McDonald's And Streetwear Brand PALACE Team Up For Exclusive Merch
Personal opinions aside, McDonald's is iconic, and not just for their classic hamburgers and fries. After all, the place it occupies in the global cultural imagination cannot be explained by food alone. McDonald's branding and the imagery that supports it are as evocative as the smells from their kitchen, and the Golden Arches light up the senses as effectively for recent generations as madeleines did for Proust. So it makes sense they've collaborated with the tastemakers at PALACE for a line of exclusive merchandise that pairs its unmistakable logo and signage with the London-based skate and streetwear company's undeniable aesthetic, according to a press release sent to Tasting Table.
PALACE is known for featuring its love for McDonald's in the skate videos they produce, and now customers can showcase their love for the chain — and commitment to fashion — by sporting items from the collection. The items will be available starting August 14 via a QR code that comes with the new "As Featured In Meal" line that celebrates McDonald's most iconic turns on the big and small screens. Further, PALACE is transforming the original Mcdonald's location in Downey, California, into a pop-up shop featuring the collection's full line on August 18.
Celebrating McDonald's in media
McDonald's latest collaboration marks the launch of the cultural catch-all, As Featured In Meal, which pays homage to the many times fictional characters in TV and film voiced their love for the chain's menu items. From "Seinfeld" to "Pulp Fiction" to the loving rip-off featured in "Coming to America," media has again and again bore witness to the cultural power of the Golden Arches. The As Featured In Meal offers a choice of 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, or Big Mac along with medium fries, a medium soft drink and Sweet 'N Sour sauce that featured new branding tied to the upcoming release of the Marvel series "Loki."
"It's not only our real-life fans who have a go-to order ... for decades our favorite movie and TV characters have, too," said Morgan Flatley, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Business Ventures at McDonald's. "The As Featured In Meal is our biggest Famous Order yet, celebrating the most memorable McDonald's references across the world of entertainment."
The collaboration with PALACE isn't McDonald's first foray into leveraging of-the-moment fashion to promote the release of a new meal line. In 2022, the company partnered with quirky design company Cactus Plant Flea Market for the rollout of their Adult Happy Meals, which came with CPFM-designed figurines of classic McDonaldland characters like Birdie and Grimace.