The brand cafe comes of age

Brands are increasingly offering us places to physically hang around, and STAEDTLER’s cafe is a fine example of the genre.

The rise of the brand café is physical proof that companies are eager to become destinations.

The latest example comes from Staedtler's ‘Home of the Pencil’, created by experiential agency Hyperactive London.

Located on Monmouth Street in Covent Garden, the pop-up celebrates 125 years of the iconic Noris pencil through workshops, artist collaborations, live portrait sessions and hands-on creative experiences. Oh, and Mylene Klass helped bring a bit of star power to the proceedings.

Louis Vuitton Café Maxime Frédéric

In an age when consumers are chronically online, cafes and pop-up experiences are a powerful (and pretty called for) remedy.

Located above Louis Vuitton's LV Dream exhibition space in Paris, the café was created in partnership with celebrated pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, who was named Gault & Millau's Pastry Chef of the Year.

The café sits inside a lush, tropical-inspired environment overlooking the Seine and incorporates Louis Vuitton design codes throughout its pastries, chocolates and tableware. 

Unlike many brand cafés, this wasn't simply a coffee counter attached to a store. Visitors could experience the LV Dream exhibition, eat from a specially designed lunch menu, book Louis Vuitton-themed afternoon tea experiences and participate in seasonal culinary activations and limited-edition menu launches.

Ralph's Coffee (Ralph Lauren)

Of all the examples, Ralph Lauren probably deserves credit for popularising the modern luxury-brand café. 

The first Ralph's Coffee opened in New York in 2014 overlooking Fifth Avenue. Ralph Lauren described it as a place where people could "come together and take a break from their busy days."

Features typically include Polo Bar desserts, branded coffee blends, Ralph's merchandise, coffee carts, trucks, kiosks and permanent cafés.

SKIMS Cafés and Diner Takeovers

SKIMS has taken a more contemporary approach, using temporary hospitality activations around launches rather than permanent cafés.

The best recent example was SKIMS Drive-In, which transformed the famous Mel's Drive-In on Sunset Boulevard to celebrate the opening of SKIMS' Los Angeles flagship.

The diner was fully re-themed with SKIMS-branded menus, SKIMS milkshakes, a custom photo booth, special playlists, product displays and social-media-friendly interiors.

Jacquemus Café Fleurs

If Ralph's Coffee pioneered the category, Jacquemus arguably perfected it for social media. The best-known example is Le Café Fleurs, a temporary pop-up in Seoul inspired by the brand's Bambimou bag and Le Chouchou collection. The building itself resembled a giant version of the fluffy handbag.

Part café, part flower shop, part fashion showroom, the venue offered eight custom drinks, white Lisianthus bouquets, Jacquemus accessories and Instagram-focused interiors designed around the Bambimou aesthetic.