The golden rule of brand extensions is stay true to your brand DNA so why are iconic luxury retailers Marc Jacobs and Georgio Armani opening restaurants? It’s much more than just offering tired shoppers the opportunity to enjoy a break  – it’s about creating a lifestyle! These brands are creating new ways to connect with their customers by providing engaging and memorable experiences that extend beyond the shop floor.

With electric blue lighting, neon signs and shiny floors, Marc by Marc Jacobs provides a relaxed but luxurious dining experience. Armani also worked hard at ensuring it stays true to the brand when opening it’s New York restaurant by recruiting Michelin-starred consulting chef Lorenzo Viani (owner of Ristorante Lorenzo in Tuscany) to offer customers a premium menu.

But it’s not just global brands that are connecting with their customers on a more personal level by branching outside their category.  Closer to home, Cara & Co, a clothing retailer, offers a unique fine dining experience in its Sydney store. The menu is designed by chef Dave De Belder (who flies in from Belgium to devise seasonal menus), while the catwalk and projected images of models provide an ideal backdrop for fashionistas to come together.

These brands are demonstrating the power of connecting with consumers through brand extensions that are allowing them to tap into the customer’s lifestyle rather than just a single area of their life. And by doing so, they are moving from just offering products for sale to helping it’s customers define and express who they are.