* This article first appeared here in YourLuxury Africa
Take a stroll around Harrods today, and you won’t only see hands eagerly clutching dark green bags but also nursing takeaway Prada coffee cups. These signs illustrate fashion’s growing new frontier of hospitality. While the rise of designer cafés could be interpreted as promoting the ‘brag factor’ or Instagram virality, something deeper is brewing beneath the surface.
This shift from products to experience provides new accessibility to the brand, as surely sipping Prada becomes as powerful as wearing it. But would customers really spend over double the price to sip in style? Even with the Rand taking one of its 25-to-the-pound dives, I did, and here’s why.
Allowing people to indulge in a slice (or cup) offers a brand-immersive experience and a soft entry point into luxury. These cafés also draw foot traffic back into physical retail spaces, helping to foster an alignment with aspirational brands. In this democratisation of luxury, while leaving the store, there may be no blazer or blouse to show, but a giftable item or souvenir cup from the café packed in the very same bag.
Ralph’s
My first encounter with the designer café scene was on a balmy day in London, July 2024. Andrew Murray was playing his final match, and strawberries and cream were being passed left and right during the gasps and cheers. What was unique to me was that we were not sitting at Wimbledon but rather at a Ralph Lauren store. At the entrance of the store known for its vintage American luxury apparel, there’s a café adorned in Ralph Lauren finery, serving cultured cappuccinos and luxury lattes.
Ralph Lauren was the first to globally marry hot coffee with haute couture. In 2014, the first-ever coffee shop opened in New York City. With its famed Fifth Avenue location in a charming historic building, the future was forged. Today, Ralph’s has expanded to a collection of cafés, coffee trucks, kiosks, and trikes. The coffee? For two decades, Ralph’s Coffee Blends have been sourced from Central America, South America, and Africa, roasted and packaged by the Philadelphia-based La Colombe. Intrigued to see how other brand experiences would translate into the in-person atmosphere, I continued to sip my way through the capital’s ritzy cafés.
Prada Caffè
Home to many of the world’s leading brands, Harrods boasts England’s highest concentration of designer cafés. Not only do visitors return home with a green bag, but also a photo of the branded coffee – and if anyone does this well, it’s Prada. Their now-famous cappuccinos come dusted with the Prada logo on top, ready to be sipped and photographed.
Visiting the café is visually transporting; the walls, sofas, and chairs are bathed in the brand’s iconic green colour, and the chequered floor reproduces that of the first Prada boutique’s floor (1913 in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan). In addition to hot drinks, an extensive Italian wine list is available, and I witnessed a steady flow of enticing cocktails leaving the bar. Walking along the patisserie cabinets is a dangerously tempting affair, featuring pralines, croissants, gelato, and monoportions (the classic, elegantly presented portions of desserts). Unable to choose, I asked our attendant, Anna, for help. “The pistachio tiramisù is popular, but if you want my advice, it’s the 72% dark chocolate cake – you can’t go wrong.” I took her advice and did not go wrong.
Inside dining is offered alongside the bar and glass cabinets filled with treats, or on a mezzanine level. If the weather permits, tables also spill out onto an alfresco courtyard. A modern Italian selection of savoury snacks and lunch options is available. Pale-blue porcelain made in Japan, blown crystal glassware, and silver-plated cutlery complete the experience.
Tiffany’s
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is now a reality, one that would please Hepburn’s character in the eponymous 60s classic: “If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then – then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!” Except, in the case of Harrods, the furniture is beautifully provided.
The café is an ode to the glittering allure of Tiffany’s timeless glamour, where brand devotees can sip and dine among the jewels showcased in shiny glass cabinets. The iconic robin egg blue colour is pervasive, paired with white details and a silver ceiling for a sophisticated finish.The culinary experience is best enjoyed through the comprehensive breakfast: three courses paired with hot drinks or Champagne. This is followed by Afternoon Tea at Tiffany’s – an indulgent affair of drinks, amuse-bouche, savouries, sweets, and scones.
Anya Café
Lastly, giving rightful attention to provenance, Anya Café playfully pays homage to being British. Fashion icon and design extraordinaire Dame Anya Hindmarch holds current revered roles of trustee of the Tate, trustee of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and an Emeritus trustee of both the Royal Academy of Arts and the Design Museum.
In the Chelsea café, Anya’s signature playful twist is evident throughout: the ubiquitous googly eyes, whimsical messages, and other fun elements. And if you want to elevate the posh experience, book for Anya’s Spring Afternoon Tea. If you can’t finish, don’t stress; your goodies will find a home in the trademark takeaway boxes. And a little smug smile is deserved: who says you can’t have your (designer) cake and eat it too?
