Former McLaren Brand Chief Critiques New Identity as "Chanel-ification"
A former Global Head of Brand at McLaren has voiced disapproval regarding the company's recent rebranding efforts, attributing the backlash to deeper cultural concerns rather than merely the logo change. The individual, who departed in 2025 after a two-year tenure, characterized the reaction as "considerable, subjective and largely negative." The updated identity includes a new wordmark, a broader color palette, and a unified visual system, while still incorporating recognizable elements like Papaya and Speedmark. Detractors have referred to it as the "Chanel-ification of McLaren." The ex-employee contends that McLaren's luxury reputation is based on its racing legacy, expressing worry that the rebrand may indicate a departure from this heritage, highlighting the importance of learning from the past. The final impact remains unclear.
Key facts
- McLaren's new identity includes a revised wordmark, expanded colour palette, and a visual system shared across Racing and Automotive.
- The wordmark is inherited from the McLaren family garage in New Zealand, including its distinctive underlined C.
- The author spent two years as Global Head of Brand at McLaren and was involved in the new identity before leaving at the end of 2025.
- The rebrand has been met with largely negative reactions on social media, with one viral post calling it the 'Chanel-ification of McLaren'.
- The author argues that McLaren has always been a luxury brand, defined by its racing achievements and engineering, not by conventional luxury aesthetics.
- The brand's culture, rooted in Woking, prioritizes what a car should be capable of over customer research.
- Bruce McLaren dropped the possessive S and cedilla when founding his racing team, choosing not to adopt the family garage identity.
- The author concludes that McLaren must find moments from its past to guide its future, rather than reproducing stories of questionable provenance.
Entities
Artists
- Bruce McLaren
- Lando Norris
- Ayrton Senna
- Zak Brown
Institutions
- McLaren
- Rolling Stones
- Jaguar
- Ford
- JLR
- Chanel
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Tom Ford
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Land Rover
- Creative Boom
Locations
- New Zealand
- England
- Woking
- Le Mans