Truth Is...
Fashion Wants to Feed You, But It's Still Starving.
One moment, a perfectly fit girl may feel like she needs to skip dessert to fit into a dress. The next, fashion is spoon-feeding us imagery soaked in butter, draped in pasta, dressed in tomatoes. And not just metaphorically, literally.
A viral tweet last year showed a tomato so perfectly ridged it looked like a Loewe design. Coincidence? Maybe. But fashion doesn’t really do “coincidence,” does it? Soon after, Loewe launched their now-cult-favorite tomato clutch bag, followed by an actual Loewe hot air balloon in the shape of a tomato.
And it wasn’t just Loewe.
Jacquemus uses food as a mood. A brand rooted in Southern French charm, Jacquemus has turned food into a luxury accessory of its own. Edible invitations delivered with warm baguettes, branded butter bricks, cookies in signature pink, popcorn in pastel boxes…even their campaigns feel like lazy lunches in Provence; sun-drenched fruit, sweating glasses of lemonade, linens draped over sticky desserts.
This isn’t just marketing. Brands are transporting us. You’re not just buying a bag, you’re buying the fantasy of a life so indulgent, so carefree, that even the butter is designer.
Moschino, never one to shy away from maximalism, revisited its famous fried egg brooches. Other brands are staging shoots in greasy diners or dreamy cafes. Couture and carbs. Garnishes and gowns.
So I asked myself:
Why food? Why now?
Food and fashion are both universal. They both communicate without saying a word. They’re rituals, forms of identity, expressions of culture and desire. They’re also deeply emotional.
Fashion isn’t just playing with food for fun, it’s trying to tap into something deeper, our senses.
Food is visual, yes, but also tactile, visceral, nostalgic. It connects us. Fashion knows that. And in an age where attention is currency, food is instant intimacy. I mean, I can’t blame them. It’s relatable, shareable, and brilliant marketing.
You can ignore a logo. But who could forget a perfectly baked lemon tart, styled on sun-warmed, branded Jacquemus linen…it’s buttery crust barely holding in the glossy citrus curd, the perfect amount of whipped cream slipping gently to the side, like it was placed there just for the photo, just for the fantasy. See how I painted that picture for you? What are you feeling?
We don’t just want to see fashion anymore. We want to feel it. And fashion, ever the shapeshifter, is finding new ways to seduce us, through food, familiarity, and fantasy.
Yes, fashion can be intimidating, aspirational, otherworldly. But it can also be soft. Playful. Nostalgic. And let’s not ignore that this rise in food imagery coincides with the explosion of foodie culture in cities like New York, Tokyo, Paris, where meals are curated as playfully and carefully as wardrobes. We’re curating meals like we do outfits. We dress to brunch. We post pasta pics like we do street style. We photograph our plates like we do our shoes.
So maybe this isn’t fashion trying to be ironic. Maybe it’s fashion trying to feel again.
Trying to say: “Come in. You’re invited. You already understand this.”
After years of distance, uncertainty, and digital detachment, maybe fashion is leaning more into food because food is the one thing that never lost its flavor.
Maybe this isn’t about appetite at all. Maybe it’s about connection.
But one thing’s for sure…it’s good marketing.
Until next time...
Truth Is is a monthly column by Carella.
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