The restaurants of fashion brands

Luxury fashion brands that look to create a successful dining experience use transportative elements designed to immerse clients into a brand’s aesthetic, using a culinary concept as an opportunity to expand their narrative. Brands must align with clients' expectations and their imaginations, using subtle design elements that dive deeper into storylines, developing characters, places, and values. Narratives that brands tell or that are told about them can be fictitious, embellished, or historical and are often a mix of all three, such is in the case of the Gucci and Tiffany’s restaurants.

TIFFANY'S

Who doesn’t remember the almost visceral scene from Breakfast At Tiffany’s where Holly Golightly, returning from her nightly festivities, stops to eat a croissant in front of a Tiffany’s window, impossibly elegant. Carrying the brand’s signature “Tiffany Blue” throughout the space, with soft velvet chairs, and with touches of silver for which the brand is also famous, the Blue Box Cafe menu weaves together heritage and story, serving for breakfast and lunch a mix of favorite dishes of the original founder as well as an elegant tea service and pastries. The restaurant itself continues a famous but simple storyline simply by existing, granting clients a chance to actually have breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods ph @retailfocus

GUCCI

The Gucci Osteria concepts feature the same balance of light, color, fantasy, and eccentric touches for which the brand is known. The bold colors that lacquer Gucci’s furniture collection and adorn their fabrics, can be seen reflected in the food. The menu, designed by Massimo Bottura, winner of World’s Best Chef, a culinary wizard, and close childhood friend of the CEO Marco Bizzari, hits all the right notes with innovative takes on Italian classics and occasional Wonka-worthy details. The Gucci Osteria in Florence, healmed by Executive Chef Karime Lopez, was just awarded a Michelin Star. 

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura ph @gucciosteria

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura ph @gucciosteria

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura ph @gucciosteria

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura ph @gucciosteria

Design And Heritage

Transforming a visual aesthetic from fashion to interior design is the first task brands have to overcome in expressing their identity in a culinary format. The look and feel of the fabrics and surfaces to the serveware and glassware to how the candlelight reflects at a certain hour is all important. Details make all the difference - a rule that luxury brands are accustomed to and masters of. 

TRUSSARDI

Trussardi is known for its timeless elegance as a heritage brand and also as a house of the Greyhound. In their restaurant space in Milan, mirrors, glass, and soft brown leathers seem to speak to the pedigree, coming together for an austere “old money” regality. The food carries the same simplicity, quality and heritage with seasonal flavors, high quality Italian ingredients, and elegant plating.

ph City Girl Cooks

ph City Girl Cooks

Environment And Mood

Fashion brands are used to capturing moods by exploiting collective moments in history, always with their unique perspective. Like a store, a physical space that is a restaurant environment requires the brand to orchestrate multiple elements of their perspective in a perennial setting. The challenge becomes different however in creating a deeper kind of trust in a more intimate environment where clients feel comfortable to stay a while, engage in conversation, and eat. 

ARMANI

Color palettes are the easiest design element to begin with but a lot more goes into creating an environment to reflect the perennial mood of the brand. Design elements like the lighting, music, and even how the staff is dressed and behaves contributes to the unique mood at Armani for instance. We see hints of minimalism, nostalgia, and modern essential elements that define Armani’s collections. The same sophistication can be seen from their fashion, home, and hotel design can also be seen on the plate, like with this pristine Eggs Benedict from the Emporio Armani Ristorante in Milan. Armani’s Eggs Benedict is exactly what you’d expect, compared to other messy, eccentric, or rustic versions at any other restaurant.

ph Armani

ph Armani

LOUIS VUITTON

A sense of homecoming is almost innate in Louis Vuitton’s LV Cafe in Osaka Japan. Futuristic and warm, the brand channels the past and the present to create a modern space and a menu that reflects their international reputation for luxury and a connection to natural opulance. This can be seen on the global menu that includes delicate opera cake and croque monsieur, and via perhaps one of the most intriguing sections, the selection of expensive waters from which you can choose, maintaining a feeling of exclusivity and privilege in an ever-changing world.

