Butter yellow and food as fashion’s favourite muse

Scrolling past posts from Telfar’s 20th anniversary show, I couldn’t help but notice the presence of butter yellow — a shade gaining momentum as 2025’s own brat green (remember that?).

Unlike the vibrant, electric brat green, butter yellow doesn’t have a major pop star such as Charli XCX as its champion. Yet key figures, including Rihanna, Aubrey Plaza in Loewe, Sabrina Carpenter at the 2024 Governors Ball and, most recently, Timothée Chalamet in Givenchy, have all gone viral wearing the shade on red carpets. FKA Twigs wore it on British Vogue editor Chioma Nnadi’s first cover and Sophie Turner donned it for the cover of US Vogue.

On the runways, butter yellow appeared in Sarah Burton’s Autumn/Winter 2024 debut at Givenchy, in minimalist brand Toteme’s collection, and at 16Arlington, where jeans, jackets and accessories came in the hue. Chanel, Chloé, Gucci, Jil Sander and others have followed suit — solidifying butter yellow as fashion’s colour of the season. It’s also trickling into mass retail and interiors.

“Whether through upholstery, accent décor or painted finishes, butter yellow is being embraced as a way to add warmth without overwhelming a space,” said Kevin Chan, co-founder of Toronto-based interiors studio Nivak Remas, in a recent Forbes feature. “We’ve also noticed its presence in spa and wellness environments, where it fosters relaxation and lightness.”

Butter yellow’s rise feels timely. Neither showy nor shy, it’s a deeply tactile, comforting shade — soft like morning sunlight shining through your window as curtains blow in the wind; nostalgic like the smell of breakfast and the sight of eggs on a plate, sunny side up. Where brat green brought attitude and edge, butter yellow signals a craving for something gentler — not just in colour but in lifestyle. It speaks to a desire for sensory pleasure and emotional ease, reflecting a broader cultural pivot towards what feels nourishing, intimate and real.

This is where fashion’s obsession with food becomes more than aesthetic — it’s symbolic. From cherry-shaped handbags to dessert-themed campaigns, edible references are everywhere, speaking to our collective longing for tangible comfort in a digital, often disembodied world. Butter yellow, with its familiar glow, sits at the sweet spot of these cravings. It is style as sustenance and clothing as comfort.

As Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone colour Institute, puts it: “It’s a colour that sits between luxury and familiarity. Butter yellow is tactile, edible and emotional — it feels like softness you can taste. And that’s the key: it connects to comfort and food, which are emotional anchors in a time of global uncertainty.”

It also coincides with fashion’s increasing fixation on food culture. As Business of Fashion’s Joan Kennedy recently observed: “In the midst of a luxury downturn, brands are betting that food can help drum up appetite for their products.” Jacquemus and Loewe — early adopters of edible imagery in campaigns featuring butter, toast, tomatoes and chocolate cake — have since been joined by Prada, Burberry, Alaïa and even sneaker brands such as Fila and Axel Arigato. Just last week, Tory Burch launched a line of sandals with marshmallowy soles inspired by sweets brand BonBon.

It’s not just food but food culture. Neiman Marcus’ “Cafe Society” Spring 2025 campaign brought chef-fluencers Pierce Abernathy and Nara Smith, legendary restaurateur Michael Chow, heiress Ivy Getty and personality Kathy Hilton together around a white tablecloth dinner — fashion meeting foodie fandom in full view.

The timing makes sense. Food creators are experiencing huge mainstream popularity. Whether you’re into professional chefs such as David Chang or local favourites Zola Nene, Siba Mtongana or Onezwa Mbola, the appetite for culinary content is universal. For fashion and other industries, incorporating this obsession into campaigns isn’t just opportunistic — it’s inevitable. Food is fashion’s muse because food is everyone’s muse now.

Am I influenced? Absolutely. It’s my birthday in a couple of weeks and if you’re wondering what’s on my wish list: Telfar’s 100% top grain leather, logo-embossed billfold wallet in butter yellow is the only acceptable birthday prezzie. Thank you!