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Mickey D's wants to make workers 'phat'?
Report says McDonald's had asked Tommy Hilfiger, P. Diddy, among others, for a 'uniform' makeover.
July 5, 2005: 12:07 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - McDonald's may be ordering up a designer makeover for all of its hamburger helpers, a news report said Tuesday.

According to industry publication AdAge.com, the world's largest fast-food company is interested in recruiting fashion moguls Russell Simmons, P. Diddy and Tommy Hilfiger, among others, to transform employees' mundane uniforms into hip street wear.

"We're looking at how do we make our uniforms more appealing, more desirable," Bill Lamar, chief marketing officer for McDonald's (Research) USA, was quoted in the report as saying.

Lamar told the publication that the talks were "purely exploratory," although the report added that a massive and costly overhaul is in the works.

As the world's largest employer of high school and college students, the fashion makeover for the roughly 30,000 McDonald's employees affected could cost up to $80 million, the report said.

The idea is to turn employees into walking brand billboards as they circulate among their peers, the report said.

Other places the fast food chain is looking at: the retail chains American Eagle Outfitters and Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as fashion brands American Apparel, Fubu and Rocawear, the report said.

Bill Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's, told CNN/Money that the company has held "informal" discussions with a brand imaging consultant on a potential uniform makeover for McDonald's staff.

"The discussion is on how to enhance the uniform to better reflect the essence of our advertising and marketing efforts and to create uniforms that are more contemporary and in line with the spirit of our 'forever young, forever fun' campaign," Whitman said.

But he added that McDonald's has not had any talks with the clothing designers or retail chains mentioned in the AdAge report.  Top of page

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