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Project Geländewagen. Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh

Source: Mercedes Benz AG / Mercedes Benz AG

Virgil Abloh‘s reach now goes beyond hyped up Jordan 1s, Off-White tee shirts, and slandered album covers.

The multihyphenate is now taking his design chops to automobiles after given the chance to swag out a Mercedes Benz G-Class. Dubbed Project Geländewagen, the collab was previously teased back in July when he began working with Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener. Abloh and Wagener are both G-Class owners, so they knew what they liked about the truck and the design cues they thought could make an already classic big body an even better experience on the road.

Abloh recently spoke to Hypebeast about the design details he implementing in the G Class and his general rule when it comes to not designing things from scratch.

“One of my personal rules — or ‘cheat notes’ as I like to call them — is the rule of three,” Abloh said. “To me, an existing object needs to be altered by only 3 percent to become something new, to evoke a new or different emotion, to be perceived differently by the world. I carry this with me in everything I do.”

He continues, recognizing the importance Benz plays in the culture since it’s always been a status symbol in Hip Hop as a sign of success.

Project Geländewagen. Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh

Source: Mercedes Benz AG / Mercedes Benz AG

“Collaboration is when two people, groups, brands, ideologies, come together with two different languages to create a new one,” Abloh continued. “Mercedes-Benz is a brand that stands for luxury and exceptional performance. There’s a history to the brand and the effects it has had on culture that just can’t be denied.”

Beginning on September 14, a replica of the Virgil Abloh x Mercedes-Benz G-Class Project Geländewagen will be auctioned as part of the Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated sale, with proceeds going to a charity.

Get a closer look at the unique G-Class in the gallery below:

Virgil Abloh Puts His Own Spin On a One of One Luxurious Mercedes Benz G-Class  was originally published on cassiuslife.com