Fashion’s Latest Obsession: The Grocery Store

0:00Hi, it's Mark Bittman from the podcast Food with Mark Bittman and the website The Bittman Project. One of the things that makes Whole Foods Market different is their commitment to quality standards. More than 500-degree insert bands store-wide to give us peace of mind whether we're browsing through the store or shopping online. And it's been this way since 1980. Their selectivity makes your shopping easier. Shop Whole Foods Market in-store or online. Thank you.

0:32This episode is brought to you by Macy's. Boho is back and this time it's glam. Macy's take on the trend is flowy silhouettes and silky fabrics, layered jewellery and warm tones. Think chocolate, camel, rose pink, gold. It's romantic and a little dressed up. For those of us who enjoy a layering moment, it is truly a dream style. And if boho isn't naturally your thing but you want to try it, Macy's has three personal stylists in store will help you curate the whole look. No guesswork required. So head to your local Macy's or Macy's.com to shop Romantic Boho for full.

1:20Hello and welcome to The Debris from the Business of Fashion where each week we delve into our most popular BOF professional stories with the correspondents who created them. I'm senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young. Fashion brands have long used cafes, restaurants, and hospitality to sell a broader lifestyle. Now they are turning to a slightly less expected partner, the gourmet grocery store. From branded smoothies and limited edition tote bags to run clubs and full-scale market takeovers, labels are using destinations such as Air One, Happier Grocery, and Meadow Lane to enter customers' everyday routines.

1:56And the appeal makes sense. These stores combine food, wellness, and community in a highly sensory aspirational space. But as more brands adopt the format, there's a risk that these collaborations become little more than an expensive photo op. This week, I'm joined by BOF marketing correspondent Haley Crawford to discuss why fashion is moving into the grocery aisle and what brands need to do to get it right. Haley, welcome back to The Debrief. Hi, Sina. Thanks so much for having me. So I want to back into the conversation a little bit and go back to the early days, tie-ups between gourmet grocery stores and beauty in particular, maybe fashion to a lesser extent, are not entirely new.

2:37Can you talk to us about the earlier iterations of what laid the foundation for what we see today? Absolutely. So Erewhon, which is one of the big LA gourmet grocers and definitely an early player, absolutely laid the framework for a lot of these partnerships. And they definitely got their start more in the beauty and influencer celebrity realm. So we saw in 2022, they teamed up with the likes of Hailey Bieber on her strawberry glazed smoothie to kind of borrow from some of her popular beauty looks. And they also teamed up with Summer Fridays, which is a beauty label, to create these$20,$22 smoothies that were inspired by either the celebrity or the brand.

3:18So that was kind of an early iteration of it. We also saw brands like British handbag label, Anya Hinmark has been creating handbags or custom grocery totes for the likes of Waitrose and Dalesford for the past several years. So both of these definitely more product oriented, but those absolutely laid the groundwork. And now we've definitely seen an expansion of gourmet grocery as well amidst the wellness boom. So according to BOF State of Fashion 2026, wellness is expected to be a$2.5 trillion business by 2028. And nutrition is obviously a huge part of that, right? So these gourmet grocery stores are really a place where the brands are seeing opportunity now more than ever before.

4:00Air One was definitely the OG, but now there's more and more like heavier grocery. Well, you know, it makes sense to me why Air One and the$22 smoothie is appealing to a beauty brand or to a fashion brand for that matter. And also some of the other labels that you mentioned, Metal Lane, Happier Grocer. I'm very curious as to who saw the opportunity and who first. Obviously, these aren't your value-driven mass market grocery stores. I'm not going to name examples, but I could understand an Air One versus a values-driven dollar store format, family-centric format. These are very, in their own right, a sexier grocery store format.

4:41Who do you think is initiating the conversation here? I know your reporting gets into a little little bit of this, but what did you hear? Yeah, well, I love that you called these gourmet grocers sexy. And I definitely think brands are seeing that sex appeal right now. You know, and as shoppers flock to these stores and are really spending a lot of time in them, right? They're so attractive. They're really beautiful. The produce is displayed like art, you know, it's a really enjoyable place to spend time. And I think brands are getting the memo that they should probably be popping up there too.

