The clothing store with coffee shop craze

Luxury brands are prioritizing pastries over products- the genius branding of the "sweet treat"

Every high end clothing store in lower manhattan has a new branded coffee shop and bakery concept. My friend asked me to meet them at Arcteryx for a latte last week (which also happens to be a winterwear store) so I was anticipating the words “gloves” or “coat” would follow, but we had coffee there and left. We didn’t even try on a beanie.

It all seems to have started with Ralph Lauren’s “Ralph’s Coffee” concept on the UES that opened as a posh extension of the clothing store, (that sadly now has the worst cup of coffee in the city), but has mastered the art of a drink and pastry that feel luxurious and synonymous to the brand. Being seen with that classic logo on the coffee cup, itself, felt more coveted to hold than any Ralph Lauren bag. This brand does food and beverage very well with impossible to reserve Polo Bar restaurant, as well.

Aime Leon Dore seemed to be the next version of this to explode- (more tailored to the below 14th street crowd), where people would literally add their name to a list with- what seemed like a bouncer to get a text an hour later to pick up their frothy coffee and croissant. And not to forget the weird no barista “free coffee shop” on the top floor of Aritzia in Soho??

Lines and craze have calmed down around these places because every place seems to have this concept now~

Clothing stores <> coffee shop integrations I actually like

1. Le Gaz Cafe

Owned by clothing label Fugazi, this is my most visited coffee shop right now. Situated right at the end of Orchard street on Canal with big sunny windows, glossy red interiors, and the best Vietnamese coffee in the city (coming from someone who got back from Vietnam 2 months ago), the clothing sold here is too cool for me anyways so the coffee and baked goods have my full attention. My favorite order is the cà phê muối which is a salted sweet cream cold foam on top of the strongest Vietnamese cold brew you can have. You can do anything in the world you set your mind to for like 30 minutes after drinking this- it’s that caffienated. This cafe is also conveniently located next to Elbow bakery, so the two make a perfect duo.

2. Colbo

Another one of these minimalist, “spinnin records all day” Scandinavian style cafes/clothing concepts with a surprisingly good matcha and baked good selection (I think sourced from small batch local bakers, you know the cool ones on instagram that pop up at places like this).

I also really like their knits and small collection of home decor, so I enjoy stopping by here to shop and sit for a bit. It’s a very relaxing environment which is hard to find with these concepts because there’s usually people waiting for a table staring at you trying to read when you’ll get up.

3. Muji Cafe

Weird sort of robotic image from the menu on their website

Ok this one is more casual, but popular home goods and clothing chain just opened a casual Japanese cafe concept and it’s almost reminding me of eating at IKEA…like it almost doesn’t feel right to order food in the same vicinity as inexpensive yet practical homeware and office supplies but the food is SO good and it becomes a comforting place to un-ironically eat.

The menu looks GOOD…adorned with matcha everything, onigiri, pancake sandwiches, and ‘mini bowls’ of katsu curry. Oh and everything is made by robots.

This Time Out Article summarizes the menu and vibe the best.

4. Sporty and Rich Cafe

I mainly like this store because they have very cool cafe furniture- I’m a sucker for brightly colored seating in odd shapes, and I like how they do smoothies, bone broth, and matcha in addition to coffee. I wish I wasn’t guilty of seeking out the multicolor Erewhon inspired smoothie, but this place does a good job at the fancy smoothie.

They also do have really cute athleisure and activewear, which matches the juice bar vibe. Slightly overpriced, but more interesting selection than Alo.

5. Louis Vuitton Cafe (sue me)

I’m embarrassed to say I actually tried stopping by here alone and the line to even add your name to the list was so long I turned right around and left, but I’ve been so impressed by how the classic LV patterns and designs manifest into EVERY dish here. And people have been saying the food is good??? Another similar opening is the Armani Restaurant.

I’m most intrigued by the desserts, burger buns, and ravioli that are etched with the same monogram as every bag, and this probably is the only tourist trap I’ll attempt visiting again- probably with my mom next time, this seems like a good place to wait in a ridiculously long line with a patient parent visiting that’s just happy to be there.