Everyone agrees that McDonald's makes great fast food, and while that may be the main factor in its success, collaborating with celebrities and fashion brands also plays a big role. Along with limited-edition menu items, collaborations come with cool collectible merch.
In the last few years, McDonald's has teamed with Cardi B & Offset, Mariah Carey, Travis Scott, and others. The partnership with Travis Scott, which included tees, a hoodie, and a jacket, sold out in minutes and caused a shortage of Quarter Pounders.
McDonald's is no stranger to celebrity collaborations, and certainly not to making cool merch. The Golden Arches has had many forays into fashion, starting with a colorfully stylish run of uniforms in the '70s. Since then, McDonald's has amassed a long list of iconic merchandise, some of which are very fashionable. Here are the coolest McDonald's merch items ever released.
CROCS HAMBURGLAR (Clogs)
These funky Hamburglar-inspired Crocs come from one of McDonald's latest collaborations. It's one of several shoes available for purchase, each inspired by one of the brand's famous characters. The collection also features Birdie and Grimace-inspired shoes. This Croc clog is quirky enough to stand out, yet has a very compatible colorway that can be worn with more subdued fits. It's available for purchase on McDonald's official merch site Golden Arches Unlimited.
CACTUS PLANT FLEA MARKET (Hoodie)
Cactus Plant Flea Market has been causing a frenzy amongst hypebeasts for some time. Each drop is exclusive and always has celebrity support. Founded by Cynthia Lu in 2015, many of its releases are already considered holy grails due to their rarity overall cool factor. McDonald's teamed with the brand in 2022 on a huge, yet exclusive, apparel collection. Along with clothing, there was an adult Happy Meal which included plushie collectibles that subsequently ended up on eBay for thousands of dollars.
TRAVIS SCOTT x CPM BURGER MOUTH (Tee Shirt)
Travis Scott had a massive collaboration with McDonald's that included clothing, a life-sized cutout, a giant McNugget body pillow, and more. His artsy tee collab with buzzworthy streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market was one of the standouts. It strikes the perfect balance between reppin' the McDonald's brand while still being stylish enough for everyday wear. On top of that, it came in four color options.
BIG MAC BURGER (Hat)
At the time I could imagine people hating the Big Mac Burger Hat, but with today's wacky fashion, it looks pretty darn steezy. The Big Mac has been McDonald's star menu item for some time now, so it makes sense that someone signed off on this idea. You can still find some of these floating around on reseller websites if you're interested in burger-fying your wardrobe.
CLOT x MCSPICY (Knotted Shirt)
When McDonald's collabs with fashion brands, we're rewarded with surprisingly stylish pieces. CLOT is a popular Chinese retailer that used its design sensibility to elevate the McDonald's aesthetic. For its 20th birthday, the two partnered on a limited-edition meal and apparel line. Taking the concept of a uniform top, CLOT reimagined it as a silk-patterned knotted shirt with an infusion of Asian flair. CLOT's creation is lux enough for an outing, which makes it stand apart from the brand's other collabs. It was released in two colorways, red and black, with mindful McDonald's branding.
KERWIN FROST FRY GUY (Clogs)
McDonald's most recent major collaboration was with artist, DJ, and cultural influencer Kerwin Frost. It was an international campaign that revisited the nostalgia of childhood Happy Meals and included everything from toy collectibles to tons of merch options. The most hype-worthy pick of the bunch was Kerwin's quirky take on clogged shoes. The Fry Guy Clogs were inspired by a cast of McDonald's characters from the '70s called "The Fry Kids." Blue with big cartoon eyes, Kerwin's Fry Guy clogs will definitely turn some heads.
McDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN (Jersey)
McDonald's launched a basketball series called All American Games in the '70s for high school players with potential to go professional. To help promote the initiative, it held its own All-Star games. The first team featured Magic Johnson, with subsequent rosters including legends like Shaquille O'Neal, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan, to name a few. Each team was given a special uniform. Although the jerseys weren't released to the public, they've since become a holy grail find for fashion heads, with Michael Jordan's jersey perhaps being the most lauded.
