No clowning around: Duckie Brown does Ronald McDonald gloves
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Fresh on the heels of their shoe collaboration with Florsheim, the design duo at Duckie Brown are sticking their fingers even further into American pop culture by designing -- wait for it -- a limited-edition Ronald McDonald glove collection that will be unveiled during the upcoming New York Fashion Week.
Before your head explodes at the thought of Duckie’s interpretation of the clown mascot’s traditionally bright yellow gloves emblazoned with the Golden Arches, we’re informed the gloves are more subtle than that -- inspired by the gloves worn by bicycle messengers, done in a stretch fabric and offered in black, dark gray, light gray, sand, pale pink and gold. (Well, that’s almost yellow, right?)
Yes, it’s obviously a continuation of McDonald’s shameless campaign to woo the fashion flock over to its McCafé coffee drinks that began last season -- but we’re mentioning it here anyway because of the charity angle -- it’s to mark the 35th anniversary of the first Ronald McDonald House, the fast-food giant’s philanthropic effort that, among other things, provides lodging for the families of hospitalized children. One hundred percent of proceeds from sales of the gloves will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RHMC).
A private unveiling for select media* is scheduled for Sept. 10 (at the McCafé lounge in the lobby of the Bryant Park tents, naturally), hosted by Duckie’s designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox and actress Holly Robinson-Peete. We’ll post a photo as soon after that as possible.
Starting the same day, the general public can order a pair for a suggested $50 donation by contacting @McCafeYourDay on Twitter.
Who knows -- if the gloves are a hit, maybe next time the boys can give us their take on the Hamburglar’s black-and-white prison stripes or some purple Grimace-inspired jodhpur pants.
-- Adam Tschorn
Follow the Image section on Twitter
[*UPDATED 9/3/09 5:00 pm: the gloves will be unveiled for select, invited media only, not the general public -- sorry random tent dwellers.][UPDATED 9/4/09 10:15 am: This morning, the folks at RHMC sent along a sketch of the gloves -- click on it to see a larger version.]