In 2025, the way to consumers’ hearts may very well be through their stomachs. From Chopova Lowena’s viral mayonnaise It-bag to glazed donut skin, Nara Smith’s “cooked from scratch” Marc Jacobs tote to the Loewe tomato — the fashion and beauty industries have never been hungrier for food.
This is especially true of Gen Z, who’ve been swapping high-ticket purchases for daily $20 Erewhon smoothies and $4 Liquid Death canned water, as they aim to elevate the everyday in a challenging socioeconomic environment.
As the influence of fleeting micro-trends wanes, the focus has shifted from individual products to holistic lifestyles and the cohesive aesthetic a person embodies in real life. As a result, trends are no longer confined to individual categories; instead, aesthetics now cross-pollinate across fashion, homeware, beauty and food. And in 2025, understanding these food trends won’t just be about what’s on the menu — it will be key to unlocking deeper insights into consumer desires.
“Gen Z is craving sensory-based experiences — it’s not just about how something looks, but also how it tastes and feels,” says Sydney Stanback, head of global trends and insights at Pinterest, which features food trends alongside fashion, beauty and homeware in its annual Pinterest Predicts report. Digitally savvy and endlessly curious, Gen Z is diving deeper into trends that older generations may have overlooked, exploring cross-category themes like Charli XCX’s “Brat summer” or “quiet luxury” on Pinterest, TikTok or Instagram, which encompass every facet of a person’s lifestyle, including what they eat.
Consider last year’s ‘tomato girl summer’, a sartorial embodiment of la dolce vita lifestyle. “The Mediterranean appealed not just for the delicious food, but also for the kind of people we would get to be while on vacation there, including the clothes we wear and the way we do our makeup, and even what it might smell like,” says Melanie Bartelme, associate director of food and drink at market research firm Mintel. For Bartelme, these multisensory trends are so important because they offer an “easy way to get us out of our routines and let us daydream without doing anything more than ordering an Aperol spritz, or putting on a striped dress and a hat”.
From ‘functional feasting’ to ‘chaos cakes’ and the rise of food as a third space, Gen Z are consuming these trends — literally and figuratively — and transforming them into a core part of their identity. Brands that position themselves at the heart of this cultural shift are set to win big.
Functional feasting
In an era where weight loss drugs like Ozempic dominate cultural conversations, it seems paradoxical that food has become one of the ultimate luxuries. This shift underscores how our relationship with food has been reshaped entirely — not merely as sustenance, but as a tool for optimisation and selfcare.
“This stems from consumers feeling that the world is out of control,” says Matthew Barry, insight manager for food and beverages at research company Euromonitor. “If the world is becoming more chaotic and you can’t trust the people in charge, what do you do? Focus on what you can control; and don’t just control, but optimise. Maybe you can’t solve the world’s problems, but you can confront them with more energy, a stronger immune system and better sleep habits.”
Functional foods — those enhanced with scientific advancements to offer specific health benefits — are at the forefront of this shift. “Consumers have embraced what we call ‘functional feasting’,” says Seyi Oduwole, food and drinks analyst at strategic foresight agency The Future Laboratory. She adds that the popularity of functional foods is only set to grow. Brands are tapping into the trend for functional foods by enhancing their product lines with ingredients that offer specific health benefits. “We are seeing a growing use of prebiotics for gut health, protein enhancements for metabolic and strength support, and nootropic ingredients for cognitive benefits,” she says.
Supplements are booming, but functional food and drink is also on the rise. A branded Erewhon smoothie has become the epitome of celebrity prestige, encapsulated by Hailey Bieber’s “strawberry glaze skin” smoothie. Packed with collagen, sea moss and hyaluronic acid, the $20 concoction is marketed as giving the skin a plump, dewy glow. On the high street, British food and fashion retailer Marks Spencer just released a smoothie line for 2025, with drinks labelled “Revitalise” or “Brain Food” underlining functional feasting’s mass appeal. “The ultimate status symbol today is not having the nicest car or handbag, but having a ‘biological age’ well below that of your literal one,” adds Euromonitor’s Barry on the phenomenon.
However, Mintel’s Bartelme warns that companies run the risk of isolating consumers by going too overboard on labelling. “A decade ago, everything was labelled as gluten-free, including bottled water. That was silly and unnecessary,” she says. That’s not to say it’s unimportant for consumers to understand what’s in their food. Rather, when companies label products as being suitable for every currently trending eating pattern, they run the risk of turning off consumers who are not interested in them, she says. “There’s a risk that labelling something as suitable for [weight loss drug] GLP-1 could make some consumers wonder if that food is not going to be tasty or feel like ‘diet’ food,” she offers as an example.
