Imagine Virgil Abloh and Mercedes‑Benz AG shaking hands over coffee and sketching the most luxurious box-shaped Benz ever. That’s how Project Geländewagen began—an invitation to rethink the familiar Mercedes-Benz G-Class as a design piece that blends fashion and automotive rigor. With Virgil Abloh as artistic director and Gorden Wagener as creative director, the goal was bold: elevate the status quo and merge avant-garde flair with rugged G‑Wagen heritage. Expect touches of baby blue, minimalist motifs, sustainable materials, and a plush but functional reinterpretation of the iconic G-Class off-roader. In this dive, we explore how that creative fusion reshaped luxury car design forever.
What Is Project Geländewagen?
Project Geländewagen is a conceptual art and design collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh, the late artistic director of Louis Vuitton and founder of Off-White. Partnering with Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz’s Chief Design Officer, Abloh reimagined the iconic G-Class SUV not as a production vehicle but as a one-off design sculpture.
Unveiled in 2020, the project stripped the G-Wagon down to its raw essentials. Featuring a monochrome baby blue exterior, visible weld marks, oversized wheels, a roll cage, and racing-style seat belts. It wasn’t built to be driven; it was built to provoke, inspire, and challenge the traditional idea of luxury.
The project was auctioned for charity, with proceeds going to support creative communities.
The Inception Of The Collaboration
The project was born out of mutual admiration. Mercedes-Benz AG had long admired how Virgil Abloh built bridges between creative communities. On the other hand, Abloh saw the Mercedes-Benz G-Class as more than a luxury SUV. To him, it was a symbol. A cultural marker. A blank canvas waiting to be redefined.
Enter Gorden Wagener, the Mercedes-Benz Chief Designer Officer, a name synonymous with forward-thinking car design. He and Abloh met, quite symbolically, over that sheet of paper. That moment marked the genesis of Project Geländewagen, a radical idea with an ultimate goal: to shake up the perception of luxury.
Key Figures: Virgil Abloh And Gordon Wagener
Let’s talk about the duo that made it happen.
Virgil Abloh, whose background in engineering and architecture lent his fashion work a unique structural feel, brought that same mindset here. He didn’t just want a car; he wanted a piece of design, something that could sit in a gallery or roll down Rodeo Drive.
Gorden Wagener, meanwhile, had the design abilities to bring such vision to life. Known for leading the exterior design of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, he made sure that the car’s boxy silhouette remained. After all, some icons are meant to be preserved.
Together, they weren’t just building a car. They were creating a story.
The Objectives Of The Collaboration
Their ultimate goal wasn’t production. In fact, Project Geländewagen wasn’t even road-legal. This was about imagination, about exploring what a plush off-roader could look like through a lens of contemporary luxury.
They wanted to challenge what we thought about the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Not through performance figures or new infotainment screens, but through design elements that connected fashion, architecture, and automotive form.
Redefining The G-Class
The original G-Class off-roader was popular for its safety frame, utilitarian charm, and rugged boxiness. In this reimagination, the team kept that iconic box-shaped Benz profile intact but stripped away the polish. It became minimalist, raw, and slightly unsettling—on purpose.
The stripped-down, minimalist concept had details like fuel gauges on the outside, a massive bumper bar, and even belts in baby blue that contrasted the harsh exterior with a playful touch.
This wasn’t about horsepower. It was about power of imagination.
Fusion Of Automotive Design And High Fashion
Mixing fashion and automotive sounds like a buzzword until you see Project Geländewagen. The raw design piece blurred the lines between car and couture. Abloh’s influence brought in textures and key design motifs you don’t see on showroom floors—like using sustainable materials, oversized logos, and that bold baby blue.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Maple was involved in tailoring the finer design flourishes, giving the project a cohesive visual identity. The seats were stripped down to racing shells, all paint was matte, and luxury was hinted at, not shouted.
The design elements dared people to ask: is this still a car? Or is it sculpture?
Design Inspirations
Virgil Abloh’s avant-garde influence was obvious. The exposed roll cage, the unpainted interior, the deleted infotainment system—they were statements. He took what you expect in a G-Wagon and turned it inside out.
