Mercedes Iris van Herpen
CONTEXT
This project was created within a university program with direct support from Mercedes-Benz. The development process included professional feedback and guidance from Mercedes-Benz designers.
CONSULTANTS
Robert Lešnik
Thomas Sälzle
Gabriel Nemeth
András Húnfalvi
Dániel Ruppert
RELEASE DATE
2021
DESIGN BRIEF
The project brief focused on creating a futuristic concept vehicle through a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and a selected fashion brand. The task was to explore how fashion-driven aesthetics, materials, and cultural influence could be translated into an automotive concept while remaining authentic to the Mercedes-Benz brand.
Concept: Automotive Haute Couture
This concept explores Mercedes-Benz luxury through the lens of haute couture—where engineering becomes performance. I chose Iris van Herpen because her work sits exactly at the intersection of craftsmanship and experimentation: sculptural silhouettes, material innovation, and a strong sense of motion captured as form. That alignment makes her a credible partner for Mercedes-Benz—both brands treat design as precision, not decoration, and both use advanced techniques to create elegance with intention.
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Design Translation: The Unfolding Arrival
The vehicle is designed as an arrival ritual for the Met Gala: it doesn’t just “open,” it unfolds like couture. The body panels separate and lift in layered arcs—echoing pleated, ribbed, and wave-like structures from van Herpen’s dresses—so the car becomes a stage that frames the passenger. Light, reflection, and shadow are treated as active materials: glossy surfaces, translucent elements, and fine structural lines amplify motion even when the car is standing still.
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