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. And 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, there may be no blazer or blouse to show when leaving the store, but there’s at least a giftable item or souvenir cup from the café packed in the very same bag.
Prada Caffè
Home to many of the world’s leading brands, Harrods boasts England’s highest concentration of designer cafés. And if anyone does this well, it’s Prada. Their now-famous cappuccinos come dusted with the Prada logo on top.
Visiting the café is visually transporting; the walls, sofas, and chairs are bathed in the brand’s iconic colour green, and the chequered floor reproduces that of the first Prada boutique’s floor, which opened in 1913 in Milan.
In addition to hot drinks, an extensive Italian wine list is available, and I saw a steady flow of enticing cocktails leaving the bar. Walking along the patisserie cabinets is a dangerous affair – although each option comes with a kilo-calorie guide. Lined with pralines, croissants, gelato, and monoportion desserts, I was unable to choose, so I asked our attendant, Anna, for help. “The pistachio tiramisù is popular, but if you want my advice, it’s the 72 percent dark chocolate cake – you can’t go wrong.” I took her advice and, indeed, I did not go wrong.
Inside dining is also offered alongside the bar and glass cabinets or there’s a mezzanine level. If the weather permits, tables also spill out onto an alfresco courtyard. Modern Italian savoury snacks and lunch options (served until 9pm) are also available. Pale-blue porcelain made in Japan, blown crystal glassware, and silver-plated cutlery complete the experience.
Ralph’s
My first encounter with the designer café scene was on a balmy day in London in July 2024. Andy Murray was playing his final career 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 at a Ralph Lauren store on Bond Street. 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 designer 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 coffee roasters, 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.
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 The Tiffany Blue Box Café at Harrods, the furniture is beautifully provided.
Also open in Dubai, Mexico City, and New York, the café is an ode to the glittering allure of Tiffany’s timeless glamour, where brand devotees can sip and dine among jewels in shiny glass cabinets. The iconic Tiffany blue is pervasive, paired with white details and a silver ceiling.
While you may love the Fifth Avenue bagel or signature crab muffin ,the culinary experience is best enjoyed through ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’ where you choose three courses paired with hot drinks or a glass of bubbly. ‘Afternoon Tea at Tiffany’ is an indulgent affair of drinks, amuse-bouche, savouries, sweets, and scones.
Anya Café
Giving rightful attention to provenance, Anya Café playfully pays homage to being British. Fashion icon and designer extraordinaire, Dame Anya Hindmarch is also a 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-based café on Pont street, Anya’s signature twist is evident throughout in the ubiquitous googly eyes, whimsical messages, and other fun elements. Serving breakfast, coffee, lunch, tea and early evening drinks, you can also take your goodies home in a designer box. This summer, the Ice Cream Project IV is back but booking is essential.
And a little smug smile is deserved: who says you can’t have your (designer) cake and eat it too?
