Finnish designer Jimi Vain’s eponymous label, VAIN, has upcycled second hand McDonald’s staff uniforms for their latest fashion collection, just in time for Fashion Week 2023.
The garments were modelled inside a McDonald’s restaurant in Helsinki, which was transformed into a catwalk.
Composing of 27 garments and 13 looks, each ensemble from VAIN’s collaboration with McDonald’s presents a different and innovative approach to giving worn-out workwear a new life.
VAIN has re-purposed the fast food giant’s famous Golden Arches symbol into love hearts on the front of its worker shirts, while the McDonald’s black apron has been elongated and fashioned into a chic black geometric dress.
The innovative collection also pays tribute to the iconic identity of the fast food giant in popular culture.
“The work uniform includes familiar colours, patterns and details that everybody can recognise. Being playful with silhouettes has been pleasant as the McDonald’s brand attributes come along,” noted Co-Founder and CEO of VAIN, Roope Reinola.
For Jimi Vain, his work is deeply personal. The environment, culture and art Vain is surrounded by are all important catalysts that fuel his creative process.
This collection in particular was a nod to Vain’s childhood and the broader theme of childhood nostalgia. Growing up in rural Finland, there were few spaces for teenagers to hangout, so the designer's local McDonald’s became the place that he and other youths spent their evenings.
“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”.
VAIN was first launched as a one-man design project in 2019 by Vain. Since then, it has evolved into a prominent independent fashion label that captures creativity in the Digital Age. The label focuses on using high quality materials, subtle cultural references and applying extreme attention to detail in the design of its garments.
All 27 garments will be distributed to McDonald’s Finland employees through a company raffle.
