Virgil Abloh’s impact is still making waves through technology and fashion.
Since the announcement of his passing, it was also revealed that Abloh worked alongside Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gordon Wagener for Project Maybach.
Project Maybach
Mercedes-Benz is now honoring Virgil Abloh, who passed away late November after an aggressive battle with cancer, by announcing the Project Maybach concept. Abloh guided the design of the luxury vehicle which carries the essence of the former Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept released in 2016.
Car and Driver reports, Abloh’s creativity birthed the Project Maybach’s front-end features such as circular headlights, cFour auxiliary lights enhanced by a bull bar attached to the bumper, and four additional lights extending from the roof rack. The Project Maybach also sports circular taillights and two-toned solar cells underneath the hood. According to Mercedes, the 20 foot in length model was designed to take on any terrain, Car and Driver reports.
Project Maybach was on display at the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida from Dec. 1–2 “to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent.”
“Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh. Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil’s family and teams. Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil’s unique vision, to the public, we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all that knew his work,” said Mercedes-Benz AG, according to BET.
While it’s unclear whether Mercedes plans to bring Project Maybach to life, the luxury brand revealed the product “exemplifies the possibilities of future design.”
Project Geländewagen
Virgil Abloh and Gordon Wagener’s creative minds first crossed paths last year, fusing fashion and art into the brand’s automotive concept, Project Geländewagen. The overarching goal of the ambitious project was to “push the boundaries of each respective creative realm and reimagine the luxury landscape,” according to the Mercedes website.
Project Geländewagen marked a new triumph for the luxury car brand, as they were aiming to create their first-ever race car with the brains of a designer such as Abloh, who was known for his boundary-pushing approach to design.
Having already owned a Mercedes’ G-Class vehicle, Abloh and Gordon were able to identify improvements and optimize the design for Mercedes’ ambitious project. Abloh and Wagener also wanted to steer away from the conventional clean and seamless finish and adopt a natural and raw look which they felt was more honest.