Forgive me, credit card, for I have sinned. I fear I may have girl math-ed a little too close to the sun. There are few sobering moments quite like a notification from your bank that reads: “You’re spending more than usual on food this month”. The unwarranted ping on my phone arrived with comical timing as I was leaving Dubai Mall with a grocery bag in hand worth Dhs1,000 of healthy food, and the caffeine of an overpriced coffee coursing my veins. I’d just spent half the price of a Coach Tabby bag and had nothing to show for it. But it felt kind of… good.
Welcome to the soft splurge revolution. Luxury spending has fallen into a more humble category, shifting excessive spending from big-ticket items in favour of smaller indulgences like coffee and groceries. Fashion hauls are swapped for expensive smoothies, high-fashion cafes have become happening hangouts, and the only status symbol worth caring for is whether your grocery run earns an IG photo-dump stamp of approval. In the region, the intersection of couture and cuisine is propelling food to the forefront of luxury consumption. After all, it’s only fitting that Dubai’s coffee order is ‘designer’, right?
The secret sauce to status
The pandemic accelerated this trend. During lockdowns, food quickly became our main form of social interaction. When we couldn’t show off new ‘fits, we turned to gourmet meals, experimental cooking, and stylised grocery runs to fill that void. It wasn’t long before we started to see everyday routines as opportunities for luxury consumption. Coffee runs became an event, and, suddenly, everything from smoothies to sandwiches had Instagram potential.
This evolution from material goods to everyday experiences wasn’t entirely unexpected. At its core lies the ‘Lipstick Effect’—a long-observed phenomenon where, in times of economic stress, consumers shift from big-ticket items to smaller, feel-good indulgences. For Gen Z, navigating a world of inflation, high rents, and environmental crises, this has manifested as a move toward everyday luxuries. Whether it’s a fancy coffee, a $25 smoothie, or a designer water bottle, these smaller purchases offer the instant gratification that larger, more expensive items might not. And with 52.5 million views for TikTok’s ‘underconsumption-core,’ it’s clear that this shift isn’t going unnoticed.
Errandcore and the Erewhon effect
Spend some time on your FYP, and you’re likely to stumble across an Erewhon haul or two. The LA-based health food store is a fascinating example of a generational shift in luxury goods. The upscale supermarket chain, made popular by the starlets that frequent it to do their up-scale grocery shopping, has only ten locations, all in Los Angeles County.
If Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner buy some $35 lettuce from Erewhon, then consider me influenced. And then, of course, there are the smoothies. Erewhon famously collaborates with Hollywood’s most happening ‘it’ girls to create a limited edition drink that has girls lining up (and even travelling across the world) to try. But why are they so popular? Aside from its $25 price tag, which is still absurd but within reach for us normies, these smoothies allow the fans of these celebs to get that little bit closer to them, leaning into Erewhon’s aura of exclusivity, and getting a slice of that coveted LA luxury.
The fact that a supermarket could evolve into a status symbol might seem strange, but it speaks to a larger trend in how luxury is being consumed. For Gen Z, the appeal of luxury is no longer defined solely by price or exclusivity. Instead, it’s about experiences—moments that can be captured, shared, and validated online. This is why Instagram and TikTok are flooded with posts about high-end groceries, designer coffees, and wellness routines. The visual appeal of these items is as important as the actual consumption, if not more so. A $25 smoothie might be outrageous to some, but when it’s photographed and shared across social platforms, it becomes a currency of its own.
It was only a matter of time, most would agree, that the Erewhon effect would make its way to Dubai. Both cities are synonymous in their affluent luxuries and wellness-centric residents, and Dubai is certainly no stranger to exclusivity. And whether you like it or not, Erewhon dupes are already popping up across Dubai in heavy doses.
In the defence of the overpriced coffee
But the soft splurge mentality extends beyond the aisles of a supermarket. Luxury seems to manifest itself in Dubai’s thriving branded cafe culture. Although brands have utilised food spaces worldwide, Dubai has embraced the high-fashion cafe like no other city. Iconic names in high-fashion have famously diversified into food and produce at Dubai Mall, to fold more people into their brand community without having to compromise on their clothing prices. A Gold Cappuccino at the Armani Caffé will set you back a hefty Dhs95, but it is much more affordable compared to anything they sell at their store. Luxury cafes offer exciting access points for engaging with luxury, catering not only to the city’s affluent and stylish clientele but to a generation operating very much under the realms of the Lipstick Effect.
@karissaeats $9 for a slider 😭 #foodie#fyp#losangeles ♬ Cute pop comical songs – Shintaro Aoki
“We can see a trend of the younger generations increasing their engagement with high fashion cafés”, says Nazli Sonmez, Chief Brand Officer Rikas Hospitality Group representing Dubai’s Tiffany’s Blue Box Café. “Nowadays, through social media, they are more interested, aware, and exposed to luxury. The combination of social experiences, aesthetic appeal, and the desire to be part of the luxury lifestyle narrative makes high fashion cafes particularly attractive to younger audiences”.
For many, this shift towards food and café culture as a new form of luxury is not only more accessible but also more rewarding. A $95 cappuccino or a spenny smoothie may still seem extravagant, but they offer something that a handbag or pair of shoes cannot—a shareable, consumable experience that fits neatly into the growing trend of aspirational lifestyle content – enter the ‘errand-core’ aesthetic.
In late 2023 we witnessed Kim Kardashian arriving at the Balenciaga Fall 2024 show carrying a paper bag from LA-based health food store Erewhon, with models parading down the runway holding takeaway coffees. Around the same time, Bottega Veneta ran a campaign featuring A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner running errands with paper bags and newspapers. This mix of high-fashion and everyday tasks taps into a generational desire to elevate even the most routine moments into something worth sharing.
As grocery shopping becomes an increasingly important part of the luxury equation, the lines between food and fashion are likely to blur even further. According to a 2024 report from McKinsey & Company, groceries are becoming a top spending priority for younger generations, noting that some even take out second jobs to afford their daily food splurges at expensive supermarkets. The luxury coating of food has truly seeped into the cultural zeitgeist of our generation. More concerningly, perhaps, evolving grocery shopping into a privilege in its own right.
As social media continues to blur the lines between the exclusive and the every day, a post of an expensive coffee might actually warrant more clout and validation than a snap of a new season designer bag. The camera does, after all, eat first.
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