Expressions of Culture Via Food & Beverage

Written By: Katherine Plueger

Last year’s much-lauded fashion exhibit at The Museum at FIT explored the pervasive use of food motifs across apparel and accessories,1 and was reported on by everyone from CNN,2 to Forbes,3 to Food & Wine,4 and Delish.5

Last year also saw “Tomato Girl Summer,” TikTok content devoted to a particular sun-kissed aesthetic, frequently involving sundresses, and warm earth tones – especially soft reds.6

Back in 2022, we covered food-branded apparel in our January edition (e.g., Twix Cookies and Crème sneakers).

The above are a handful of ways food is being linked to self-expression, in this case, through fashion.

That made us hungry for more.

We’ve resurrected our interactive gallery for this issue, to bring you six examples of current culture expressing itself through food and beverage, without cooking. Simply click on the tiles below to learn more:

Flash Tattoos
Pizza Jewelry
The Erewhon Haul
Barbaras Rhabarberbar
Food Waste Shoes
Cocktail-Inspired Makeup

We hope this helps you imagine new possibilities for creating a movement behind your brand.

Katherine Plueger

Vice President, Strategy & Insights at JT Mega

Katherine Plueger conducts category, competitive and consumer research to develop the actionable insights that lead to better strategy for our clients.

Katherine Plueger, Vice President, Strategy & Insights

[1] “Food & Fashion,” fitnyc.edu
[2] “The Worlds of Food & Fashion Are Colliding,” CNN, 11/02/23
[3] “Food & Fashion Where Expression and Creativity Converge: Final Day of FIT Exhibition,” Forbes, 11/25/23
[4] “Food-Themed Clothing Is This Year’s Biggest Trend,” F&W, 9/26/23
[5] “Food & Fashion Will Always Be in Style,” Delish, 9/28/22
[6] “Tomato Girl Summer Explained, Plus 3 Foodie-Forward Aesthetic Alternatives,” InStyle, 7/07/23
[7] “Forget the Goodie Bag, Take Home a Tattoo,” Eater, 1/22/24
[8] Kate Spade New York
[9] “To Gen Z, food is the new luxury. What does that mean for fashion?” Vogue Business, 6/01/23
[10] YouTube, 2024
[11] Thousand Fell
[12] “Beverage-inspired eye makeup,” Lemon8, 1/02/24

Image Credits
Flash Tattoos: Eater
Pizza Jewelry: Kate Spade
The Erewhon Haul: YouTube
Barbaras Rhabarberbar: YouTube
Food Waste Shoes: Thousand Fell
Cocktail-Inspired Makeup: Pinterest