If Chanel’s outrageous supermarket set at this year’s Paris Fashion Week left you wondering exactly what kind of items would be stocked on the shelves at a haute grocer — caviar? A cereal box featuring a bushy brow-ed Cara Delevingne? — then you’d most definitely expect to see artist Peddy Mergui’s latest creations stocked on the couture shelves. Her current exhibition features basic pantry staples like salt and flour in packaging stamped with the iconic logos of luxury brands. Watch out Morton’s Salt Girl, there’s a new horse-drawn model in the spice aisle.
If Fashion Designers Made Grocery Products, They’d Look Like This
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If Chanel’s outrageous supermarket set at this year’s Paris Fashion Week left you wondering what kind of items would be stocked on the shelves at a haute Whole Foods — caviar? A cereal box featuring a bushy brow-ed Cara Delevingne? — you need to get to know artist Peddy Mergui and her latest grocery couture creations. Her current exhibition features basic pantry staples like salt and flour in packaging stamped with the iconic logos of luxury brands. Watch out, Morton’s Salt Girl, there’s a new horse-drawn model in the spice aisle.
According to the exhibition overview, Wheat is Wheat is Wheat explores the often arbitrary connection that products have to their packaging, and the influence it has over us as consumers. The items on display were each designed to be more seductive than their Wal-Mart counterparts, as if the elite brands had packaged the goods themselves.
Gucci pickles, anyone?
How ’bout some Louis Vuitton branded sausage to match your wallet?
Or what about a post-workout piece of Nike swoosh-ed fruit (Just Juice It?)?
The playful juxtaposition begs the question, would you pay big bucks for a carton of iMilk? Well… would you? If you’re already waving your Amazon Dash at the stark white quart on the screen, then maybe you’ve bought into what Mergui calls “the phenomenon of ‘prestige’ and ‘luxury’ as a consumer validation” (oof). The Tel Aviv-based artist isn’t flying solo in her efforts to make us question the real reasons behind our purchases: The push for mindful consumption is on the rise, especially among makers. And to do our part as savvy shoppers, we just need to pause and think before we buy. So let’s: While a handmade Versace bag might literally last you a lifetime, an individually wrapped carton of Versace eggs will most def not. Splurge on the high-quality bag (go ahead, gf), but maybe hold off on the brand allure in the dairy dept, k?
(h/t First We Feast)
What’s your reaction to these luxury packaged culinary essentials? What are your thoughts on mindful consumption? Tell us in the comments below.