VERDY (Soccer Jersey)
McDonald's teamed with Japanese streetwear designer Verdy last year for a bloke-core-inspired collaboration called "Best Friends Forever." The limited-edition China-exclusive meal included unique items like fried chicken drumsticks and packaging designed by Verdy. While there were many clothing highlights as well, the soccer jerseys were the standout. Donning a tasteful all-over print of hamburgers and shakes, the words McDonald's in Verdy's signature font, and his brand's character patch, they give bloke fashion a fly fast food spin.
GRANIPH (Tote Bags)
There's something so cool about vintage aesthetics. McDonald's teamed with Japanese brand graniph last year on a line of limited-edition apparel. For me, the highlight of the collection was a series of colorful vintage-style tote bags. Each is unique in its own way and fresh enough to be considered collectible. My favorites are the all purple Grimace tote and the simple, yet effective, Golden Arch tote.
THE SMILE MAKER’S CATALOG (Crewneck Sweaters)
Micky D's made yet another attempt at branded apparel in the '80s, this time for adults. It released the Smile Maker's '88 catalog, a sprawling 64 pages of wholesome models dressed in some of the flyest crewnecks and tops. The styles were like Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Kani, and Saved By The Bell all wrapped into one. Any of the picks from the catalog could fetch a pretty penny at today's trendy thrift shops. The crewneck sweaters are especially steezy. In fact, McDonald's should seriously consider dropping a retro capsule of this collection.
VAIN Motorcycle (Jacket)
McDonald's is diligent about engaging with the local culture of every city it operates in. It partnered with the Finnish brand Vain in 2022 to create a high fashion collection inspired by the brand. Upcycled McDonald's workwear pieces were presented on a makeshift runway at one of the chain's locations. One major highlight was a motorcycle jacket that was red, black, and white, with the Golden Arch as a dash of yellow. You can definitely wear it in your everyday life. Sadly, all 27 pieces of the collection were only available to McDonald's employees through an internal raffle.
McKID’S (Sailors Shirt)
The McKiD's clothing line was McDonald's attempt at expanding its appeal to kids and families. Launched in 1987, the clothing line was a partnership with Sears and made for kids 1 to 7 years old. Sears was the primary marketer behind McKiD's, which carried the clever tagline, "Fun Clothes for Small Fries." The clothes were stripe-heavy but perfectly stylish for fashionable '80s kids. One ad features a super fresh sailor-style shirt that's white with blue stripes. It'd be a great vintage find for parents that like dressing up their kids. Although it was eventually ended, McDonald's relaunched McKiD's in 2004.
MOSCHINO x MCDONALD’S OVER 20 BILLION SERVED (Sweater)
High fashion and McDonald’s also met in 2014 with a Moschino collaboration helmed by designer Jeremy Scott. The viral runway show featured a Micky D's x Coco Chanel tweed suit mash-up and stylish red and yellow-colored handbags, transforming fast food into fashion. The standout was a sweater with Moschino's take on the iconic Golden Arch and slogan, "Over 20 Billion Served." Scott did an amazing job at taking a piece of pop-culture and making it into something wearable.
McDONALD’S x ERIC EMANUEL (Adidas Forum 84 High)
Sportswear designer Eric Emanuel's collaboration with McDonald's is easily one of the coolest ever. Part of the collection includes Adidas sneakers that are inspired by a paper bag. The shoe model itself is the Adidas Forum 84 High, and it recreates the idea of a torn paper bag with an upper layer that wears away with use. As it wears, it slowly reveals hidden colors beneath. It was released in celebration of McDonald's annual All American Games.
McDONALD’S x ERIC EMANUEL (Reversible Track Jacket)
Another highlight of the Eric Emanuel x McDonald's collaboration was a reversible track jacket. Donning the brand's iconic colorway on one side, and a white and primary-colored reverse, it's easily one of the freshest picks on this list. The yellow lines are reminiscent of the World Famous Fries, and the color placement is perfect, allowing the iconic Adidas three stripes to pop along the sleeves. The equally-fresh reverse side is mostly white with yellow stars and the McDonald's All American Games logo on the back. Honestly, I can't decide which side I'd wear first.