Redefining comfort food
Even in the age of Ozempic, food remains an unparalleled source of comfort. While wellness and optimisation dominate conversations, the emotional and sensory role of food in our lives cannot be overlooked.
“As a society, we are tired, anxious, burnt out. One way that we’ve seen consumers assuage some of their life pressure is by relaxing their expectations about what food has to be,” says Bartelme. Snacking throughout the day instead of sticking to rigid meal schedules has become normalised. Pairings that once seemed unconventional — like McDonald’s promoting iced coffee and fries as a snack — are now embraced as indulgences. Similarly, concepts like girl dinner (a TikTok term referring to a casual, unstructured meal made up of snack-like or mismatched foods for dinner) showcase how minimal-effort meals can bring joy and comfort without judgment, she says.
It’s also why we’ve seen a rise of “unserious” food and drink, says Jennifer Creevy, director of food and drink at trend forecaster WGSN. “This reflects a need for irreverence, silliness and fun to counterbalance the anxiety and stress of the polycrisis,” she explains. “For food and drink, this means leaning into comfort, nostalgia and playfulness. Think playful textures, bold colours, unusual formats and experimental fusions designed to let people fully enjoy the moment.”
Desserts and drinks have become another key arena for this kind of experimentation. “One standout trend is ‘chaos cakes’, where perfectionism is thrown out the window,” says Stanback, referring to the decorating of cakes in chaotic, wacky and expressive ways that focus on fun over pristine design. Another, she adds, is ‘surreal soirées’, which revolves around maximalist, creative tablescaping. Pinterest found that searches for “surrealist tablescapes” are up 55 per cent in the last year, as well as the “Salvador Dali aesthetic” (+40 per cent) and “cake bouquet flowers” (+30 per cent), floral arrangements that look like cake.
“Instead of spending money on traditional decorations like flowers, people are opting for edible decor, such as baguette bouquets or strawberry centrepieces that double as part of the meal,” says Stanback. “We’ve also seen collaborations between chefs and fashion brands highlighting this trend by creating experiential events that merge food with fashion,” she adds, referencing Eckhaus Latta’s surprise Spring/Summer 2025 show hosted during an elaborate dinner party.
Creevy points out that the surrealist trend also creates opportunities for fashion brands to deliver much-needed joy through unexpected product collaborations, as well as creative culinary displays at events. “Imagine croissant handbags, sausage roll earrings or pickle shoes. These whimsical designs tap into the same need for levity and delight,” she says. Fashion is already trialling the playbook, with the Chopova Lowena’s Hellman mayonnaise bag, Kate Spade’s Heinz ketchup collection and Kate Barton’s goldfish snack bag each being huge hits last year.
Sober-curious Gen Z are revolutionising the beverage industry
According to research by Mintel, around a third of people aged between 18 and 24 do not drink alcohol at all, while those who do, treat it as a once-in-a-while indulgence. Instead, they are opting for a growing array of non-alcoholic beverages.
“Soda floats are back, and younger generations, particularly Gen Z, are putting a modern twist on this old-school favourite,” says Stanback. This so-called ‘rebel floats’ revival is likely driven by Gen Z’s preference for non-alcoholic options as well as their love for nostalgia, she continues.
Water, too, has evolved from a simple necessity to a premium offering, with the rise of functional waters infused with vitamins, minerals and adaptogens turning hydration into a status symbol. On TikTok, #WaterTok has been tagged in over 128,000 videos of creative water concoctions, dubbed “sexy water” by content creator Kelly Grace Mae.
As a result, according to statistical platform Precedence Research, the electrolyte drinks market is projected to be worth around $59 billion by 2030, growing at 5.9 per cent each year, with cult California water brand Liquid Death introducing the Death Dust electrolyte mix in February in 2024. Celebrated for its “spunky rebrand of water”, with a “murder your thirst” slogan and collaborations with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker among others, Liquid Death was valued at $1.4 billion in 2024, which is double that of 2022.
Hypebeast grocers and status snacks
In any major city at any given time, you’ll find queues snaking around the block for the latest eatery that’s gone viral on TikTok. These culinary hotspots have evolved into cultural status symbols much like streetwear — a plate of food can now hold as much clout as a limited-edition sneaker drop.
