by Happy Meals and fashion shows may not go together as easily as a Big Mac goes from hand to mouth, but as Jimi Vain’s eponymous Finnish label VAIN just showed, there’s clearly a case for Ronald McDonald Ready-to-Wear. Taking place in an actual McDonald’s restaurant in Helsinki, Finland, it’s easy to draw comparisons between this collection and Vetements’ Spring/Summer 2020 show which also took over the Golden Arches, evoking capitalism everywhere with name badges bearing that same word and appearance. worthy of any final Maccer boss.
But for VAIN, this is not the case. Instead, its founder wanted to reminisce about their childhood. Describing the collection, Jimi Vain said:
“As children growing up in the no man’s land that is rural Ostrobothnia, it all seemed so far away. As we grew and began to engage more and more with global pop culture, one of the few things that felt familiar to us were the iconic Golden Arches. A symbol that frequented mainstream arts, entertainment and sporting events: McDonald’s. It was something that was relevant even to us in the far north. Growing up with a McDonald’s along the local highway is what we had in common with the western world and beyond.
With that in mind, VAIN has put together a 13-piece collection featuring upcycled authentic McDonald’s employee gear. McDonald’s bows are transformed into a love heart on the front of a black kitchen worker shirt, while the VAIN logo works alongside another ‘M’ love heart motif on a plain black t-shirt. But as the collection grows, so does the creative effort: an architecturally cut, double-breasted black apron dress structured with triangular lapels and an A-line finish before being layered over a blue shirt with bare shoulders.
A hoodie in the chain’s signature red and yellow color sports shoulders that Rick Owens would be proud of, while the pants – tied together at the lower leg with a webbing waistband – are technical, contrasting later offerings like the two-panel jeans with a chef’s check interior. cuff.
This latest design detail takes the form of an entire elongated apron-like shirt dress, while the collection is completed with pieces like the graphic tee that says “I’ll take you to McDonald’s for fries and a VAIN sundae” and ribbed cotton-blend biker leather that is worn with a skirt made of belts, something that later becomes a kind of straight jacket for the final look.
Take a look at the show in the gallery above and learn more about VAIN’s work online. A Fall/Winter 2023 hoodie from this collection is also available for pre-order now. Unfortunately, the 13 looks and 27 pieces will only be available to McDonald’s Finland employees through a company raffle.
In other news, Patta and Tommy Hilfiger are back together.
