‘Condiment couture’ is saucy new trend that merges fast food with high fashion
Ketchup is now a haute sauce.
In the latest collaboration between food and fashion, Kate Spade and Heinz have created a capsule collection celebrating “condiment couture.”
While the saucy collection might seem random, the companies claim it’s a “natural fit” that embraces the best parts of both brands.
Kate Spade is unmistakably known for its colorful and bubbly styles, and fans can now relish in the accessories featuring Heinz’s signature branding and classic red color.
The delicious collab — which officially dropped in select stores and online at katespade.com Jul. 1 — features totes, purses, clothing, footwear, keychains and phone cases, solidifying the condiment’s red as the color of the summer.
The flavorful collection is just the latest that has been squeezed out of the food-meets-flavor trend, with designer Rachel Antonoff’s Pasta Puffer recently hitting headlines.
Antonoff even has an entire “Edibles” collection, complete with pasta prints, coffee sweaters and Aperol spritz dresses.
In recent years, fashionistas have been donning food-inspired accessories, such as watermelon purses or shrimp cocktail earrings, as a way to express themselves, since the specific food one chooses to wear is more representative of a person’s personality than stripes or dots.
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology even hosted a “Food & Fashion” show last fall featuring some of the biggest names in couture.
In fact, Heinz’s biggest competitor, Hunt’s, released its own collection last summer in collaboration with Lisa Says Gah to hop on the “tomato girl summer” trend.
Meanwhile, Heinz and Kate Spade shared that the collection is inspired by the “generations of loyal fans with their kitchen and closet staples.”
“With this new line of ‘condiment couture,’ we’re excited to partner with the iconic Kate Spade New York brand to pay homage to the beloved Heinz brand,” Megan Lang, Head of Global Heinz Communications and Creativity, said in a statement.
“Kate Spade New York shares many values with Heinz – from creating products of the highest quality that are expertly crafted by masters and leave no detail untouched, to exhibiting true devotion to our fans. In return, both brands have incredibly loyal fanbases that transcend generations. At Heinz, we love to celebrate the unique and unconventional ways our fans show their love for us, and this collection is the perfect opportunity to do so.”
The limited-edition collection ranges in price from $45 to $398 and was launched under Heinz’s global creative strategy, “Irrational Love” for both ketchup lovers and fashion connoisseurs.
“At Kate Spade New York, we believe in exploring the journey of self-expression through style in fun, unexpected ways,” Jennifer Lyu, SVP and Head of Design at Kate Spade said.
