Project Mondo G is a Mercedes G-Wagen wearing a PUFFER JACKET
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Auto and fashion collaborations are not something entirely new. Think, for example, of Paul Smith and his various custom Mini creations.
But this latest example is a little more left field as a result of a collaboration between German auto giant Mercedes-Benz and high-end Italian luxury fashion house Moncler.
Called the Project Mondo G, it’s a £131,000 Mercedes G-Class wrapped in a puffer jacket. And it’s probably the strangest machine born of a collaboration between the two industries that we’ve seen yet.
The 4X4’s rear and side windows and massive monster truck-style tires are covered in the glitzy nylon fabric used for the fashion label’s luxury jackets, while the roof – also draped in the material – even has a zipper that extends from the top of the windshield extends to the trunk lid.
The Mercedes in a jacket: The German car giant has teamed up with fashion label Moncler to drape a luxury puffer jacket over a G-Wagen to create the Project Mondo G
The Abominable Mercedes Snow Truck: The concept vehicle was created for an exhibition at London Fashion Week
If you’ve never heard of Moncler, the Milan-based fashion house specializes in flashy outerwear, with its puffer jackets generally carrying a price tag of over £1,000 each.
The one-off concept was created with Mercedes as part of the label’s showpiece ‘The Art of Imagination’ for London Fashion Week, which began on February 17 and continues today.
The design combines the features of the G-Class and the fashion brand’s jackets, resulting in one of the strangest four-wheeled creations we’ve ever seen.
The 4X4’s rear and side windows and massive monster truck-style tires are covered in the glitzy nylon fabric used for the fashion label’s luxury coats
Design drawings of the collaboration show how the two brands wanted to merge the luxury items into a one-off piece of art
The design drawings show the intention to cover the underside of the colossal 4X4 in the fabric of the puffer jacket
The roof – also draped in the puffer jacket material – even has a zipper that runs from the top of the windshield to the boot lid
It is the first car collaboration in which Moncler has been involved. And if this design is anything to go by, we hope it’s the last.
“The ‘Art of Imagination’ theme is an inspiring message to dream big and explore their own firsts: break new ground, bring the impossible within reach and explore without limits,” says Mercedes.
Britta Seeger, the marketing and sales boss of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, describes the creation of the G-Wagen as an ‘X-factor brand moment’.
She added: “At Mercedes-Benz, we are committed to culture and society.
“Our co-creation with Moncler offers an unexpected experience of both brands.
“This debut collaboration with Moncler opens up new horizons and opens up opportunities for more news coming soon.”
The one-off concept was created with Mercedes as part of the label’s showpiece ‘The Art of Imagination’ for London Fashion Week, which began on Feb. 17 and runs through today (Feb. 21).
The huge tires have raised the G-Wagen by more than half a meter, from 2.2 meters to 2.8 meters, while the weight has remained about the same at 2.5 tons
The design combines the features of the G-Class and the fashion brand’s jackets, resulting in one of the strangest four-wheeled creations we’ve ever seen
The combination of a G-Class 4X4 and the ‘style-defining’ Moncler puffer jacket has resulted in a moon buggy that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the backdrop of East 17’s popular 1994 Christmas hit, Stay Another Day.
The Mercedes has been given a patina effect, with the panels sprayed for a lived-in look.
“This is the visual counterpoint of the perfect, high-gloss reflective surfaces that underpin the claim to luxury,” the two companies explain.
If you’ve never heard of Moncler, the Milan-based fashion house specializes in flashy outerwear
Moncler puffer jackets generally carry a price tag of over £1,000 each. The brand was founded in 1952 in Monestier-de-Clermont, France
Project Mondo G is Moncler’s first automotive collaboration. And if this design is anything to go by, we hope it’s the latter
The combination of a G-Class 4X4 and the ‘style-defining’ Moncler puffer jacket has resulted in a moon buggy that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the backdrop of East 17’s popular 1994 Christmas hit, Stay Another Day
The brands add that the massive zipper is “another intentionally striking and eye-catching element,” adding: “The zipper is a practical reference to the versatility and variability of both products, vehicle and jacket.”
The huge tires have raised the G-Wagen by over half a meter, from 2.2 meters to 2.8 meters, while the weight has remained about the same at 2.5 tons.
The padded wheels also make the G-Class creation 3.4 meters wide – an increase over the standard car’s 2 meters.
It means the Project Mondo G is the same width as two Ford Fiestas, so trying to park would no doubt be a major headache.
The bodywork of the Mercedes G-Class has been given a patina effect, with the panels painted for an aged look to provide a ‘visual counterpoint to the perfect, high-gloss reflective surfaces’ of the upholstery material
While auto and fashion collaborations are nothing new, we can’t recall another resulting vehicle pulling a zipper
One of the most famous – and longest-running – fashion and automotive collaborations is Paul Smith (left) and his various bespoke Minis from 1999. This was the first – an original Mini with the iconic stripes of his own fashion collection.
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