Take bakeries such as L’Appartement 4F in New York or Forno in London, which are leveraging the drop-style business model popularised by brands like Supreme to create buzz-worthy offerings that entice customers to line up for hours in the hopes of snagging one of their sought-after pastries. These “hype bakes”, as coined by The Future Laboratory, combine the allure of exclusivity with the communal joy of food.
They’re not the only ones appealing to those seeking sustenance with a side of social cachet. In New York, “hypebeast grocers”, as per food substack Snaxshot, innovative grocery concepts like Pop Up Grocer and Happier Grocery (which is stocked at The Row’s Amagansett outpost on Main Street) are reimagining corner stores and bodegas as destinations for curated, high-quality food items in a bid to become “the local Erewhon”.
“Food lore is a social currency. Niche communities are propelling local products and places to cult status and cultivating food subcultures where the barrier to entry is not finance, but knowledge,” says The Future Laboratory in its latest Food and Drink Futures report.
Luxury fashion is already tapping in. Held in East Hampton, retailer Mytheresa partnered with home and garden brand Flamingo Estate on a ‘Inconvenience Store’ pop-up last July, featuring Flamingo produce such as olive oils, spices and sorbet alongside Mytheresa’s curation of luxury clothes, bags and shoes. “The people that were buying our vegetables, that had Flamingo Estate products in their kitchen and bathroom, had Mytheresa products in their wardrobes,” Flamingo Estate founder Richard Christiansen told Vogue Business on the partnership.
Fermentation fever
Fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, miso and natto have become mainstream must-haves, celebrated for their gut health benefits and artisanal properties, in line with the aforementioned trend of functional feasting.
According to market research and consulting firm CMR, the global fermented food and beverage market was valued at over $566 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 per cent through 2030, reflecting its surging popularity among health-conscious consumers.
The trend’s influence is seeping into fashion as well. For instance, Loewe’s SS24 ‘Natural Fake’ collection featured garments inspired by the imperfect, organic textures reminiscent of fermentation processes, highlighting the aesthetic crossover.
The year of the pickle and the cherry
Pickles and cherries are set to dominate in 2025, not just as flavours but as fully fledged cultural aesthetics.
“The ingredient of the year appears to be pickles, inspiring everything from pickle de gallo to pickle margaritas,” says Pinterest’s Stanback. She references Good Girl Snacks, which has jumped onto the internet’s pickle obsession with its Hot Girl Pickles (a riff on the internet’s ‘hot girl walk’) to viral success.
“What’s fascinating is how this trend goes beyond the flavour itself. Consumers are embracing the green hue associated with pickles as part of their aesthetic, blending bold, adventurous flavours with visual identity,” continues Stanback. The trend has celebrity backing: Bella Hadid’s pickle-infused cocktail aligns perfectly with the emerging pickle-fix craze, while Dua Lipa’s viral concoction of Diet Coke, jalapeños and pickles underscores this appetite for culinary experimentation.
Cherry-coded aesthetics are also on the rise, with searches up for “cherry vibe” (+325 per cent), “cherry bedroom” (+100 per cent), “cherry car” (+270 per cent), “cherry martini” (+80 per cent) and “dark cherry red” (+235 per cent) on Pinterest since this time last year. “Across categories, we’ve identified about 100 search terms that qualify for this trend,” says Stanback.
With these food-adjacent themes, there’s multiple ways for brands to tap in, from events to campaigns to product design. “Food and fashion collaborations thrive on multisensory storytelling that merges taste, touch and visual appeal,” says Riani Kenyon, anthropologist and behavioural analyst at consumer insights agency Canvas8. “This convergence allows brands to deepen emotional engagement by creating memorable and novel experiences.”
Dunkin’ Donuts-themed makeup by Elf, which sold out swiftly, showcases how humour and cultural aesthetics resonate deeply with younger audiences. “Beyond aesthetic synergy, food-inspired fashion appeals to a sense of nostalgia, humour and whimsy that Gen Z finds particularly engaging,” Kenyon adds, highlighting accessories like Oscar Mayer’s bacon-scented shoelaces or Mociun’s radish-inspired jewellery, which were particularly popular last year.
So whether it’s cherry-themed apparel, pickle-green beauty collections, introducing a health-focused supplement line, or even immersive experiential events with surreal, outlandish tablescaping, food trends offer endless potential for brands from all categories to engage consumers in new, imaginative ways.
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