How Affogato Became Fashion’s Favorite Dessert

If you’re the kind of person whose social media feed is full of cakes, tarts, and pastries baked to perfection, you may have noticed a simple, two-ingredient dessert dominating this summer.

Combining two of Italy’s most iconic creations, affogato is made by drowning scoops of vanilla gelato in a shot of strong espresso, creating the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. Although its exact origins are unknown, it is believed to have gained popularity in the 1950s after the industrialization of ice cream production. Quintessentially Italian, the dessert is abundant during summer and can be found on almost any cobblestone street. But outside of the country, affogato is becoming increasingly inescapable—and is now synonymous with the dream of a sun-soaked Italian vacation.

In early May, Emilio Pucci collaborated with photographer Sam Youkilis to launch an Instagram campaign celebrating the brand’s roots in Florence for their resort 2024 collection. As part of the campaign, Youkilis published several photos of iconic Florentine haunts and traditions—but one Instagram carousel particularly resonated with viewers. In a close-up video, Youkilis displays an affogato from Vivoli Cafe, an artisanal ice cream parlor that has sat in the heart of Florence’s historic district since 1932. The carousel goes on to show Youkilis taking spoonfuls of the dessert, emphasizing the creaminess of both the gelato and the espresso. The post has over 170,000 likes and several comments, with one user writing, “I’m calling it. Most copied dish of 2023.”

Unlike the typical presentation of affogato, Vivoli’s technique features gelato scooped carefully into a coffee cup, leaving a small well in the center for the espresso to sit in—and it’s a version of the dish that seems to be taking root elsewhere. In an Instagram post, Gohar World, a brand known for whimsical tableware and buzzy collaborations with artisans and designers, shows four single serve Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream cups arranged neatly on a plate, each middle scooped out with artisanally-made sterling silver teaspoons and filled with espresso.

“We had just received stock of the Bean Teaspoon and Bean Iced Tea Spoon at the Gohar World studio,” explains co-founder Nadia Gohar. “The team usually breaks together for Studio Lunch, and sometimes we follow it up with some ice cream from the bodega. Yukimi from our team suggested affogato because we could all use the mid-day boost. The spoons were the perfect vessel for these personal-size desserts, as the sterling silver coating keeps the ice cream cool.”

In a trend that gained momentum during the pandemic, fashion creators have increasingly taken to TikTok and Instagram to romanticize everyday life, including daily food and recipes among their style-centered content. “Almost wanted to travel to Florence when I saw this affogato, until I realized I could make it at home,” wrote fashion influencer Sophia Molen over a photo of Youkilis’ post in a TikTok video, showing the process of recreating a Vivoli-inspired affogato from her stylish Lisbon flat.

Likewise, brands are realizing the potential of food as a styling prop alongside jewelry and accessories. This past summer, New York City-based designer, Sandy Liang, commissioned multidisciplinary creative firm Centá to style their most recent jewelry and accessories launch, featuring sterling silver earrings and satin scrunchies placed among dried legumes, ribbons of squash, and curvy gourds. In 2017, Dolce Gabbana created a line of pasta in collaboration with Pasta Di Martino, while Prada acquired the legendary Milanese pastry shop Marchesi in 2014 and opened a London branch in 2019. This fashion month alone, there’s been everything from a Burberry takeover of a greasy spoon café in London, to the pick-and-mix fruit bags on offer at The Row. The message seems to be that food is a kind of luxury too—just one that you can enjoy every single day.

The surge of interest in affogato has also led some to develop their own, more innovative riffs on the dessert. Recipe developer and creative director of Studio A La Carte, Diana Yen, recently created her own recipe using matcha instead of traditional espresso: while it mimics the same technique as Vivoli and Gohar World, she explains that it actually yields a better combination of flavors. “The ice cream doesn’t melt so fast doing it that way,” explains Yen, “not only does it look cool, but you’re actually getting a better taste profile because when you pour over a scoop, you’re getting just milkier coffee.” Sharing a smart tip, Yen suggests pre-freezing the ice cream in a dish, cutting out the center with a knife, and adding the hot shot when it’s ready to serve.

Yen admits that her inspiration for creating the matcha affogato was sparked partly by seeing Youkilis’s post. “I saw that every single person I knew was in Italy. They were either having granita or affogato,” says Yen, “so I thought, I’ll try a version myself at home since I can’t go on vacation with everyone.”

Perhaps the reason for affogato’s inescapable presence this summer is its effortlessness, especially when compared to the significant undertaking and expense of an actual Italian summer vacation. “This is spinning into people trying it at home in many different ways. It looks so cool, it’s so chic. Everyone is going to Italy. Anything Italian is always hot, especially during the summer season. It’s a way to escape,” says Yen. Yet even as summer draws to a close, it appears the dessert isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Whether making affogato for a dinner party or simply as an everyday treat, it’s a little taste of sunshine you can take with you anywhere—even as the darker days of winter roll in.