Singapore McDonald's outlet pulls down its shutters as crowds rush for K-pop star's $8 hats

Long queues formed at McDonald's outlets in Singapore on Oct. 8 for limited-edition merchandise tied to K-pop star G-Dragon, and one crowded outlet was seen with its shutters pulled down.

A tote bag, a pin set and a vintage hat made with Peaceminusone, the fashion label of the BigBang leader, went on sale at 11 a.m., and queues had formed at several outlets from early that morning, AsiaOne reported.

The hat, which AsiaOne said appeared to be the most sought-after item, costs S$9.90 (US$7.73) with a minimum spend of S$10, is open only to members of the chain's MyM rewards program and is sold at just 10 outlets.

Each of those outlets had 900 hats, sold on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to one per member, who must order in person at a self-ordering kiosk through the McDonald's app, according to the company's terms for the sale.

More than 60 people were queueing outside the outlet at Funan mall that morning, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Among them was a 39-year-old sales worker surnamed Huang, who worked on her laptop as she waited. She told the Chinese-language daily that she and her 13-year-old daughter are G-Dragon fans and that working remotely allowed her to join the queue.

The vintage hat and tote bag from McDonald’s collaboration with Peaceminusone, the fashion label of K-pop star G-Dragon. Photo courtesy of McDonald’s

At Canberra Plaza, another of the 10 outlets, a photo that a mallgoer sent to Shin Min showed the restaurant's shutters down while it appeared full of customers waiting for their orders. The shutters are believed to have been lowered temporarily to manage the crowd.

The outlet at The Woodleigh Mall was packed at about 1:15 p.m., with many customers holding up their phones as an employee appeared to address the crowd, according to photos sent to Stomp by a reader identified as Ed. "Fast food become auction," Ed told the news site.

The merchandise is part of a Korea-led McDonald's campaign with G-Dragon that is rolling out across 13 Asian markets, according to The Korea Herald.

In South Korea, where a vintage cap from the collaboration went on sale on Sept. 28 for 12,000 won ($8.94), resale listings climbed to about 60,000 won within days, Seoul Economic Daily reported.

In Singapore, the tote bag costs S$12.90 with any meal and the pin set S$5.90, according to McDonald's, and fans can check its app for outlets that still have stock.

G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, is due to perform with BigBang bandmates Taeyang and Daesung at Singapore's National Stadium on Oct. 17 and 18 as part of the group's world tour.