Maison” invites visitors to explore a room fully furnished and decorated by Hermès Maison, in order to solve the riddle posed by Le Philosophe: “Where has the last piece of the Samarcande puzzle gone?” China and the Middle East were the first regions to host the activation, starting with Shanghai and Dubai, marking the beginning of its itinerant journey. Belgium and Singapore soon followed, offering their visitors this unique and poetic experience.

(READ here about the most fashionable beaches)

Toys for (fashionable) grown-ups

Prada, Chanel, Jaquemus, Miu Miu and others have collaborate with La Vespa brand to create some cool scooters (and some accessories as sunglasses or hats to go with them). While, to mark 40 years of passion and style, Porsche Italia and Maison Ferragamo have presented a special Market Edition. This exclusive collaboration gives life to two unique interpretations of the Taycan 4S and the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, an expression of shared values, craftsmanship, and an enduring dedication to beauty and detail.