Mercedes-Benz goes Armani

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Mercedes-Benz goes Armani

A glimpse of the future marketing direction?

email: avoglezon@mbzlongbeach.com

Mercedes-Benz and Giorgio Armani announce joint cooperative venture

First initiative: Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car

Continuing Mercedes-Benz fashion activities under the “Passion for Design & Style” theme

Milan, Italy

Coinciding with the start of Milan Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz and Giorgio Armani announce the start of a new joint cooperative venture, the first initiative being the creation of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car.

The idea for the collaboration has arisen following on from the successful start of Mercedes-Benz’s sponsorship of the five-city world tour of the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s Giorgio Armani – A Retrospective exhibition. The tour began at Berlin’s Neue Nationale Galerie in May, 2003 and will open next at London’s Royal Academy of Arts (New Burlington Gardens) on October 18, following which the exhibition will visit museum venues in Rome, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

With regard to the new joint cooperative venture Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President, Mercedes Car Group, says, "The contact we have had with Giorgio Armani through our sponsorship of Salomon R. Guggenheim’s exhibition has revealed that we have much in common. Giorgio Armani’s philosophy of style, elegance, innovation and quality resonate strongly with our own brand strategy.

Design and style clearly dominate both our worlds, which, in our opinion, provides a fundamental and inspiring basis for promising collaborative initiatives.” Dr. Schmidt continues, "We are happy to be able to share our ’Passion for Design & Style’ with one of the most important fashion designers of our time."

Giorgio Armani, President and Chief Executive of the Armani Group, says, "Mercedes-Benz has justifiably achieved an outstanding reputation for the quality, style and elegance of its cars. It has been very interesting for me to see the great similarities between our design philosophies and our approaches to work. This leads me to believe that there will be opportunities in the future for joint projects capitalizing on our respective strengths.”

The idea behind the joint cooperative venture is the joint development of international communications platforms as well as the expansion of both corporations' customer bases. In this context, the unmistakable design philosophies – a crossover of automotive and fashion design – are to be brought to life within the framework of trend-setting projects on a worldwide basis. "Today, individual design worlds overlap more than ever. Once-disparate areas-art, architecture or fashion-now flow into one another and interact. And the automobile design world is no exception," comments Peter Pfeiffer, Senior Vice President Design, DaimlerChrysler AG. An example of this approach is the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car, which is being premiered during Milan Fashion Week.

The Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car brings to life Mercedes-Benz’s legendary automotive design and Giorgio Armani's distinctive approach to style in a way that uniquely demonstrates the synergy in philosophies. The development of the car took place in Como and Milan over a four month period with the DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Studio Como overseeing the implementation of Giorgio Armani’s design direction.

Giorgio Armani’s concept in designing the color and material for the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car was to bring back that sense of handcraftsmanship that one associates with vintage cars, thereby creating a modern, timeless and ultra-elegant feeling, which ultimately reflects the spirit of both brands. Giorgio Armani incorporated surprising effects by removing materials from their accustomed context, combining them in unusual ways and thereby creating something new. The result is an exciting combination of leather (called "Cuoio"), which was fashionable in the 1940s and 1950s and is today used for only few articles, with high-technology fabrics adopted from present-day sportswear.

The entire car is held in matching nuances of a shade of sand, called "Sabbia", that is typical of Giorgio Armani’s color palette. Exciting contrasts are created by juxtaposed matt/high-sheen surfaces of the car’s interior and bodywork. The Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car derives its striking appearance from this color scheme, deliberately dispensing with superficial effects.

Following the presentation of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car during Milan Fashion Week, the car will be presented in other important cities around the world. A limited edition production version will be made available for special order in the Mercedes-Benz Designo Program.

Fact sheet: Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car

The Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car is the first joint project within the framework of a new joint cooperative venture: the unmistakable design by Mercedes-Benz combined with the timeless style of the legendary fashion designer.

The unique Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car was created in less than four months. Giorgio Armani contributed his design vision and his outstanding feel for colors and materials; Mercedes-Benz provided the automotive design know-how. Verena C. Kloos, managing director of the DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, assumed a coordinating role in the realization of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car. Talking about her cooperation with the designer, Verena Kloos comments on the special nature of this synergy of two design philosophies: "The approach to our work was characterized by the highest levels of professionalism and aesthetic aspiration. The development of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car has shown that this inspiring crossover of different design worlds can create exciting results."

For Giorgio Armani, this project was the first opportunity to come into direct contact with the automotive design world: "We found a common language very quickly indeed. It was interesting for me to see that my vision of design was translated so precisely by Mercedes-Benz in the Design Car. I think the result speaks for itself," says Giorgio Armani.

