In the latest sign of cutbacks at Fashion Week, McDonald's will be dressed in barista-chic under the tent. The chain's new McCafé espresso drinks, which will have a billion-dollar launch in May, has been named the official coffee of Fashion Week. McDonald's is pulling a reverse Alexander McQueen-going-to-Target, by sloshing out freebie java to the creme de la creme of the fashion world, prompting the Observer to wonder if the the FW crowd will drink McDonald's, even if it's free. The fear that the fat-peddling fast food brand's presence will tarnish an already diminished Fashion Week doesn't seem to faze one flack, who says, "We are all desperate for sponsorships."
A rep for the chain chain spouts the typical pandering line to Ad Age, going as far as saying, "Tasting is believing." And affirms the company's belief that celebutards and anorexics snapped sitting in the front row clutching their McCups of McCoffee will spark sales. This must be why Betsy Johnson pulled out of the tent extravaganza.