LouisVuitton Cafe Ginza ph @lecafev

LouisVuitton Cafe Ginza ph @lecafev

LouisVuitton Cafe Ginza ph @lecafev

LouisVuitton Cafe Mido-suji ph @lecafev

LouisVuitton Cafe Mido-suji ph @lecafev

LouisVuitton Cafe Mido-suji ph @lecafev

MARCHESI

The pastry shop Pasticceria Marchesi was founded by Gualitiero Marchesi, then purchased by the brand and while the recipes are Marchesi’s, the mood is unmistakably Prada. Bright candy colors and civilized small plates and sandwiches in cases and jars seem to pop out against the brand’s signature green shade that coats the two shops in Milan, from wall to ceiling. Classic sophistication expresses itself around wrapped sandwiches, with tiered plates of small bites, and of course coffee, offered with an extensive list of options for a civilized Milanese coffee. 

ph @marchesi1824

ph @marchesi1824

ph @marchesi1824

Impressionable Taste

Designing the menu for the restaurant of a fashion brand isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Seasonality of the menu, just like a fashion collection is of the utmost importance of course, but xxx like color tone, preparation, ingredients, and even texture have to be taken into consideration. At the center of the menu design however, must reflect the roots of the brand. Customers' palates are an opportunity to humanize the brand heritage, to connect with flavors and specialities that honor a country’s origins but also potentially the traditions of a family or individual.  

VERSACE

An obvious but often underrated design consideration is the actual food served at the brands restaurant. From what courses are offered to how they are prepared, to the cocktails, wine, and even coffee selection, every culinary detail counts. Brands decide what tastes like luxury according to their unique and discerning clients. At Versace, excess, ornate hardware, porcelain and the brand’s addiction to gold extends beyond the Versace designed serveware, glassware, and flatware, like in Dubai at the Versace hotel where you can get a 24k gold flecked cappuccino, finished with a cocoa-sprinkled medusa, flanked by macarons dyed in the brands signature colors of course. 

Palazzo Versace Dubai ph @vanitasdubai

Palazzo Versace Dubai ph @francottejustine

Palazzo Versace Dubai ph @vanitasdubai

Palazzo Versace Dubai ph @vanitasdubai

ALAIA DA ROSA CAFFÈ

During the years, the famed designer Alaia was known for his love of hosting mythical dinner parties serving delicacies to open-minded, humble, and friendly guests who believed in freedom. The legend of his hospitality lives on with a cafe that opened in Paris in October 2021, serving Portuguese specialities honoring the designer's roots and favorite dishes.

Cafe Alaia Da Rosa ph @ubique_urbansecrets

Cafe Alaia Da Rosa ph @darosaparis

Cafe Alaia Da Rosa ph @darosaparis

Cafe Alaia Da Rosa ph @darosaparis

Cafe Alaia Da Rosa ph @darosaparis

Coming home

Stepping into a fashion brand’s restaurant should create a sense of coming home. A sense of belonging and security that is familiar and welcoming. Each brand achieves a feeling of homecoming differently depending on what makes their particular client base feel comfortable. From travelers, to entrepreneurs, to artists, each brand is an expert in making their clients feel special. Regardless of the client's relationship with the brand, validation is the goal, making all diners feel like honored guests of the brand first in hopes of future support. 

RALPH LAUREN

Fans and clients of the Ralph Lauren label will feel an instant sense of homecoming when walking into any Ralph Lauren concept, not because of a logo, but for the rustic and sporty elements that recalls the brand's inimitable American heritage, ready to immerse diners from the moment they walk in the door. Channeling a country club feel with just a touch of the wild west, a whisky, steak, and fries, jazz and cushy Chesterfields give the sense of an exclusive and quiet oasis where loyal clients can escape and get comfortable with a cigar. 

The Polo Bar ph @thepolobar

The Polo Bar ph @thepolobar

The Polo Bar ph @thepolobar

The Polo Bar ph @thepolobar

PEOPLE’S PLACE TOMMY HILFIGER

The preppy and classic 1969 American style for which Tommy Hilfiger is known has evolved into more than a brand, becoming a community that reflects strong values especially important to Gen Z and Millennials. A focus on inclusivity, sustainability and the circular economy is woven into Tommy Hilfiger’s New York style design restaurants making patrons feel they’ve come home to a place they belong. Thoughtful menu items including vegan options and easy to transport foods like bagels and wraps for City kids on the go are part of the experience that the brand has created to make sure that their clients know that all are welcome at People’s Place.

People's Place Milan ph @peoplesplacemilan

People's Place Milan ph @peoplesplacemilan

People's Place Milan ph @peoplesplacemilan