KFC x Amos Ananda: Have your fast food and... wear it

If there's anyone who can capitalise on a bucket hat design that literally reminds us of their signature bucket of fried chicken, it's KFC.

The fast food chain has collaborated with local streetwear designer Amos Ananda on a capsule collection of 11 limited-edition pieces including apparel (a hoodie, a coach jacket, a Hawaiian shirt, tees, shorts, jogger pants) and accessories (the aforementioned bucket hat and a tote bag).

Singaporean designer Amos Ananda (full name Amos Ananda Yeo) returned to Singapore from Shenzhen, China – where he operates a design studio – at the start of 2021 because of the worsening Covid-19 sitch there.

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To make ends meet, the 31-year-old father started a home-based business selling hei pia (deep-fried prawn fritters).

KFC – which released limited-edition fried-chicken-themed reusable face masks in April – saw this as an opportune moment to not only support the community by enabling someone like Amos feed his passion, but also make history with this first-ever streetwear collab in Singapore between a quick-service restaurant chain and a local fashion designer.

“With the success and enthusiastic reception towards KFC masks earlier this year, we saw an amazing opportunity to provide a local designer the platform needed to not only support his business during these challenging times but also help boost the local streetwear scene," says Lynette Lee, General Manager, KFC Singapore.

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It’s not the first time that KFC has had an alliance with the fashion industry though. In 2019, KFC worked with veteran fashion designer Thomas Wee to create new uniforms for their staff that were bold and functional.

But where this new partnership is concerned, we're particularly taken with the National Day-red Colonel Sanders Hawaiian shirt, based off an existing cool AF black-and-white design by Amos Ananda. Prices of the items in the capsule collection range from $19.90 (for the tote bag) to $109.90 (for the coach jacket).

“The collection was inspired by the KFC brand that is Always Original – which is also the essence of my brand. It’s such an honour to partner with KFC Singapore to spread the message of celebrating one’s original state of self and owning one’s personality and style through fashion," says Amos.

"During this pandemic, the KFC x AMOS ANANDA collection allowed me to pursue my passion – it felt amazing designing streetwear again. I hope our friends and fans will enjoy this collection as much as I do!”

The collection will be available for pre-orders on the KFC Official Store on Shopee from Aug 9, 2021, while stocks last.

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.