5:13And so, you know, one great example is Meadow lane. So they opened in New York under a year ago, last November, and they've had countless brands reach out. They actually didn't even think they would start with the collab model. You know, they kind of didn't want to go down the influencer smoothie route, but they got so much inbound requests that since November last year, they've already had 16 collabs and have turned down countless others. And this is across categories from beauty to high fashion to media. So they've had tons of partnerships. So definitely the brands are, I think, starting to feel hungry, I guess, for lack of a better word, for these kinds of partnerships.

5:48Well, obviously, your focus at BOF is marketing. You are a marketing correspondent. And there are different, I think there are different seasons when marketers want certain or have certain objectives. Right now, according to your reporting, what marketers really want right now is experiential, tangible, and sensory. And that's what these gourmet grocery stores bring. Can you talk a little bit about the appeal of those three things right now? Now, my guess is that because we're in the age of AI, and I've talked about this so many times in the debrief, but also we're just so digitized, like social media, all of the things people want to be in the world again.

6:21They want to feel and touch and see. So is that sort of the idea here? Absolutely. Absolutely. I think in this hyper digital era, the era of AI, AI slop, you know, people just blindly scrolling through so much content. I think brands are really seeking out moments that feel more evocative where they can truly connect and not necessarily do so through a screen. And we saw the early iteration of this last year, a lot of brands were leaning into food in their marketing. And that was still marketing imagery, right? So brands like Lueve, Jacques Mousse were using everything from butter to bananas to bread in their marketing imagery because it was so evocative.

6:58But again, visually, so now brands are taking this marketing approach a step further by really showing up in the spaces is where the food actually lives, where consumers are interacting with it. We all know that scent is most strongly associated with memory. There's something so memorable about being able to connect with something you can smell, taste. The brand can show up in a different form, maybe showing a side of itself through a coffee, through a drink, through a food. So it really does create this more tangible experience for brands. And I think marketers have been looking for a way to do it.

7:32And this just naturally lends itself to that. Absolutely. And so we talked about some of the earlier iterations, and then you mentioned happier grocer landing in New York and securing 16 collaborations, but being pitched so much more. Are there a couple of recent examples of where the fashion crossovers happened and it looked meaningful to you with one of these grocery stores? Absolutely. So most recently, you know, I think with any of these partnerships, it has to give customers something new, right? It has to give them a new experience, something new they can discover, create a fresh routine for them, or give them access to something they couldn't access otherwise.

8:09So, you know, earlier this month or late in August, Meadow Lane specifically partnered with Viore, which is an activewear brand. They were hosting in the Viore store a US Open activation. So it was kind of a moment as US Open tickets have gotten increasingly inaccessible. We've reported on this into the thousands. Brands or consumers are looking for ways that they can access that experience. So Viore, which is naturally tied up in the sports world, hosted this activation. They were giving out vouchers. They were selling tennis ball inspired totes. And they brought Meadow Lane into their shop to have a mini market, a mini matcha pop-up.

8:45And one of the things that they did with Meadow Lane was create a honeydew juice and a honeydew matcha, which is inspired by the very popular honeydew cocktail at the US Open. So, you know, we've seen so many restaurants do this in New York as well. So kind of giving people a taste of that experience on the fashion side. And yeah, I think giving people something new and, you know, again, a tangible experience is the way to go here for sure. The other thing that I think is somewhat funny is like, how much could you do here on the product space, right? Like what could product really look like? Obviously a Viore makes sense to, you know, the US Open, wellness, yoga, lifestyle, buying a smoothie at a grocery store, all of that sort of makes sense.

