Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, arguably today’s most zeitgeisty designer, will partner with Mercedes-Benz on a thing called Project Gelandewagen, which will see a one-off artwork produced based on the iconic G Wagon.
Abloh, currently the artistic director at Louis Vuitton, is arguably the most sought after designer in the world, having collaborated most famously with Nike on a range of trainers (below), which are distinguished by their bold lettering and protruding plastic tags; his clothing brand Off-White knocks out coats for £1300 a pop.
The announcement by Mercedes-Benz declares that Abloh will create a one-off artwork for the company, although if it drums up adequate publicity to justify the designer’s no doubt enormous fee, there’ll probably be more to come.
“Mercedes-Benz is more than a luxury carmaker, it is a design brand and luxury label,” said Mercedes-Benz chief designer Gorden Wagener (pictured left with Abloh below). “The next step in pushing Mercedes-Benz design is our collaboration with Virgil Abloh.”
“Teaming up with Virgil Abloh, one of the most influential and inspiring creatives of our time, represents Mercedes-Benz's idea of zeitgeist, co-creation and contemporary luxury,” added Bettina Fetzer, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz.
The image will be unveiled September 8 at a launch event in Germany, which will also include a charity auction for a smaller scale replica of the piece with all the proceeds going to an arts charity. You’ll be able to watch a livestream of the event from 4pm at Mercedes-benz.com.
So in case you’re wondering where this collaboration might end up, here’s something we knocked up. LOL etc.
Keyword: Mercedes announces ultra-hip partnership with Virgil Abloh