What's the big deal with fast food and fashion?

Jimi Vain, who grew up in Ostrobothnia in western Finland, did what many teenagers in rural places do: he visited McDonald's often. The older children would be doing wheelies on their motorcycles in the parking lot while he ordered a double cheeseburger without pickles. "It was like a youth club," says the 24-year old fashion designer, currently based in Helsinki, who started his unisex line, Vain, in 2019. "We were so isolated... McDonald’s was the first thing I saw from overseas that showed me we were part of a connected world."

Vain seized the opportunity when he received an email last summer inviting him to work with McDonald's. "I heard that the M logo is more recognisable than the Christian cross," he adds of the business, which serves 65 million consumers daily and has almost 40,000 locations worldwide.

In November of last year, the Vain x McDonald's collection debuted. The handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items were created by collecting 150 McDonald's uniforms from various locations across Helsinki, bringing them back to the studio, cutting them up, and creating 27 pieces, according to Vain. They include an A-line tuxedo dress, a button-down gingham midi skirt, and a slouchy black track jacket with boxy sleeves. The majority of the clothing is black, rather than red and yellow, as stated by Vain. "I wanted to create something that me and my friends would actually wear," he explains. The M logo itself has been transformed into a love heart. "We wanted to propose McDonald’s in a luxury, high-fashion context."

The latest in a string of collaborations with niche labels that have elevated the creator of the Big Mac to a new level of street cred is Vain's partnership, which will be raffled out to McDonald's staff members rather than sold, increasing its exclusivity. It debuted in October with Cynthia Lu, Pharrell Williams' stylist, and her iconic LA label Cactus Plant Flea Market (CPFM). Also, in the spring of last year, Adidas and sportswear designer Eric Emanuel collaborated on an exclusive line of sneakers and tracksuits for McDonald's. Yet fashion brands have always been influenced by its defining themes. The SS14 Moschino collection by Jeremy Scott was a tribute to McDonald's, while the SS20 menswear presentation by Vetements was staged within the Champs-Élysées location in Paris.

As a marketing director for McDonald's Finland who worked on the project with Vain, Mats Nyström explains that classic advertising doesn't cut it when maintaining a brand like McDonald's relevant in the internet world. Much like its cuisine, it takes a regional approach to partnerships: young, up-and-coming brands in various worldwide locations give it an in-the-know credibility. According to Nyström, the goal is to produce popular culture. In addition to eating the meals, younger generations also want to consume the brand.

The CPFM line (starting at $60) included sweatpants and sweatshirts with the phrases "All Are Welcome" and "I Came, I Saw, I Dipped!" as well as T-shirts featuring characters like the Hamburglar and Ronald McDonald. Yet, the Happy Meal, which appealed to nostalgia, was a must. It cost around $14, came with collectible mascot toys, and set up a frenzy. As a result, only one box was allowed per customer at the 14,000 McDonald's locations throughout the US.

A 40-year-old IT professional named Brett Turner stood in line for hours to purchase a toy in Brooklyn. That sense of not knowing what you're going to receive inside reminded him of being a child. And the mascots are quite artistic. A Colorado eBay user subsequently sold his Cactus Buddy, Birdie, and Hamburglar toys that had never been opened for $10,700.

Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer of McDonald's USA, believes it is evidence of the company's efforts to combine culture with business. He claims that marketers have unrestricted access to the imagery. For the US market, CPFM led to the greatest weekly digital transactions ever. Immediately after its launch, CPFM topped Google Trends.

Obviously, the "drop" style used for McDonald's debuts increases the excitement. The creator of the zeitgeisty weekly Snaxshot, Andrea Hernández, who comments on all things food and drink, claims that it's all about the scarcity factor. For younger generations who have grown up online, the contrast between mainstream appeal and exclusivity, particularly in the world of luxury fashion, is extremely powerful.

The next collaboration is reportedly being done by Nigo, the Japanese streetwear designer who is currently the artistic director of Kenzo. Last November, he stoked rumors when he posted a black-and-white video on Instagram from the oldest drive-thru hamburger stand in California, which opened in 1953. Yet Hassan's lips are closed at the moment. "Authenticity is our secret sauce," he declares.