‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz

This past weekend, Moncler brought its distinct brand of showmanship to Shanghai, China, erecting what it called ‘The City of Genius’ in which a slew of big-name collaborators – among them the fashion designer Rick Owens, former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, and the musicians A$AP Rocky and Willow Smith – presented collections which riffed on the Italian outerwear brand’s history of adventure and innovation.

Part of the ‘Genius’ arm of Moncler, which has drafted numerous co-collaborators to create collections for the label since its advent in February 2018, the accompanying events are akin to enormous immersive exhibitions whereby participants create cinematic ‘worlds’ to display their collections, from foam parties to Space Odyssey-style corridors. In 2023, 10,000 people attended the road-block event at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, which included a series of vast installations and a performance from Alicia Keys; this year, 8,000 attended in Shanghai, with an estimated global viewership of 57 million people, according to the brand (helped, no doubt, by a much-reposted appearance from Rihanna, there to support partner A$AP Rocky, who presented a collection at the event).

Future nostalgia: Mercedes-Benz x Moncler by Nigo

One of this year’s more intriguing projects saw Moncler team up in a three-way collaboration with the Japanese fashion designer Nigo and German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. Nigo, who is currently the creative director of Kenzo and something of a legend in the streetwear realm having founded A Bathing Ape (Bape) in 1993, created not just a fashion collection for the project, but also an ‘art-piece’ version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, reworked from a 1990s model of the distinctive car. Known colloquially as the ‘G-Wagon’ and designed in the 1970s, it is perhaps one of the world’s best-known and culturally ubiquitous vehicles, having appeared in numerous movies, TV shows and music videos (in 1980, it even served as the Popemobile for a time). This launch follows a 2023 collaboration between Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which debuted at the London ‘Art of Genius’ event and was inspired by the quilted exterior of one of the brand’s puffer jackets.

‘For me, the 1990s were among the most influential decades from a cultural and creative standpoint,’ explains Nigo of the nexus of the design, which is titled ‘Project G-Class Past II Future’. ‘Electronic music and the hip-hop scene arose as a new expression of urban character. I wanted to integrate that vibe and energy into the design by interpreting that legacy for a new contemporary era.’ As such, it features a sound system installation from audio engineer and G-Class enthusiast Devon Turnbull, whereby boom box-style controls and speakers can, like the roof, be removed. Meanwhile, a sharp, minimalistic design is at once nostalgic and futuristic, arriving in a cool palette of silver and olive green, with orange and gold accents, including a golden fuel can. It will not be available for purchase, though it serves as the inspiration for a limited-edition new G-Class model called the ‘Past II Future’, which will be available from April 2025 in a run of just 20.

Revealed against dramatic views of the Shanghai skyline on a rotating platform, ‘Project G-Class Past II Future’ – which also features a quilted roof cover, recalling the first collaboration between Moncler and Mercedes-Benz – was debuted alongside an accompanying fashion collection, which is also rooted in 1990s style (released in April 2025, it will coincide with the release of the G-Class Past II Future model). Taking Nigo’s design signatures – namely playful motifs and badges across varsity silhouettes – the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star emblem becomes a logo repeated throughout, while vintage Moncler advertising is blown up into the collection’s prints. ‘From the very beginning of the project, we envisioned a three-way collaboration, and I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands – Moncler and Mercedes-Benz – into a cohesive collection,’ Nigo tells Wallpaper*.

Nigo, who likens creating the collection to ‘painting on a canvas’, says that much of the inspiration from the pieces came from Moncler’s ‘rich history’ of the ’outdoors and exploration’. It lends the collection a nostalgic mood, recalling vintage camping and hiking wear in windbreaker and field jackets, checkered shirts and baggy Bermuda shorts, alongside beanie hats and topstitched, workwear-inspired denim. As with all of Nigo’s collections, the result is purposefully eclectic, with the designer hoping that the pieces encourage the wearer to mix and match, and experiment. ‘The pieces are designed to allow the wearer to interpret it in their own way, so they can project their personal style and identity,’ he says. ‘It’s about giving people the freedom to express who they are through the collection, rather than dictating a specific feeling.’

A prolific collaborator – notable partnerships have included a decade-spanning relationship with Pharrell Williams, as well as the late Virgil Abloh – Nigo says that projects like these continue to challenge him over three decades since his career began with the founding of A Bathing Ape. ‘Collaborations are incredibly important [to my work],’ he says. ‘They allow a chance for creative growth and exploration, which [nowadays] can be rare. This one was a chance to step outside my usual boundaries, to experiment with a different side of myself.’