You put on your shoes, your coat, and grab your bag. But have you ever thought of your coffee cup as the final touch to your outfit? New York and London coffee chain Blank Street is counting on it. The mint green matcha hotspot, popular with Gen Z on TikTok, is launching a London Fashion Week (LFW) campaign today in partnership with the British Fashion Council. The goal is to build a connection that goes far beyond its drinks.

Blank Street will serve coffee and matcha in LFW’s NewGen space for emerging designers, host a press breakfast, and run a public pop-up with an art installation at its Strand location, just steps from the main LFW venue. The brand has also released the “puffer sleeve”—a limited-edition puffer jacket for your Blank Street drink, available in stores and online starting February 21.

“Fashion is an industry we’ve always felt close to because we see the cup itself as an accessory,” says Mohammad Rabaa, global creative director of Blank Street, who led the project. “If you scroll through our tagged photos, you’ll see people including their Blank Street cups in their outfit-of-the-day videos. We’re being photographed as the finishing touch to a look, alongside other accessories. The cup has become part of how people express themselves, which is really exciting.”

Blank Street was founded in 2020, starting as a coffee cart near the iconic Wythe Diner in Brooklyn, New York. It quickly expanded across Manhattan before arriving in London’s Fitzrovia in 2022. Last year, Rabaa oversaw a rebrand, introducing a new serif logo and a signature “12pm green” color across storefronts and cups, which resonated strongly with younger customers. As of July 2025, the company was valued at around $500 million and operates over 90 locations across the U.S. and U.K.

Blank Street isn’t the only coffee brand making moves this Fall/Winter 2026 season. In New York, Starbucks is supporting five emerging designers—Area, Collina Strada, Eckhaus Latta, Sergio Hudson, and Zankov—by funding their fashion shows, with plans to collaborate on merchandise and coffee sleeves. In London, Vogue is again running its Vogue Café at 180 Corner Shop in partnership with Nike, offering custom snacks and juices. Meanwhile, in Milan, Vogue Italia will host its own Vogue Café from February 26–28 with womenswear brand Twinset.

This trend makes sense. Small luxuries like matcha, coffee, or $25 smoothies have become status symbols for Gen Z and millennials, who may be priced out of traditional luxury goods but enjoy romanticizing their daily routines online. In turn, brands like Blank Street—or Erewhon, the LA grocer turned luxury label—have evolved into lifestyle brands. Food and drink have also become key marketing tools for luxury labels looking to stay relevant with younger audiences.

At fashion week, Blank Street will provide refreshments in the NewGen space, where designers like Oscar Ouyang, Lueder, and Tolu Coker will present their collections. Partnering with emerging talent was a deliberate choice. “It’s an honor to be part of the NewGen space specifically,” says Rabaa. “We like supporting and celebrating newcomers who are up against huge legacy brands with years of heritage. That’s how we saw ourselves—we entered this industry as the little guy among a few big players. So we feel a real kinship with these brands.”

Launched in 2020, Blank Street now has over 90 locations. Backed by cultural buzz and plenty of user-generated content, it’s becoming a lifestyle label in its own right.

While the NewGen space raises Blank Street’s profile among fashion insiders, the puffer sleeve is designed for all Blank Street customers.Street fans. The idea for the new drink sleeve came from the adult-sized puffer jackets and knitted cozies the team made on a very cold trip to Edinburgh. This sleeve is designed to either keep your drink warm or protect your hands from a cold beverage, even in New York’s freezing weather. “We knew from the beginning we wanted a really striking design,” says Rabaa. “If we were going to do it, it had to be playful and a little ridiculous. When we saw the first sketch, we were laughing and smiling in the room. You could feel the energy.”

To launch the sleeve, Blank Street filmed a campaign in New York featuring model Ella Snyder using the puffy sleeve to keep her matcha warm. “There’s something beautifully ordinary and ritualistic about going to a coffee shop for a drink,” Rabaa says. “But we also wanted to showcase this in a way that builds a world. The idea is that the sleeve gives you that ‘It-girl’ energy—you become this larger-than-life main character wearing her puffer jacket.”

Looking at all the photos and videos of Blank Street on social media, you might think the brand is specifically targeting Gen Z. “People probably think we have some master plan for Gen Z, like we’ve hacked a cheat code. But that’s not true—we’re just doing things we feel will have emotional resonance,” explains Rabaa. It helps that Blank Street has a young team, he adds, who are “not too much older than them.” Whether it’s the London Fashion Week partnership or other projects, it’s about creating things the team themselves would enjoy. “There’s a feeling of fun, youthfulness, and energy to the brand that I think resonates across many generations.”

Strong sales and social media buzz will be the measure of success for this launch. But Rabaa is confident Blank Street’s fans will embrace it. Loyal followers have even started scouring social media for hidden clues, much like Swifties do. “If we make a typo in an Instagram caption, someone might ask, ‘Does this mean strawberry shortcake matcha is coming back?'” he says. “People are really reading into every decision we make. So with something like this, I’m hoping our superfans are excited for the project. It’s a limited run, so I’m eager to see how it goes. But I think the Blank Street community has our back.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Blank Streets role at London Fashion Week designed to sound natural and provide clear direct answers

General Beginner Questions

1 What is Blank Street doing at London Fashion Week
Blank Street is providing highquality accessible coffee from popup carts and stands at key London Fashion Week venues making it an essential part of the events experience

2 Why is a coffee brand involved in a fashion event
Because fashion week is as much about culture energy and community as it is about clothes Coffee fuels the long days serves as a social lubricant and Blank Street is positioning it as a key part of that lifestyle

3 Where exactly will the Blank Street popups be
They typically set up at major show venues and hubs like The Strand or 180 The Strand Its best to check Blank Streets and London Fashion Weeks social media for exact realtime locations

4 Is the coffee free
No its not free Its served at their standard prices offering an affordable and convenient option compared to other event catering

5 Whats on the menu
You can expect their core offerings expertly made espresso drinks batch brew and likely some specials or iced options suitable for onthego attendees

Advanced Cultural Impact Questions

6 How is this making coffee a cultural highlight
By intentionally integrating into the fabric of the event Blank Street is elevating coffee from a mere commodity to a recognized part of the fashion week rituala moment of pause connection and style in itself

7 Whats in it for Blank Street Whats their strategy
Its a powerful brand alignment They associate themselves with style innovation and a highprofile audience It drives brand awareness attracts new customers and reinforces their image as a modern urban lifestyle brand not just a coffee shop

8 How does this differ from just having a coffee stand at any event
The curation and intent are different The branding location and partnership are designed to resonate with the fashion crowd Its about being a featured part of the cultural moment not just a vendor

9 Are they collaborating with any specific designers or brands
Sometimes In past seasons theyve had collaborations Check their announcements to see