There are hits, there are misses, and there are “nobody asked for this-es.” But since creating the world’s most beloved sandwich wasn’t enough, Popeyes is attempting to take their zeitgeist moment one step further by capitalizing on another recent pop-cultural phenomenon.
That’s right; after noticing that Beyoncé’s premiere Adidas x Ivy Park collection was created in its signature colors, the fast-food chain took its cue to cross over into the fashion world, creating an Ivy Park-inspired collection of uniforms (because we know those cashiers weren’t wearing bike shorts and asymmetrical minis before). It’s called “That Look From Popeyes,” and to make the correlation between their fried food and Beyoncé’s now-soldout line perfectly clear, they even mimicked the megastar’s lookbook to announce their drop.
“And will we buy it? Maybe. After all, we are the nation that lined up around blocks for its spicy chicken sandwich, ‘grammed the dish like we were being paid to do it, then turned on one another when supplies ran out,” writes the Washington Post’s Emily Heil. “Maybe we will want to don a $30 tunic that the company claims is ‘as classic as our 3-piece tenders and as hot as our spicy dressing.’ Perhaps the $20 cap emblazoned with the chain’s logo could become the must-have accessory for spring.”
Maybe—in fact, the looks are swiftly selling out, as we speak—but our first question was, “Why, though?”
Look, we love that chicken from Popeyes, but that’s really the only biting we’re generally interested in taking part in. We equally stan an ironic fashion statement—and since Bey is a known stan of Popeyes fried chicken (having garnered free chicken for life, because...Beyoncé), maybe she bit first. But can we officially call orange box overload? Chicken sandwich fatigue? A timeout on trend-chasing?
“Of course, all of this feels like some kind of joke that the company is in on, or maybe some extended piece of performance art whose thesis has to do with consumerism and viral fads and…I don’t know, the meaning of life?” asks Heil.
Again, maybe. I can’t speak to whether anyone else has found their life’s meaning in the final bites of Popeyes’ buttery bun; frankly, we’d hoped “the Chickening” had peaked with the Popeyes-inspired ugly Christmas sweater. But if this collection whets your appetite, you’d better get into it ASAP, because it won’t last. Thankfully, like the initial run of Popeyes’ chicken sandwiches, this is a limited edition collection, which means should you partake, you can expect some measure of exclusivity—that is, unless you’re rolling through a Popeyes drive-thru, in which case the question will become: “Who wore it best? And do you want it extra crispy?”