Famous Filipino fried chicken resto inspired one of the best merch at ComplexCon 2023
Photos from Lennard Macaranas @butterypat/Instagram
Beloved Filipino fried chicken restaurant Max’s just made a splash at the annual gathering for sneakerheads, music junkies, and pop culture enthusiasts in California called ComplexCon. This is all thanks to merch designed by Filipino-American designer Lennard Macaranas AKA Unkie Leroy featuring various Max’s logos and iconography throughout its 78-year history.
You may also like: How to Reheat Fried Chicken the Right Way
For T-shirts, Macaranas used the restaurant’s early advertisements that feature a flamboyant cock courting a hen as well as the imagery of its mascot Chickie Boy. A standout in the lineup though is a red and white chore coat with a diamond checkered pattern that features all of the logos Max’s has had over the years. The merch was exclusively sold during ComplexCon on Nov. 18 and 19 in Long Beach, California at First We Feast’s Lagoon, which featured food merchants and other restaurant merch collaborations. Some sizes immediately sold out.
View this post on Instagram
Macaranas is the founder of the sustainable brand TrashmanGrn, which upcycles vintage fabric into new clothes. “Our whole brand is based off recycling and repurposing everything. Even little ends of things, I reuse all the scraps,” he told Complex in an interview. TrashmanGrn was launched in 2019, also at ComplexCon.
You may also like: 5 Filipino designers championing Pinoy culture and craft
Max’s began in 1945 after World War II. Its first location in Quezon City catered to American troops, serving chicken, steak, and drinks. “The House That Fried Chicken Built” now operates over 170 restaurants in the Philippines, North America, Canada, and the Middle East.
