McDonald’s USA launches modern, new uniforms styled by renowned designers as part of the company’s continued effort to refresh the restaurant experience

In collaboration with notable designers Waraire Boswell and Bindu Rivas, McDonald’s USA is launching two new contemporary uniform collections, WARAIRE for McDonald’s and Timeless Elements, for crew members and managers. These new collections will start appearing in the U.S. in April and will be available to all 14,000 restaurants. This major move is another step in the company’s commitment to become America’s best first job and improve the restaurant experience.
 
The new uniform collections were developed based on feedback from restaurant employees and customers, and may be worn by approximately 850,000 restaurant employees as they serve nearly 25 million customers every day. More than 70% of restaurant employees surveyed feel that the new uniforms provide a modern image that they would be proud to wear.
 
“Our new collections focus on comfort, fit, functionality and contemporary professionalism, delivering a uniform that crew and managers will feel comfortable to work in and proud to wear,” said Jez Langhorn, McDonald’s Senior Director of HR. “Beyond that, it’s another step in the company’s continuous effort to raise the bar by investing in people and improving the restaurant experience with a focus on hospitality.”
 
McDonald’s and its independent franchisees worked with suppliers to bring in top designers to style the two new uniform collections. This is the first time McDonald’s USA has tapped influential designers to design crew and manager uniforms.
 
The WARARIE by McDonald’s collection was styled by Waraire Boswell in partnership with Way To Be. Boswell is a celebrity designer known for dressing established A-list celebrities, talk show hosts and professional athletes. Waraire started his career working at a McDonald’s restaurant in California and he was personally inspired to develop a look and feel that gives restaurant employees a greater level of confidence.
 
The Timeless Elements collection was styled by Bindu Rivas in partnership with Twin Hill. Rivas is a designer in the U.K. who has created uniform collections for several major brands in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, including the hugely successful McDonald’s UK uniform line.
 
McDonald’s selected three U.S.-based suppliers – WayToBe, Aramark and Twin Hill – to distribute the unique uniform collections across the country.
 
“As a former McDonald’s crew member myself, I understand the design and functionality needs of the next generation of McDonald’s uniforms, and I was personally inspired to design a look and feel that gives restaurant employees a greater level of confidence,” said Waraire Boswell, celebrity fashion designer who worked with Way To Be.
 
Individuality is important to McDonald’s restaurant employees, and the new collections were designed to bridge the gap between fashion and function, allowing for an easy transition from the restaurant to a social environment. The new uniform collections feature a convertible denim apron, a new signature piece for the brand, which may be worn full or as a half apron to fit restaurant employees’ personal style.
 
“Employees are the face of any brand, and when it comes to uniforms, we knew that McDonald’s restaurant employees wanted something that bridges the gap between fashion and function and it was our job to create a unique apparel line that fits the look of McDonald’s while highlighting the individuality of its crew and managers,” said Bindu Rivas, a U.K. designer who worked with Twin Hill on the Timeless Elements collection.
 
Updating the restaurant uniforms is just one of the many ways McDonald’s and its independent franchisees continue to focus on restaurant employees. McDonald's is constantly working to provide opportunity by investing in education and training programs that support restaurant employees’ desire to learn and provide foundational skills they can use anywhere.
 
About McDonald’s
McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with over 36,000 locations in over 100 countries. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women.