Café’s & Fashion: When Brands Do It Well
Design Ideas and Random Thoughts
Read Time: 1-2 min
Quote I’m pondering:
"People ignore design that ignores people." – Frank Chimero
@Aime Leon Dore
Brands with great Cafe’s
A great example of branding done right—Aimé Leon Dore has a small café inside their Soho, London store. It’s shop-able, draws people in, keeps them returning, and sparks conversation with a low “barrier to brand experience”. It probably even pays for itself as a separate business. My favourite part? Their branded espresso cups—a subtle but strong brand extension. The café itself could be even smaller and still work beautifully in a boutique setting. Imagine your brand doing this for a second.
Another brand doing café-style experiences is Kith, with Kith Treats—an ice cream parlour and treats concept that opens up the brand to a lower price point while maintaining exclusivity. Right now, they’re also doing a smart collaboration with Houseplant (an interiors brand), leveraging brand synergy for awareness. Just change the variables.
Pros:
Creates a destination and increases store foot traffic.
Encourages repeat visits and brand loyalty.
Generates additional revenue beyond product sales.
Highly shareable (social media + word of mouth).
Extends the brand experience beyond fashion.
Cons:
Requires additional operational expertise (food & beverage management).
Not always scalable for small boutique brands.
Can distract from the core retail focus if not executed well.
My Recommends this week:
Check out "The Experience Economy" by B. Joseph Pine & James H. Gilmore—a book on why people don’t just buy products anymore; they buy experiences.
🔗 Find it here
Till next time…
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