What Family Style seems to represent more broadly, after all, is the surprising ways in which the worlds of fashion and food have grown increasingly intertwined. “I remember my first season doing the European shows, and I was like: When do we eat?” Glass says. “Nobody stopped to eat at all!” (And this is without quite getting into the fashion industry’s long and problematic history of worshiping thinness, and the deeper ramifications of that for those who work within it.)
These days, however, you can hardly turn your head without a brand announcing a new gastronomic enterprise. (A Prada pastry shop! A Chanel retro diner! A Burberry greasy spoon café!) Meanwhile, dinners have overtaken parties and store events as the marketing tool du jour, now that brands recognize that a deeper bond is forged when you host something with a sociable and laid-back feel. These days, on any given night in London or New York, there are likely to be half a dozen brand-sponsored dinners at restaurants around the city, packed with editors and influencers looking for a hearty meal (and possibly some industry gossip). “I think because of the pandemic, and the rise of a lot of cross-categorical artists who use food as a means of expressing themselves, fashion has embraced the world of food,” adds Glass. “If you look at how luxury brands are interacting with their clients now, it’s all about things that are intimate and curated, and there’s no better way to foster that feeling than with food.”