Somewhere between paparazzi shots of celebrities clutching iced lattes, espresso scented lip glosses, luxury brands opening cafes, and complicated Starbucks orders going viral, a cup of coffee became more than just something to drink; it became something to be seen with.
In today’s fashion economy, a cup of coffee is not merely a caffeinated beverage, it’s a statement. An effortlessly chic accessory that implies you’re busy, with somewhere stylish to be and something important to do.
But like every other icon in fashion, coffee too has its origin story – one brewed slowly over time.
THE CULTURAL EVOLUTION OF COFFEE
Over the decades, coffee has undergone a huge ‘glow-up’ of its own – both the role it played in people’s lives as well as the way in which it’s perceived has evolved significantly. It all began with the ‘first wave’ of coffee culture – the mass-market rise of coffee as a morning beverage. During this time, it was viewed purely through the mundane lens of convenience & utility. Coffee was nothing more than a daily fuel for sleepy, over-worked employees with early morning or late night shifts. The rise of capitalism and 9-5 jobs turned coffee into a necessity, brewed for function rather than a treat. This led to it being mass-produced & mass-consumed in easily accessible and convenient forms like instant coffee.
Then came the second wave, where coffee stepped out of the kitchen and into mainstream culture. The rise of branded cafe chains like Starbucks & Costa Coffee repackaged the idea of coffee into an experience rather than a quick homemade drink. Suddenly, a cafe became a cool place to be seen with friends, and posting selfies with a Starbucks cup with your name on it became a trend. It wasn’t about just drinking coffee anymore, it was about the whole experience, including ordering it – whether you ordered a venti iced caramel macchiato or a classic shot of espresso suddenly said more about your personality than anything else did ; your coffee order was now an extension of your identity. This was when fashion first got acquainted with coffee. Supermodels, editors and fashion icons were seen with branded coffee cups backstage at runway shows, cafe tables became the chic alternative to an office desk and rom-coms featured fashion interns going on chaotically stylish coffee runs. This paved the (run)way for an elevated, luxurious approach to coffee which would soon be brought to life by the third wave.
While the second wave made coffee a lifestyle, the third wave made it a luxury. Much like wine, coffee became an art – defined by origin, tasteful curation and exclusive brewing knowledge. Cafes became artisanal, baristas became connoisseurs and the simple act of brewing a cup of coffee transformed into a luxurious ritual itself.
LUXURY IN A CUP
The little treat economy is a consumer phenomenon fueled by inflation, where sales of small, affordable luxuries like branded lip products rise while greater financial investments like luxury bags decline – simply because big purchases aren’t feasible at the time. Much like how post-economic recession in the early 2000s, a small luxury like a new lipstick stood in for bigger aspirations, it’s no secret that coffee has become the 2020s equivalent of the same.
The fashion industry took notice of the developing intersectionality between coffee, identity & the little treat economy and officially welcomed our favourite caffeinated beverage into the elevated world of luxury fashion. Whether its high-end jewellers like Tiffany & Co. launching ventures like Blue Box Cafe, Louis Vuitton & Prada inaugurating branded eateries of their own or reputed high fashion media publications like Vogue and L’Officiel launching chic cafes all around the globe, it’s become a common sight to see a luxury fashion name venture into the food & beverage scene, especially with cafes.
Celebrities caught on not long after, releasing coffee brands alongside their generic merchandise or releasing lines of coffee inspired products at the very least, like Rhode’s espresso inspired lip treatment or Summer Fridays’ iced coffee lip balm.
Countless celebrities are even choosing to launch coffee brands of their own instead of a beauty brand, like Emma Chamberlain with her infamous Chamberlain Coffee. It’s becoming increasingly evident that celebrity coffee brands are slowly evolving into what celebrity beauty brands used to be.
Meanwhile, beauty brands that aren’t associated with celebrities are catching-up in their own ways. New product launches are often promoted by collaborating with well-known, local cafes and launching pop-up coffee shop events where customers can shop newly released products while sipping on highly instagrammable cups of iced coffee, featuring the signature colours and logo of the beauty brand. Promotional pictures of beauty products are often photographed intentionally placed beside a caffeinated beverage like a glass of iced matcha or of course, coffee and there’s a noticeable increase in the number of newly launched coffee products either infused with, coloured-like, scented or simply inspired by coffee.
AMBITION, BUT MAKE IT CHIC
While we’ve undoubtedly come a long way from the first wave of coffee culture, some things never change ; coffee is still associated with working hard for long hours but now, with a fashion-forward twist. The multilayered way in which coffee is largely perceived today, influenced by all three waves of coffee culture has resulted in it securing its place as an almost universally recognisable symbol for ambition, productivity and often, success. This made it not only the perfect sensory marketing tool for the beauty industry, but also the perfect representation of taste, ambition and drive all packaged in an aesthetic, portable and highly instagrammable symbol – a coffee cup.
In fact, coffee has become so synonymous with refined taste and success that there has been a dramatic rise of coffee-toned palettes featuring colours like latte beige and espresso brown dominating runways, and are featured in campaigns to evoke a sense of elegance, minimalism and an effortlessly ambitious kind of sophistication that’s become so aspirational today.
However, the reign of coffee in the fashion world reaches far beyond just working hours – the espresso martini has officially become the go-to order for the stylishly ambitious at every afterparty…proving just how deep-rooted the influence of coffee on fashion really is, securing its spot as fashion’s favourite drink to be spotted with, right from the boardrooms all the way to the bars.
COFFEE: THE NEW STATUS SYMBOL
What was once no more than a caffeinated beverage to survive Monday mornings, has now evolved into one of the most powerful cultural symbols of our time. Big fashion labels have adopted self-branded coffee as an extension of their brand identity, like a mini-accessory – not very different from their other relatively attainable products like branded phone cases or mini clutches. This is their way of giving people who aren’t willing to make large luxury purchases, an easy, instagrammable and delicious entry pass into their luxury brand consumer family. The high fashion industry has officially transformed a cup of coffee into an accessory most outfits feel incomplete without, not because of the coffee itself, rather because of what it represents. Coffee has officially undergone a makeover, now becoming a sippable luxury served at a cafe table everyone wants a seat at.