9:30But how far can the product go? Like, are we just talking on the fashion side in particular, like a tote, a cup, you know, like, can you actually make real fashion product in collaboration with a grocery store? And I'm sure you're going to tell me that's not the point, but I have to ask, like, is there something interesting you can make? Is there an Erwan, you know, raffia tassel skirt that can come out? Like, how far can this go? I don't know what I'm just saying. It's a really interesting question. I think it really needs to be so heavily rooted in, like, what is the brand's world, right? I think, like, we've seen, again, like, it can't just be some trite, like lookalike baseball cap with like a logo on it.

10:15It does need to be something that feels additive and new and that really bring, marries the two brand worlds. And I think, you know, for that reason, it can be tough from a product perspective to get so creative. For instance, I think, as you mentioned, in the active wear space or in the beauty space, for instance, there's so much natural crossover, right? So On, the running brand, recently collaborated with Erewhon and it's a long-term partnership And they had this really cohesive like 360 universe they created with Erewhon that included a running shoe and a little running capsule. And that lends itself so well to this kind of partnership because there's, first of all, a total crossover community between the sporty on runner and someone who might shop at Erewhon.

10:58So they had a campaign, they had the capsule, they had a run club tied to it. And then you can wear your shoe, go to the run club, and then finish the day at Erewhon with a special collab juice that they had, like a recovery juice. So I feel like that kind of lends itself well. And this is less product focused or rather it ties into, it uses the grocer as a marketing vehicle for a product that the fashion brand already had. And I think this is where brands might have more success than trying to like force a raffia skirt that maybe has nothing to do with the brand or the grocer rather, right? And it really has to lend itself well to the universe of the grocery store.

11:40So Dairy Boy, which is a US-based women's wear brand started by influencer Paige Paul, essentially has its whole brand world rooted in this idea of farm-to-table living, natural living, living in the countryside. You know, Paige has built her whole own brand, personal brand, on sort of her life living in Connecticut. She has a farm stand at a local farmer's market. You know, so that whole brand world is already tied up with the world of food, with health, with nutrition. And working with Meadow Lane, they did two things. One time Meadow Lane sort of catered a pop-up that Dairy Boy had in New York.

12:17Another time they basically, Sammy Nussdorf, who's the founder of Meadow Lane and Paige did a video together. And it was kind of a promo video. It was before Meadow Lane actually opened. And Dairy Boy has a really famous sweater with a trout on it. It was like a popular sweater this summer. And Meadow Lane created a trout dip specifically for this sort of sweater launch. And they did a whole TikTok video about it together. So that was a cool promotional angle. And then actually, the third way that they partnered together was that Dairy Boy was already going to be launching a line of sweaters and sweats with little milk bottle imagery on them.

12:54And in anticipation of that launch, they had an ice cream truck together. So they don't necessarily need to make a new product together. it can actually be a promotional vehicle or a marketing vehicle for existing product. In an ideal world, can they though? Have you seen something created where it was a meaningful revenue contribution? And I think, because I think I take your point, awareness vehicle, drive people back to the brand, be where they already are. Is this probably going to stay in the marketing vertical or is there something that can be created in collaboration with the store that actually becomes a part of the profit and loss statement at the end of the year and it's not under the marketing line?

13:33Yeah, I definitely think it can be a revenue driver, right? It depends on what the product is, how substantial an investment it is. But I think at the end of the day, what it's most helpful for is getting people into the funnel, right? If they're not ready to shell out$500 for a handbag, they can definitely or maybe afford a$15 smoothie. Maybe they're willing to invest in a coffee. And yes, that can be something of a revenue driver, but it more so gets them into the funnel and drives that loyalty and brand awareness for when they are down the line, maybe prepared to shell out for more of an investment piece.

14:10We'll be back with more of The Debrief right after this.

14:18This episode is brought to you by Macy's. Boho is back, and this time it's glam. Macy's take on the trend is flowy silhouettes and silky fabrics, layered jewellery and warm tones. Think chocolate, camel, rose pink, gold. It's romantic and a little dressed up. For those of us who enjoy a layering moment, it is truly a dream style. And if boho isn't naturally your thing but you want to try it, Macy's has free personal stylists in store who will help you curate the whole look. No guesswork required. So head to your local Macy's or Macy's.com to shop romantic boho for full.

