Fashion trends are always evolving, and the latest status symbol in the industry is a surprising one – the lunch box. While traditional lunch-carrying methods like paper bags or basic totes are still in use, the new trend involves carrying your lunch in a stylish designer lunch box from brands like Prada, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent. According to Dan Black, founder of Black+Blum, lunch boxes are now considered a status accessory, transitioning from a functional item to a fashion statement.
Prada’s Re-Nylon lunchbox case, made in collaboration with Black+Blum, is selling for a staggering $1,990. It comes with two stainless-steel bento boxes, a fork, a bamboo cover, and the iconic enameled metal triangle logo of Prada. Additionally, Prada offers accessories like a stainless steel cutlery set, a stainless steel sandwich box, and a glass lunch bowl at high price points. Balenciaga also has a lunch box option made of silver stainless steel and silicone, resembling a toolbox more than a traditional lunch box. The Balenciaga Lunch Box, complete with a cutlery set, is available in Canada for $950 CAD.
Saint Laurent offers a unique lunchbox resembling a fast-food to-go box, designed in luxurious black leather or vintage brown-gold vegetable-tanned leather with suede lining. Priced at $1,890, the YSL Take-Away Box features an interior pouch pocket and serves as a high-end fashion accessory rather than a practical lunch-carrying item. Thanks to these designer brands, the content of your lunch or the smell of your food is no longer significant – as long as your lunch box is branded, you have the latest status symbol.
The concept of using designer lunch boxes as a fashion statement signals a shift in the perception of lunchtime and food accessories. No longer merely functional items, lunch boxes have become an accessory to showcase one’s style and status. With prices reaching almost $2,000 for a designer lunch box, these items are more than just tools for carrying lunch – they are symbols of luxury and exclusivity. The collaboration between fashion brands like Prada and accessory companies like Black+Blum has elevated the lunch box from a basic essential to a high-end fashion accessory.
The fashion industry’s embrace of the lunch box trend also reflects a broader phenomenon of everyday items being transformed into luxury status symbols. Just as high-end sneakers and sweatpants have become coveted fashion pieces, the lunch box is now part of the luxury accessory market. This trend blurs the lines between practicality and luxury, as everyday items are given a high-end makeover to appeal to consumers looking to make a statement through their accessories. The lunch box’s transformation into a fashion accessory highlights the influence of branding and aesthetics in shaping consumer preferences and trends in the fashion world.
Ultimately, the rise of designer lunch boxes as status symbols showcases the ongoing evolution of fashion trends and the industry’s ability to turn mundane items into desirable luxury accessories. As consumers continue to seek unique and distinctive ways to express themselves through fashion, the lunch box has emerged as an unexpected yet chic accessory. With prices soaring to thousands of dollars for a designer lunch box, these items have transcended their original purpose to become coveted fashion statements. By incorporating lunch boxes into their collections, fashion brands have tapped into a new market segment that values exclusivity, style, and status symbols in everyday items.
