It stands to reason if all those TV shows featuring “makeovers” are big hits that McDonald’s might figure they’d have a hit if they redid the McDonald’s uniforms…or so it seems:
In a move aimed at bringing some street cred to the Golden Arches, McDonald’s has contacted top hip-hop designers to beef up its uniforms in the United States.
“We believe that restaurant employees are brand ambassadors, and this is a great opportunity to have crew uniforms which are reflective of that,” said McDonald’s spokesman Bill Whitman. “This would create designs that they’ll be proud to wear not only in the restaurant, but outside, as well.”
Actually, the biggest “brand ambassadors” are the hamburgers that McD’s sells. Do those make the case? Just changing the clothes of teenagers won’t do. But, then again:
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’s fashion company, Sean John, is one of several being considered to design the threads of the fast food chain’s workforce. Other designers in contention include Russell Simmons, Tommy Hilfiger, Damon Dash, American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie and Fitch, Fubu and Rocawear.
“Sean John is one of the hottest brands around, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if McDonald’s is vying for it,” said Combs’s spokesman, Rob Shuter.
None of the fashion houses have agreed to restyle the Golden Arches at the moment, but McDonald’s is hoping hip-hop branding expert Steve Stoute, the former head of the black music division at Universal’s Interscope Records, can help the company find its new look.
Stoute helped McDonald’s land Justin Timberlake for its “I’m Lovin’ It” advertising jingle and is responsible for bringing hip-hop superstar Beyonce to Hilfiger and rapper Jay-Z to Reebok.
As long as he didn’t design Janet Jackson’s wardrobe (it malfunctioned, you know…). MORE:
But even if McDonald’s lands a hot designer for its uniforms, that will not necessarily help the company connect to youngsters, who value individuality, said urban clothing designer Marc D’Amelio, chief executive of MadSoul Clothing in New York.
“The whole thing about uniforms seems to be anti-individuality. The thing that makes kids cool growing up is their style,” D’Amelio said.
“All the things that are uncool about working at McDonald’s are still going to be uncool at McDonald’s,” he said. “You still have to go home smelling like grease.”
Here’s one solution. Serve hamburgers and french fries via body piercing.
It might be appealing for a food server to hand you a bag hanging from a piercing from her nose. This could also speed up the EFFICIENCY of McDonald’s food serving, since servers could use their hands and their nose.
The piercings, however, must fit in with the look and color scheme of the new McD’s uniform. MORE:
McDonald’s has made a number of moves in the past two years to project a hipper image and become a destination for US teens, including the recent introduction of wireless Internet access and music kiosks in restaurants.
In other words, you can eat a Big Mac and download your email, receiving the latest message with information about a new “enlargement” product.
The current uniforms — golf shirts in blue, red, white and taupe paired with black pants — were introduced in 2002 and 2003, in tandem with the launch of the chain’s new healthier menu.
Here’s one idea: how about adopting those cool uniforms and caps the Hot Dog On A Stick servers use at malls?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.