McDonald’s has launched a new personalised ‘inclusive’ uniform that allows staff to wear the clothes ‘they feel most comfortable in’.

The fast food giant has announced a uniform trial that will give workers the option to wear beanies, bucket hats, and bandanas – as well as jeans, chinos, denim skirts and even joggers.

Employees can ‘create a personalised uniform that best reflects their own identity’ and have the choice between classic and tailored fits to ensure that ‘all preferences are catered for’, McDonald’s said.

This will be the time that the fast food chain has made changes to its uniform since 2016. 

McDonald’s say that the new range has been designed in response to employee feedback to ensure it is ‘modern, inclusive and functional’.

It follows other big corporations changing their uniforms to be more inclusive. In 2022, Virgin Atlantic announced that crew, pilots and ground staff could wear whichever uniform they feel most comfortable in ‘no matter their gender’.

Meanwhile, last year British Airways relaxed the rules around its strict uniform policy and also went gender-neutral.

McDonald’s has launched a new personalised ‘inclusive’ uniform that allows staff to wear clothes ‘they feel most comfortable in’

During the McDonald’s trial, crew will be able to chose whatever clothes they feel comfortable in, varying from ‘classic’ to ‘tailored’ fits.

The new uniform will be trialled in selected restaurants in the next few weeks ahead of a full launch in all UK and Ireland restaurants next year.

Staff will be able to choose from t-shirts and polo shirts and jeans, chinos and denim skirts. Accessories such as bucket hates, bandanas, beanie hats and other new cap designs.

It’s understood that each item designed will be fully recyclable when it comes to the end of its life. 

McDonald’s will also launch new versions of religious headwear and maternity wear in the near future. 

Both are currently available, but the new designs will be improved in terms of comfort and style and will incorporate feedback from multi-faith groups within the business. 

James Thorne, Chief People Officer, McDonald’s UK&I, said: ‘Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so I’m really excited to get their feedback on what we think is a fantastic range. 

The collection will give team members the opportunity to really create a look that reflects who they are – while still absolutely looking and feeling like part of the team. 

Combined with the fact that the collection has been designed with the circular economy in mind and is made from recycled or sustainable materials – it’s a collection that we know our people will feel proud to wear.’

The new uniform will be trialled in selected restaurants in the next few weeks ahead of a full launch in all UK and Ireland restaurants next year.

Bukky, a team member at McDonald’s in South London, said: ‘Having the option to choose what I wear at work is so important to me and I’m really looking forward to trialling the new range on my shifts and helping to shape the final designs before they are rolled out next year.’

Phil Harland, Director of Client Management at the company Dimensions, who created the new collection, said: ‘I’m extremely proud to have been part of the team that has created the new workwear for McDonald’s. 

‘We have worked hard to design a unique collection that is modern, comfortable, and sustainable. 

‘Feedback from Crew has been vital to developing the range and the trials will help us to continue to take these inputs on board to ensure all the items are perfectly suited to the restaurant environment.’

As well as airlines changing their uniforms in recent years, Girl Guides and Brownies also launched an ‘inclusive’ uniform following a row over trans children joining the organisations.

The inclusive uniform redesign is set to launch in 2026 and will mark the first change since the charity collaborated with British designer Jeff Banks in 1990. 

The historic children’s group – which is now called Girlguiding – has said that ‘affordability, sustainability and inclusivity’ will be at the forefront of their redesign – as their partner HemmingwayDesign says that ‘ethics and environment’ are they key considerations in the new clothes.

It comes less than two years after Girl Guides sparked a trans row when they published an interview with the parents of a child who began ‘living as a girl’ from the age of five.

The largest organisation for girls in Britain was branded ‘dangerous’ after it boasted of its ‘trans inclusive’ credentials as it told the story of ‘Rainbow’, one of its newest ‘Brownies’, in its summer magazine.