Walk into your local Forever 21 and you will see crop tops, bodysuits and pull-over jackets adorned with tacos and even look similar to the sauce packets you get at Taco Bell right in the front display. Forever 21 and Taco Bell have partnered up to bring fast food into the realm of fashion. So why are huge fast food companies like Taco Bell looking for more exposure in the teen market that they already dominate? The answer is more or less pretty simple: more money.
Using the hashtag #F21xTacoBell, the two unlikely business partners unveiled their limited edition line to the public. The clothes themselves are somewhat on trend with popular clothing options like sweatshirts in bright pink and fiery red bodysuits, all with bold graphics and signature Taco Bell catch phrases for guys, girls, and kids. I do commend the designers of the line for making the clothes somewhat tasteful and not too in-your-face, however you do have to be a certain kind of person to wear this concept out in public. The chief marketing officer at Taco Bell Corp, Marisa Thalberg said, “we often think of Taco Bell as ‘the fast fashion of food,’ given how we continuously introduce innovative limited edition products that everyone can enjoy, so when it came to our first-ever retail collaboration, we knew our partner had to be the leader in actual fast fashion.”
But in reality, who is really going to wear a shirt with the famous bell logo plastered across the front other then a Taco Bell fanatic and preteens who see their favorite social media influencers, possibly getting paid to do so, wearing it? You run the risk of looking pretty corny in the merch, even if you bought it at Forever 21. Any kind of food reference clothing sold at fast fashion retailers, like Forever 21, comes off as cheesy if you’re wearing it to be “fashion forward” and not as part of a costume or in the privacy of your home.
Taco Bell is not the first to add “fashion house” to their list of achievements. McDonald’s has had its Big Mac Shop since 2015 which includes swimwear, leggings, rain boots and even dog coats all covered with Big Macs. The line is available online exclusively in Canada, Australia, and Europe. All profits go to Ronald McDonald House Charities which is a good cause for wearing burger printed leggings. Also, KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut have independent clothing lines as well. Pizza Hut has the first pizza ordering high tops called “Pie Tops” but it’s safe to say you probably won’t see anyone wearing them to school.
The Taco Bell line is currently sold out online which means that people reacted positively to the collection. Fast food in fashion as a whole is an smart business venture because people will buy anything now a days, and if it sells more collections will come. Its hard to say if you will be taken seriously for wearing these garments but it doesn’t look like “Fast-Food Fashion” is going anywhere. With the holiday season coming up maybe you’ll get a pizza lover in your life a pair of Pie Tops or a KFC sweater.