From Mercedes-Benz’s design heritage, you still saw clarity in lines, functional proportions, and that undeniable confidence. It was still the G. But different. Abloh took the SUV’s DNA and restructured it like he would with a Louis Vuitton bag.
Think of it like this: the Mercedes-Maybach Landaulet represents opulence. Project Geländewagen? That’s rebellion in a velvet box.
Challenges In Merging Creative Domains
The biggest challenge was balance. How do you honor the Mercedes-Benz G-Class legacy while adding something so foreign as avant-garde fashion? The two worlds spoke different languages. But through creative dialogue, they found common ground.
Bridging fashion and automotive design meant focusing on shared values: quality, innovation, and narrative. Yet, they had to maintain functionality and luxury, even in a non-functional concept.
At one point, Abloh reportedly asked, “What if the windows were sealed shut?” Wagener’s team had to translate that into something that felt poetic, not just impractical.
The Reimagined G-Class
Project Geländewagen was more than just a G-Class in a fancy outfit. It was a symbol. A piece of design that proved what can happen when you start with a white sheet and let your mind run wild.
In a world where lines between disciplines blur more each day, this was a moment of clarity—a fusion of fashion and automotive that actually made sense. So what did this reimagined G-Class actually look like? It had:
- An exterior design stripped of gloss and glitz
- Matte white paint
- A safety frame and racing seats
- No side mirrors, just the suggestion of them
- Fuel gauges integrated as part of the aesthetic
- A massive bumper bar
Even the tires looked like they belonged on a concept from the future. This was the G-Class off-roader taken to the edge of abstraction.
And inside? No plush carpets. No leather. Just raw metal and stripped-down honesty. A kind of brutalist luxury that made people stop and stare.
Impact On Automotive And Fashion Industries
The ripple effects were real. Project Geländewagen didn’t just create buzz. It set new benchmarks for cross-industry collaboration.
Luxury brands began to see cars differently. Not as transportation, but as canvases. Meanwhile, automakers realized that design can be emotion-led, not just engineered.
The auction house buzzed when a replica auction of the design was announced. Advanced bidding showcased not just financial interest but cultural demand.
Most importantly, it inspired more brands to take risks. More creative directors and design officers began to think beyond their traditional silos.
Thanks to Virgil Abloh, Gorden Wagener, and the creative forces at Mercedes-Benz AG, the iconic box-shaped Benz found a new story to tell. And perhaps more importantly, they reminded us all: when you break the status quo, beautiful things can happen.
Conclusion
Project Geländewagen showed us what happens when you marry Mercedes’ trail-tested design abilities with Virgil Abloh’s minimalist concept flair. The result wasn’t just another Mercedes-Benz G-Class—it was a plush off-roader transformed into a piece of design that defied expectations. With its baby-blue highlights, a refined bumper bar, subtle fuel gauges, and sustainable touches, the car kept its boxy silhouette while redefining contemporary luxury. It challenged conventional car design, merged design motifs from both worlds, and raised the bar across creative communities. The collaboration shook up perceptions of luxury, proving that even an icon like the G‑Class can be bold, fresh, and unapologetically stylish.
FAQs
- What Is Project Geländewagen?
It’s a conceptual design project by Mercedes‑Benz AG and Louis Vuitton, led by Virgil Abloh and Gorden Wagener, to reimagine the G-Class silhouette. - Who Led The Collaboration On The G-Class Redesign?
Virgil Abloh served as artistic director, and Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer, guided the creative direction, overseeing aesthetics and function. - What Design Elements Are Featured In Project Geländewagen?
Expect minimalist nods like baby blue accents, sustainable materials, stripped-down fuel gauges, a clean bumper bar, and a preserved boxy silhouette with luxury cues. - How Did The Project Bridge Fashion And Automotive Design?
By challenging the status quo, blending Louis Vuitton’s artistic luxury with Mercedes’ off-roader engineering, while keeping the safety frame intact. - Did Project Geländewagen Influence Future Collaborations?
Yes. This project set new benchmarks for contemporary luxury and inspired cross-disciplinary projects in both car design and creative communities. - Were Any Reimagined G-Class Pieces Auctioned?
A replica auction of the full concept appeared at an auction house, with advanced bidding drawing interest from art and design collectors.