Online, food is in fashion. Known for romanticising everyday life, Gen Z creators on social media are swapping the luxury bags and Zara separates in their hauls and unboxing videos, for smoothies and sandwiches — and audiences are eating it up.

During the pandemic, Gen Zs began romanticising their daily lives, placing added value on simple pleasures like going for a walk, making a meal or grabbing a takeaway coffee and turning it into content. And food trends entered the mainstream, from dalgona coffee to banana bread. Coming out of the pandemic and into a recession, food has remained a status symbol for some price-sensitive Gen Zs, much like a luxury item or piece of music merch, experts agree.

In response, fashion and beauty brands are seeing the value in aligning with food institutions or using popular foods at events or in campaigns to build brand equity online.

Fashion resale marketplace Depop founder Simon Beckerman identified similarities with how young audiences consume food and fashion today. In response, after Depop sold to Etsy in 2021, he launched new venture Delli last year: a food marketplace where independent food producers can sell their items, from small-batch UNTO olive oil from Tuscany (£11), to a litre of coconut kefir from Kefir Magic (£15) or smoked honey from Dr Sting (£16.99). The exclusivity associated with artisan food also contributes to its appeal as a luxury. Limited production runs, seasonal offerings and collaborations create a sense of exclusivity and desirability among young consumers. Delli embraces the ‘drop’ mechanic that’s popular in streetwear and luxury fashion houses, which has helped drive hype for the brands on the app, he adds.

Jewellery brand Mejuri’s recent TikTok campaign leaned into the “food as a luxury” trend after the brand noticed a surge in food-focused lifestyle content. “Want a treat?” the ad reads before showing pictures of picture-perfect ice creams and slices of cake. The hands holding the food are, naturally, covered in Mejuri rings, but the alignment with food felt right for the TikTok audience, says chief creative officer Justine Lançon.

Delli is also seeing an appetite for IRL food events from its young customers, which could be another touchpoint for fashion collaborators. The marketplace held a supper club series in London, open to Delli customers, with its sellers hosting takeovers in a temporary space and cooking full meals based on their products, including a Lamiri Harissa supper club in Brixton and a porchetta supper club from butcher Madame Pigg’s Adam Hardiman.

Ultimately, the goal is to create with Delli what he did with Depop, with the same ethos from fashion to food. “Thanks to Depop or thanks to Deli in this case, we can amplify independent sellers, make this community wider and wider and allow as many people as possible all across the world to be able to access these products and have fun eating them, have fun buying them, have fun in learning the stories behind them.”