15:00Hi, it's Mark Bittman from the podcast Food with Mark Bittman and the website The Bittman Project. One of the things that makes Whole Foods Market different is their commitment to quality standards. More than 500 degree insert bands store wide to give us peace of mind whether we're browsing through the store or shopping online. And it's been this way since 1980. Their selectivity makes your shopping easier. Shop Whole Foods Market in-store or online. Thank you.

15:35I had been grappling with this and I was reading the story as just like someone that doesn't own a brand and is not in the marketing function of like, does anybody really need a yogurt with the logo of fill in the blank brand on it but I'm I also figured people make a whole life out of taking pictures of this stuff like there's a whole social media peer pressure of like if everybody goes to air one and gets the hailey beaver smoothie or in this case if it's a brand your branded smoothie or tote bag or whatever that then they post on social media and there's another sort of ripple effect it's a halo that's basically what this comes down to is the halo?

16:15I definitely think like the wellness halo is very real and brands kind of borrowing that from these gourmet stores is absolutely helpful to their brand image. And yeah, of course, and to the first part of your question, if I'm answering this correctly, I do think, you know, I think a lot of this started for, you know, as more of a social media stunt maybe, or something that looked good online, looked good for the gram. But now I do think it's evolving, like with any partnership, like people see through that, right? Like we've seen it with like every brand launching their own cafe, every brand, you know, doing, we saw this in Europe this summer with these beach club takeovers with luxury brands.

16:53Like it does, to your point, all sort of start to look the same. And I think brands need to be wary of that as they, as they tread into the space. So it doesn't just become another, like the hot new thing, the hot new trend that they're jumping on, right? Like the same can be said for any partnership format. So I do think it needs to be something that people can really experience like at the end of the day, it's also yes, like social media is great, is great for driving visibility helps these are very photogenic spaces, of course. But importantly, it needs to be something that people can experience to really drive that loyalty.

17:24And if you're drawing in a new customer, meeting a new customer in these spaces, it needs to be something memorable and not just something that's photo ready, and they forget about, I think it needs to be something that can kind of stand the test of time. And I think it's helpful when it's a longer term partnership too, right? Like we're seeing with On and Erewhon, like we're seeing with Meadow, Lane and Derry Boy. If it's more extended and shows up in different ways and different formats over time too, I think that's cool because it shows off different facets of the brand and isn't just like, oh, here's a coffee.

17:53We're done. Like, oh no, like this is a really deep, meaningful partnership and we can show up in a lot of really exciting ways that might surprise you. You know, when you, as you're talking about this, I almost, beyond the like everyone's doing it, there's no real upside for you. I can't figure out how you can truly get this completely wrong. Like it feels like why not give it a shot? But I know that's not how marketing decisions and budgets are made. So I'm very curious as to ultimately how a brand should judge, you know, whether something is successful, like where should they be looking for the results?

18:26Certainly, you know, social media is interesting and, you know, a like and some comments can mean many different things. Where should they be looking for the signals of success on these kinds of collapse. Absolutely. So look, I think, of course, it's a great way to gain new customers awareness, as we discussed earlier, bring people new people into the funnel early. But I actually think community building is a really important place here, right? Like, as we discussed at the beginning of the conversation, like amidst digital fatigue, it feels like the grocery store is like the last frontier of where people are showing up.

18:59And yes, of course, you can order your groceries online, but either you've forgotten something or, you know, these gourmet grocers are designed to lure people in. They're designed as spaces to make people want to spend time, right? So it's naturally part of their daily routines anyway. It's naturally part of the community and it's naturally a part of a neighborhood, right? So if you can show up in the right way, it's also a really cool way to engage specific areas that you're hoping to connect with. And again, really connect with a community who have shared interests, like runners, for instance, at Erewhon, that local sporty LA community.

