Fruit-patterned dresses, tote bags festooned with fish imagery, shirts with retro ice cream packet patterns and crystal-covered accessories in the shape of crisp bags – the stylish spot where fashion meets food has become busy in recent years.
Maybe it began in 2020 when TikTok spawned a collective yearning for the frothy, pale pink tulle “strawberry dress”, priced at €449.95, from Kosovo-born designer Lirika Matoshi – with a matching Covid-compliant mask available – before fast-fashion dupes came along and dampened its popularity.
Or perhaps it was the summer of sardines, when the oft-maligned tinned fish saw a boost in popularity, thanks largely to American brand Fishwife’s elaborately designed tins. The tins and fish themselves could be found emblazoned acrossviral tote bags from Trader Joe’s ($2.99/€2.62) and Staud’s best-selling beaded bag (€340).
And closer to home, Irish designer Maya Grisham took to the foodie fashion stage with her elaborate, delicate crystal-emblazoned accessories that paid homage to some of Ireland’s most beloved brands, including Jameson, Brennan’s Bread, Barry’s Tea, and Tayto.
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Once the €740 made-to-order Kerrygold bag was seen on the arm of Irish pop sensation CMAT on the Mercury Prize Awards Show red carpet last October, a new level of desirability well beyond the kitchen – whether it be for motifs or merch – was officially unlocked.
And it has kept going. Just this summer, we’ve seen Irish ice cream brand HB collaborating with Irish designer Gan Stró to produce a range of jerseys (€45) inspired by wrappers and drawing on archive designs. You’ll sure get noticed on the dancefloor in the Fat Frog version.
Stephen Heffernan, the man behind witty Irish illustration company Hephee, says the phenomenon is driven by a combination of cultural relevance and authenticity.
“Big brands are always looking at what small brands are doing and trying to tap into what’s culturally relevant,” says Heffernan. “One of the first big food and drink collaborations I did was with Shit London Guinness [Instagram: @shitlondonguinness] when it first launched, and then I started doing more with bigger brands like Guinness and Kerrygold. But my “out of office” T-shirt, which shows three pints, became a bestseller for me, showing that people really wanted to wear that sort of thing.”
Heffernan designed a T-shirt for The Dead Rabbit bar in New York that he says has “become a bit of an icon piece” as it hangs in the bar cofounded by two Belfast men.
“It’s not about me, but it represents them and their story, and I think that’s why brands like themed clothing,” he says.
“I think part of the reason that consumers are so attracted to food and drink in their clothing is because big fashion brands have become so accessible, which makes them not as cool – everyone can get their hands on a great knock-off now, so it makes the idea less exclusive.
“People like to feel that they’re almost part of a secret club and if you’re wearing a T-shirt of your favourite chef or cafe or drink, it’s a nod to being in the know. You can’t carry around a nice dish that you got in a restaurant, but wearing something that shows your love for it kind of explains to other people exactly what you’re into, sort of like a nod to a subculture.”
Heffernan notes that in Ireland and Britain, customers prefer to wear more artistic apparel as opposed to something with a large logo splayed across it – which, he says, is far more preferable to US customers and companies.
Claire Cullen, founder of The Fat Fox cafe in Greystones and drive-through in Delgany, both in Co Wicklow, agrees with Heffernan’s assessment, noting that her own brand’s range of apparel has been continuously successful with her growing customer base.
“We brought in merch within the first couple of weeks of opening our original Camden Row store 10 years ago, and the reason we started was because I wanted to develop a uniform that we’d want to wear outside work,” says Cullen. “Customers started to ask if they could buy them and then our range just became more and more popular. It happened very organically, but it became a range of pieces that started to fit into people’s lifestyles, rather than just displaying our logo.”
With Cullen noting that The Fat Fox’s apparel helps customers connect to the brand and has become “just as much a part of their life as the coffee they buy” from the store, she says that ultimately, merch lines help small businesses to create a community within their customers.
“Now we’re creating merch that’s actually inspired by our customers and we develop everything very intentionally, but now bigger brands are jumping on the merch trend,” says Cullen. “I’m not sure if it will last for them, but for us, it’s really helped the business and I think it will stay that way – we’ve gotten messages from people telling us that they’ve seen our merch all over the world. I think that really shows what it means for our merch and our brand to become a part of someone’s lifestyle.”
Whether it’s down to a desire to not give a brand too much free promo or a grá for better designs, well-crafted gastronomy is not disappearing in fashion. Take a walk around your local Penneys to see the trend in the flesh – see striped pyjama sets with green olives, spicy margarita-focused T-shirts, and matcha-emblazoned crew socks.
“It’s the way any subculture goes; it gets mainstream and then a bit oversaturated,” says Heffernan. “But I think there always will be a place for the authentic styles, like those you see from smaller brands or restaurants, because people ultimately prefer that authenticity, not just a cash-in from big brands.”
