Chipotle is getting into the fashion industry. Yes, Chipotle — the Mexican Grill — has decided to flex its sense of creativity in the clothing world. The restaurant just commissioned an “upcycle designer” to make some fancy cargo pants… out of napkins.
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The concept started with featuring ways to reuse, reduce, and recycle. So, Chipotle had the great idea of “let’s make some pants out of napkins.” Literally, they are cargo pants, and they are made of paper napkins.
Designer Nicole McLaughlin posted a photo of the napkin pants to her Instagram. They’re pretty sleek, and they apparently look quite nice with a pair of Crocs.
“Cargo zip-offs made from @chipotle napkins,” McLaughlin wrote. “Wipe your hands on your pants.”
Food & Wine reported that Chipotle has been trying out “quick hit gimmicks” to see if they make a splash. So far, the burrito chain has released items like cilantro soap, a candle that looks like a water cup filled with lemonade (for all the lemonade thieves out there), and now the napkin pants. The napkin pants actually are a twist on a joke from June of 2021, when the restaurant posted a photoshopped image of some “Deluxe Napkin Shorts.”
Unfortunately, Nicole McLaughlin’s Chipotle zip-off cargo napkin pants are not for sale to the public. But she really did make them, and you can check them out on her Instagram account, along with items like a Croissant Bra, a tennis ball Carhartt hat, and shorts made of cheese sandwiches.
Chipotle is Showcasing Sustainable Fashion — Not Selling It
The napkin pants are solely for the purpose of making a statement. Chipotle has a commitment to sustainability and showcasing the upcycled napkins is supposed to get people to rethink how they use things and what they throw away.
Chipotle’s 2021 Sustainability Report Update states that 100% of the chain’s new restaurant openings participated in their food donation “Harvest Program.” Chipotle also set up composting programs at nearly 1/3 of their locations, recycled 2.4 million cubic yards of waste, composted 107,900 cubic yards of waste, and turned 68,490 cubic yards of waste into renewable energy.
You can read Chipotle’s full 2021 Sustainability Report here.