McDonald’s Pays Tribute to Employees with a Fashion Collection Made from Old Work Uniforms

McDonald’s Finland has collaborated with the Finnish fashion label VAIN to create an exclusive clothing collection made almost entirely out of the restaurant chain’s used staff uniforms. The designs explore new ways of utilising the old workwear while placing McDonald’s familiar employee uniforms in a new and creative context. The campaign was created by NORD DDB.

Jimi Vain, a rising designer on the Finnish fashion scene, created a collection consisting of 13 unique looks mainly made from pre-used McDonald’s work uniforms. The collection aims to shed light on the employees of McDonald’s who wear the uniforms daily. By creating new and modern designs out of the same materials, VAIN attempts to strip away the negative associations commonly affiliated with work uniforms in general and evoke a sense of pride amongst the McDonald’s staff. As a result, the collection of 13 looks - 27 pieces in total - is exclusively available to McDonald's Finland employees via an internal raffle. People who are interested in an item from the collection are therefore encouraged to apply for a job at McDonald's Finland.

"It’s very impressive how Jimi Vain has managed to take used work uniforms and transform them into an exclusive collection of high fashion. Everything we do as a brand in Finland is focused on increasing the feeling of togetherness amongst all people. This is just one expression of that mission, focusing on the fact that our amazing crew deserves to feel pride in their work and be appreciated for the hours they put in," says Mats Nyström, marketing director at McDonald’s Finland. 

While VAIN and McDonald’s may seem like a rather unconventional combination, the project ended up feeling very natural from a creative point of view. The collection lives off subtle references to McDonald’s iconic status in popular culture, while respecting both brand’s visual identities. Some of McDonald’s most iconic features are incorporated in the collection, such as the red and yellow brand colors, the black and white gingham pattern, as well as the restaurant chain’s well-known logo.

"When I was first presented with the idea of a McDonald’s workwear fashion project I was immediately intrigued. Growing up in a very rural part of Finland, there weren’t really any dedicated spaces for us to hang out as teenagers. The local McDonald’s sort of fulfilled that function for us. It was accessible to anyone and was a familiar vibe. Also, it was the closest we could get to global pop culture out there in the north. We spent many evenings, and made many memories, hanging around the local McDonald’s in our teens," says Jimi Vain, creative director and designer at VAIN.