19:36And an example of this that I really love was super interesting. So Prada Beauty last spring, or this past spring, had an initiative called the Prada Spring Market. And they activated across regions. And the way they did it was that they essentially worked with local design agencies, local experiential agencies to have markets or grocery shops that feel really local, whether it was a really classic French market, an open air market in China. And in Italy, they partnered up with a Milanese design firm to basically take over an existing market. It was an existing kind of green grocer in the Brera neighborhood during Milan Design Week.

20:17And they basically kept... The green grocer kept selling their regular produce throughout the day, but it was interspersed with Prada blushes, which were newly released, Prada perfumes, their paradox line. And so it was kind of all this like interconnected experience of elements that are all part of our daily life, right? Like I spoke with the CMO of Coach recently who, she puts it so well, but you know, Gen Z consumers especially don't see what they're buying to eat or drink or the music they're listening to or their fashion choices as different. It's all part of the same lifestyle, right? So that was kind of the goal of this Prada immersive experience.

20:54It was all like you need the perfume just as much as you need your food for the day, right? And what was fun was that, you know, the local community shoppers were coming. You know, of course, people were attending the experience. People who were in town for design week were stopping by to buy the perfumes. But, you know, the local Milanese community were also stopping in because they needed to get their groceries for the day. And they were curious. They were like, hey, what's going on here? You know, maybe participating themselves. So it's such a cool way to really naturally engage the local community in a way that doesn't feel forced.

21:27They're there anyway. I really appreciate that you said that you need your Prada perfume as much as you need your fruits and vegetables and food. I can't. I wholeheartedly agree with my whole soul that that is very accurate. I did think of one other thing that sort of like correcting or maybe putting an asterisk to my last question, which is like you can't really do this wrong. I think there's another way that you can. I'm curious as to your thoughts on this. Because everyone's piling into this and it makes sense on its face that if you're in fashion and certain parts of it, like active wear, athletics, if you're in beauty with wellness and obviously some high fashion, if you mix in these sort of gourmet high-end grocery stores, it makes sense to want to pile into that.

22:10Any tips for brands and their marketers specifically of like what you should look for in a gourmet grocer? because imagine you get excited about fill in the blank grocery store because they're so sexy right now to use our earlier word and they're not handling the product or the brand identity in the way that you might want them to they have the tote with your beautiful brand label flung in a corner or just not presented the way you want what are some things that brands should look for their marketers specifically interesting that's a great question i mean i think there obviously needs to be, this is the base of any partnership, but they need to have a very clear identity overlap.

22:46I think, you know, the brands that are partnering with Erewhon in LA know who the Erewhon customer is, right? And they know why they're coming to Erewhon. And I think they also need to think about like, what can these grocers offer to me? What are their capabilities? I know Meadow Lane is tapped a lot because they can create custom products, whether it's, you know, these any du matcha, like they really have this ability to create custom menu items kind of on the fly because they have one location. You know, it's they can be pretty nimble in that way. And so I know a lot of brands have gone to them for these more, much more custom, much more elevated moments.

23:24You know, brands from Chanel to Dior de Gikoshek have tapped them for, you know, custom catering. That's one way. And then for instance, Nanushka, which is a fashion brand with, you know, they have their own cafes in their London and Budapest stores, and they went to Happier Grocery because it has its own cafe setup. And they're already positioned to be able to do a cafe takeover. So they were able to bring their own Ninooshka Cafe concept into the space. It was already set up for it. The design was already there. Their customers are used to going for coffee. So it was like a cool way to do a takeover and tap the local community.

23:58So I think just thinking about what their value add to you is, what they're known for, what their unique capabilities these are. And that just comes back to the question of why partner with them in the first place? What can they bring to you? Absolutely. Excellent. Haley, this was such a fun conversation. I'm both hungry and I also want Prada perfume somehow, like all the things. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you, Shina. Please be sure to check out Haley's marketing coverage on businessoffashion.com. These and other stories are available to BOF professional subscribers only, and you can find the links in the episode notes.

24:36You've been listening to The Debrief, produced and edited by Olivia Davies and Angel Nemov. I'm Sheena Butler-Young. We'll be back next week with a new episode. Thanks so much for joining us and be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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