In 1998, Giorgio Armani opened the Emporio Armani Caffé in Paris, often considered the first fashion brand to break into the F&B industry with this pioneering “fashion cafe” concept. Currently, the brand has over 20 F&B establishments around the world and has developed a reputation for quality and an elevated experience.
At the time, it was considered revolutionary, but since then, many others have followed suite including Tiffany & Co. with their Blue Box Cafe with a menu by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud in New York and London, Prada with its two cafes in London and the newly-opened concept in Singapore, and Louis Vuitton which has more than 20 cafes worldwide plus a recently-opened one at London’s Heathrow Airport. While some brands have favoured pop-ups, such as Dior who host the launch of their summer capsule collection at different hotels, others have transformed their F&B offerings into destinations unto themselves. A good example of this is Ralph Lauren’s Ralph’s Coffee, usually partnered (but not always) with one of their fashion stores, as well as Coach Coffee which is about to open its first outpost in Singapore at Sentosa’s new shopping destination, Weave.
