Why food was in fashion at MAPIC 2015

--- 1st December 2015

From the dress adorned with 700 cupcakes to a kilt made of pasta, Zoe Ellis-Moore explains why an element of surprise made the JLL Food in Fashion event at MAPIC 2015 so memorable.

When we go shopping, we no longer go just to shop, we go to meet our friends and catch up. Online is great, but you don’t get that special face-to-face interaction, the chance to look around and see what people are doing, what they’re wearing.

And when we do catch up over lunch or a coffee, people whip out their phones and take pictures of their food. Ten years ago you would have thought they were crazy! Food has now become a vehicle of self-expression.

For JLL, it’s more important than ever to create retail spaces and environments that support this fundamental change in our relationship with food.

Working together with Coverpoint, the specialist food and beverage consultancy, we have an even greater understanding about changing consumer behaviour.

Indeed, food and beverage outlets have doubled the amount of floorspace they have taken in shopping centres in Europe over the last decade, reflecting this change.

So when developing our event for MAPIC, held at The Majestic Hotel in Cannes on 20 November 2015, we knew that we wanted to reflect the impact that food and drink is having on retail, and highlight the opportunities to our clients.

Retail + food + fashion = an event to remember

We wanted to create an event for our clients that would really stick in the memory, long after the MAPIC congress was over. It’s about giving people that feeling of random exclusivity, offering a superior service to clients and connecting with them one by one. Retail is exciting! So we tried to have some fun with it.

During the day, oatmeal muffins, spicy quinoa salad, hazelnut slices and other delicious treats were served. We went all out to put a smile on everyone’s face and get them thinking, even offering our evening guests a glass of champagne from a model’s hooped skirt.

We also wanted to draw a clear link between food, fashion and the way we shop – whether we’re in Cannes or Cologne. But the Plat du Jour came with our evening Food in Fashion event.

More than just drinks and canapes

Typically when you go to a conference after party there might be a few vol-au-vents circulating.I wanted to do something a bit different.

So, together with ICE Events, I put on a catwalk event with models wearing outfits made from food and accessories. Dresses made from fruits and sweet wrappers. A waistcoat made from crisp packets. A pasta kilt. A black and white dress made from plastic knives and forks.

And not forgetting the showstopper. Every fashion show has to close with a bridal gown – but I’m not sure they’ve ever had one made of 700 cupcakes!

As you can imagine it was quite heavy, and the incredible outfit designed by Mathilde Ferry had to be designed with wheels so the model could come on stage smoothly with no mishaps. The cupcakes were then shared among the audience, which they loved.

The element of surprise

My highlight of the evening was seeing everyone’s reactions. We’d built up the intrigue over a couple of months with the invites; people were very curious about what was going on and there were even whispers of Lady Gaga turning up in her famous meat dress.

It’s been in my head for so long, that watching everyone experience it and being in awe was so much fun. Everybody was astounded and didn’t know what to expect. We had some great feedback from clients afterwards and I think everyone’s going to remember this one!

It was particularly special for me because I will shortly be moving to from Retail to join JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality team, so it was my last event for Retail. The only downside of the evening was that I was so busy making sure everything was running to plan that I never got to sample any of the amazing food and drink…