Design period:

May until September 2003

Theme/inspiration:
The design is clear and functional, masculine and sporty; the colors reflect an outdoor/late summer atmosphere

Design:
Development by Giorgio Armani in close cooperation with Verena C. Kloos, managing director of DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Italia, Como

Design concept:
Intriguing mix of "Cuoio" in a saddle-type shade of brown with high-technology material from the world of sportswear; exciting contrasts created by matt and high-sheen surfaces; harmoniously matched color shades with jet-black accents; modern practicality with a high aesthetic appeal

Bodywork finish:
"Sabbia", a sand shade typical of Armani with greenish nuances, creating a sporty elegance; high-matt finish, giving the car a unique feel

Trim:
Matching shades of high-sheen "Sabbia", jet-black lateral trim giving the car body a distinctive structure

Soft-top:
High-technology canvas in a semi-matt finish, color-keyed to the bodywork; special development for the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car

Interior:
Deliberate dispensing with chrome trim, color-keyed to the bodywork finish; delicate, silky-matt fabrics contrasting with the decorative use of "Cuoio" (e.g. center console); metal trim in "Aged Look", no use of classical wood trim

Seats:
"Cuoio" combined with three-dimensional structural fabrics from the world of sports; fabrics in "Sabbia" with a light sheen, moisture-absorbing and "breathing"; when stretched, the pockets on the rear of the backrests reveal girth straps

Dashboard:
Technical fabrics adopted from sportswear, jet black with an intensive sheen; modern and functional appeal Steering wheel: Pleasant feel created by "Cuoio" contrasting with black, finely perforated leather that provides for a perfect grip

Mercedes-Benz intensifies its Global Involvement in the World of Fashion

"Passion for Design & Style" motto links all components

Milan, Italy

For several years, Mercedes-Benz has consistently pursued a strategy anchoring the brand in lifestyle-related fields, particularly in the world of fashion. “Communication activities for the Mercedes-Benz brand have for years been focused on presenting the brand in the lifestyle settings of its target group. People are interested in everything that relates to their personal lifestyle settings. This also includes the brands which feature in, and are part of, these worlds,“ comments Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President, Mercedes Car Group, elaborating upon the Mercedes-Benz brand's close cooperation with the fashion world.

The company launched its fashion commitment under the "Design & Style" banner with the title sponsorship for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York in Spring 2001. Two years later, Mercedes-Benz is now a partner in prestigious international fashion events in Los Angeles, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, Venezuela and Australia. The company's newest project is its joint cooperative venture with Giorgio Armani. Mercedes-Benz is the main sponsor of the global "Giorgio Armani" exhibition, a retrospective of the designer's work which will tour the world until early 2005. After having visited Berlin in the summer of 2003, the exhibition will travel to London, Rome, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
A further milestone in this heightened cooperation is Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car, the visual expression of the partnership, which will be presented in all cities visited by the exhibition and will also feature in additional communication activities. Future projects are planned with Giorgio Armani that will further reflect the synergy of the two brands' design philosophies.

With its active involvement in the fashion arena, Mercedes-Benz aims to advance the integration of its brand into this world. By establishing itself as an integral part of the fashion environment, the brand thus opens up to new target groups and communication platforms on an international level.

In a magnificent villa in Como reminiscent of the glories of the past, the DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Italia team muses on beautiful objects for the future. The neoclassical Villa Salazar was built in the 18th century. Today, a young, multicultural team works to develop stylish interiors for future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Como is one of three international design studios that belong to the DaimlerChrysler Design Center, based in Sindelfingen, Germany. The other two Advanced Design studios, located in California, USA (Irvine/Los Angeles) and Japan (Yokohama/Tokyo), focus primarily on the exterior design of the star-bearing automobiles.

Year founded:
1998

Managing director:
Verena C. Kloos

”Our credo is to focus on fundamental values such as quality, tradition and continuity. However, each new Mercedes-Benz model must inherently radiate an irresistible magnetism. This is a key ingredient in achieving lasting customer brand loyalty.”

Number of employees:
15

Responsibilities:
Conception and development of passenger-car interiors for Mercedes-Benz

Process:
Designing and detailing shapes, colors, materials and surfaces; analyzing trends and lifestyles with an eye to their durability to avoid ephemeral trends; testing and integrating new technologies in close cooperation with Mercedes-Benz Research and Predevelopment; creation of 1:1 models; submitting the results of their work to the Design Center in Sindelfingen.

Curriculum Vitae: Verena C. Kloos ....Wasn't she Martin Landau's wife on Mission impossible? :)

Verena C. Kloos has for the last three years been Head of the DaimlerChrysler Design Center in Como, Italy, where she is responsible for planning and designing passenger car interiors for the Mercedes-Benz brand. She is among the world’s leading designers in the automotive sector. The realization of the Mercedes-Benz CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car was the result of four months of intensive collaboration between her team and Giorgio Armani.

Date of birth:
May 14, 1961

Birthplace:
Wolfsburg, Germany

Position:
Managing Director,DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Italia s.r.l., Como, Italy

Education:
1980 – 1986 Course in industrial design, design diploma, College for the Creative Arts, Braunschweig
1985 – 1988 Evening course in business studies, Technical University, Braunschweig

Career:
1987 - 1989 Team Leader Color & Trim (color and material development), Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg
1989 - 1991 Chief Designer Color & Trim; Developed and headed the Color & Trim studio at Mazda Motor Corp., R&D Center Europe, Oberursel
1991 - 1994 Design Director, Volkswagen of United States, Design Center Simi Valley
1994 - 1996 Project Leader Group Strategy/Product Management, Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg
1996 - 1998 Head of Strategic Product Planning, Micro Compact Car GmbH, Renningen
1999 - 2000 Project Leader Equipment, projects included SLA, AMG interior concepts, DaimlerChrysler AG, Sindelfingen
since March 2000 Manager, DaimlerChrysler Advanced Design Italia s.r.l., Como, Italy

Other responsibilities:
Lectures widely at conferences as well as at technical colleges and universities, including Braunschweig, Dessau, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena (California); Mentor to young female designers (Pasadena)

email andre: avoglezon@mbzlongbeach.com