McDonald’s is recruiting Russell Simmons, P Diddy and Tommy Hilfiger to perform a miracle makeover and turn its employees’ mundane uniforms into hip street wear, according to a report by the adage.com website.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The idea is to turn employees into walking brand billboards as they circulate among their peers, the report said. “We’re looking at how do we make our uniforms more appealing, more desirable,” said Bill Lamar Jr chief marketing officer for McDonald’s USA, is quoted as saying. He said the talks were “purely exploratory,” although a massive and costly overhaul has been planned.
Marlena Peleo-Lazar, chief creative officer for McDonald’s USA, is overseeing the initiative and has tapped former music executive Steve Stoute, founder and chief creative officer of Translation Consulting and Brand Imaging, New York. Stoute, whose clients include Verizon and Yahoo, is charged with connecting McDonald’s with designers.
With roughly 30,000 McDonald’s employees that fall within young-adult age bracket, “it’s very important to take [uniforms] from what they have to wear to what they want to wear,” Stoute said. “It’s a very important aspect of employee pride. McDonald’s has evolved and become a lifestyle brand … since it now is relevant to our lifestyle, let’s go one step further and make its employees relevant to our lifestyle as well.”
If the idea doesn’t get lost in translation, McDonald’s would end up rotating through a series of contemporary versions of the original Ray Kroc designs that would be changed in rotations. “You’re taking the original inspiration of McDonald’s and having very famous contemporary designers do a twist on it,” said. Stoute. The ultimate test is whether employees would wear the outfits outside of work as a fashion statement. It typically costs $4,000 to $6,000 to outfit a restaurant with uniforms. Restaurants choose from among corporate-approved styles.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAmong the top designers the chain is eyeing: Mr. Simmons’ Phat Farm; P. Diddy’s Sean John; American Apparel; American Eagle Outfitters; Abercrombie & Fitch; Fubu; Rocawear; Tommy Hilfiger and others, Adage said.
