Virgil Abloh's Mercedes-Benz G-Class Collaboration

Virgil Abloh has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz for Project Geländewagen, creating a unique artwork from the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Working with Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener, the artwork will be digitally launched to a global audience on Tuesday 08 September 2020, 3:00PM BST. Followed by the release of a home-scale replica of the artwork sold in auction, proceeds will be donated to a charity supporting the arts. The winning bidder will have the opportunity to meet Abloh and Wagener and learn more about the unique collaboration. '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 – for both our products and our brand. By launching Project Geländewagen now we hope to inspire collaboration and creativity in our global audience' Mercedes-Benz AG's Marketing vice president Bettina Fetzer explained in a statement.

The collaboration is a natural fit for polymath Abloh, who moves seamlessly between art, design and fashion. With degrees in civil engineering and architecture, he is well known for challenging the status of what constitutes art, and questioning the language of fashion at the helms of OFF-WHITE and Louis Vuitton men's. In the past, Abloh has collaborated with the likes of IKEA, had a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and in January announced that he is now represented by the Paris-based gallery Galerie Kreo. This new venture with Mercedes-Benz will see fashion, art and automotive come together, forming an exciting new prospect for luxury across each respective landscape. Abloh said of the partnership: 'Mercedes-Benz is a brand that stands for luxury and exceptional performance. Truly a perfect chassis to interject modern artists’ ideas of what the future can be stylistically, within conceptual car design.'