“I’m not there to decorate an event. I’m there to shape what it means and how it feels,” says Idan Gilony, a Berlin-based entrepreneur and leading figure in conceptual, high fashion dining. “I describe myself as a creative director and curator.”
Gilony has just finished working on an event for Jimmy Choo, ideating and arranging a dessert table inspired by the current collection for the brand’s Zurich store re-opening. Esteemed for his tablescapes, painstakingly designed canapés and Yves Klein-blue cocktails, the self-starter is not a chef; Gilony originally worked in fashion design, before going all in on dining creative in 2024 after trialing his own immersive take on dinner parties. Brands quickly responded, coming to him to communicate a theme or a collection through spatial design and avant-garde tablescapes.
Gilony is one of many polymaths broaching a growing market for luxury dining experiences aimed at a culturally cacheted, fashion-loving clientele. His peers include cross-disciplinary chef Imogen Kwok; Substacker-cum-cook Jago Rackham; and Nil Mutluer (aka Healgoblin), a self-described “culinary artist” who frequently translates briefs from labels such as Miu Miu, Penhaligon’s, and Nike into finely tuned, food-based experiences.
Streetwear brand Aries launched a permanent in-store bakery with Jolene, enhancing retail experience and brand engagement.
Photo: Courtesy of Aries
More broadly, fashion brands are turning to dining hotspots to attract style-conscious gourmands. During men’s fashion month, JW Anderson celebrated its Diadora collaboration at Bar Basso, the historic Milanese aperitivo joint renowned for its negroni sbagliato, while Supreme took over Paris’s legendary Café La Perle with a collaged mural and team dinner a month prior. Earlier, streetwear brand Aries collaborated with East London bakery and natural wine purveyor, Jolene, for a capsule collection and permanent in-store bakery, opened at its Soho flagship in April. In February, Ami Paris collaborated with New York’s revered French bistro, Balthazar, for a one-month takeover complete with Ami-logoed loaves and menus.
It’s a temporary, more indie answer to established luxury eateries like Tiffany’s Blue Box Café and Le Café Louis Vuitton. “Dining is becoming an increasingly important tool for engaging top-tier clients. Exclusive dinners, chef-led events and destination dining experiences help luxury brands build deeper loyalty and stronger relationships with VICs, fashion guests and brand communities,” says Fflur Roberts, head of luxury at Euromonitor International, citing Mytheresa’s use of intimate and exclusive dining as part of its clientelling strategy.
Per Euromonitor’s data, global experiential luxury grew 10% in the past year, driven by strong performance in luxury food service (+9%). The market research company forecasts a 23% expansion over the next five years, with luxury food service increasing by 37% in the same period. For comparison, personal luxury goods grew just 5% last year, highlighting experiences — such as fashion-adjacent dining — in driving value creation and consumer engagement in the luxury sector.
