From coffee cups to cool tees: how café merch is taking over our wardrobes

Cafés today are no longer just about grabbing a cup of cappuccino or matcha. They are also about the experience, the aesthetic and, most importantly, the vibe that stays with you long after you have left.

Café culture has come a long way from a simple coffee and croissant stop to a world of drinks, food, and design, with cafés becoming destinations in their own right. From Vietnamese coffee and Spanish lattes to cold brews and pour-overs, there’s always something new to try. Matcha too has found a new life in endless flavours and combinations, along with hojicha, tea, and other speciality drinks.

What was once a quick coffee run slowly became a whole experience, where food, drinks, interiors and even the little details matter. Somewhere along the way, cafés decided to take that experience a step further and enter our wardrobes with what we now call café merch.

What started with the humble café mug has grown into an entire lifestyle category. From diaries and graphic tees to caps, tote bags, and more, café merchandise has slowly become an extension of the spaces we love to visit. We once looked to established, high-end lifestyle brands for the pieces that filled our wardrobes and desks, but some of our favourite cafés are now giving them a run for their money. Think funky mugs, pet-printed graphic tees, pastel-coloured diaries, which, let’s be honest, nobody really writes in, but everyone still wants to own, and caps that let you carry your favourite café long after you’ve finished your coffee.

So, if your café visit is never just about the coffee, these are the spots worth adding to your list for a little retail therapy, too.

Toast Pasta Bar

If you’re bored of the usual streetwear built around skate culture, sporty graphics and oversized logos, Toast Pasta Bar is bringing something refreshingly different to the table. Known for its handmade, from-scratch pasta, the café extends its culinary identity into merch, with tees, caps, fragrances and canvas totes that tap into the growing gourmand streetwear and culinary-insider aesthetic. Think gourmet food, fine dining and craft cocktails reimagined as status symbols through clever culinary graphics, neutral palettes and heavyweight hoodies and tees. The standout, however, is its fragrance offering, which takes the idea of edible scents beyond the usual sweet notes. Its much-loved Limoncello fragrance, created in collaboration with Namoly & Co., captures the zesty, boozy character of the Italian digestif.

Subko and Subko Merch: Dukaan

Subko has made its merch almost as recognisable as its fine cacao and craft bakehouse. Its retail arm, Subculture Merch: Dukaan, largely curated by Studio Substance, plays with a “subcontinental-global” aesthetic that feels equal parts nostalgic and contemporary. You’ll find canvas totes, sneakers, mugs and cups featuring Subko’s signature tri-script typography, mixing Devanagari and Latin lettering to create that slightly old-Bollywood, distinctly Indian feel.

What makes the merch particularly fun, though, is the thought behind each piece. Almost every product has its own name and story, from the Subko Croissant Tote, with its hand-drawn croissant cross-section blueprint, to its food-inspired mugs, sneakers and other accessories. Rather than simply putting the Subko logo on a tote and calling it merch, the brand turns little details from the café into objects you can take home.

Zane's Café & Bar

If you love a minimalist, casual wardrobe but still want a little personality in what you wear, Zane's Café & Bar in Lower Parel has its own take on café merch. Its collection includes canvas tote bags, graphic T-shirts and coffee accessories, all rooted in a clean streetwear aesthetic with contemporary graphics. What makes Zane’s merch stand out is its dual personality: it captures both the easy-going daytime “Brew Crew” coffee culture and the more spirited evening cocktail-lounge mood.

The graphics lean towards indie streetwear art, with hand-drawn illustrations and playful details that give the pieces character without making them feel too loud. The result is merch that works just as well as part of your everyday wardrobe as it does as a little nod to your favourite café.

Blondie by Bastian 

Are you a matcha person? It’s a question we hear more often than ever, and for many, the answer is probably yes. With matcha becoming a full-blown lifestyle, Blondie has tapped right into the obsession and taken it beyond the cup. Originally started under the Bastian Hospitality umbrella, Blondie has become one of the names associated with the matcha craze and, increasingly, café merchandise.

Its merch leans towards streetwear, but with a distinct matcha twist. From tees featuring matcha-toned artwork to one of its most interesting offerings, embroidered caps featuring Mrs Matcha and Mr Matcha, the products play directly into the café’s identity. Perfect for a matcha-loving date, perhaps? And it doesn’t stop there. Blondie also offers a matcha kit, so if you’re looking to recreate your own matcha moment at home, the café has you covered.

In Good Co

Indian artists and the work they create have always deserved appreciation, but bringing that art into our everyday lives makes it feel even more special. In Good Co, by Aditya Birla Hospitality, does exactly that. The café celebrates the nostalgia surrounding coffee while bringing in the fresh perspectives of Indian artists. Through collaborations, it creates merchandise that feels rooted in creativity and authenticity rather than simply functioning as branded products.

From customised crockery to books and other thoughtfully designed pieces, In Good Co brings together coffee, art and design. Here, the merchandise feels less like a souvenir and more like a way of bringing a little piece of the café’s creative world into your own.

Blue Tokai coffee

Blue Tokai brings together its speciality coffee culture with the richness of Indian art and craftsmanship. Drawing inspiration from traditional art forms such as Kalamkari and Mandana, the brand extends its visual identity into merchandise that includes coffee accessories, mugs, apparel, totes and everyday lifestyle pieces.

Rather than treating merch as simple branded souvenirs, Blue Tokai uses these products to bring its appreciation for Indian art into everyday spaces. This design-led approach was also evident in its Uniqlo collaboration, where the brand’s coffee culture and visual identity were translated into wearable pieces. By moving from café essentials to fashion, the collaboration further positioned Blue Tokai as a lifestyle brand, making its merchandise feel like a natural extension of its visual world.

What started as a simple souvenir has now become an extension of personal style. Café merch is no longer just about showing people where you had your coffee; it’s about the culture, aesthetic and community you associate with it. And as cafés continue to evolve into lifestyle spaces for a new generation, it looks like our wardrobes might just have a little more room for them.

Image credits: Zane's Cafe and Bar

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