To help celebrate the recent launch of the adidas ‘Wakanda Forever Collection’, the team at adidas sought to bring their ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’-inspired designs into the automotive space. For this, they had the latest Lexus RX 500h F SPORT transformed in a collaboration with the carmaker, adidas S.E.E.D, Calty Design Research and 3D printing company Carbon.
The re-imagined exterior of the RX features the Wakandan-inspired print and purple colourway used throughout the adidas sportswear collection. A diamond pattern inlayed across the hood is inspired by the Black Panther’s claw necklace. The same pattern is applied to the door panel inserts and in purple sections of the steering wheel. Gold details, a tie to the new Black Panther’s suit, accent the exterior, with unique ‘F’ centre caps on the wheels.
The front and rear headrests are covered in the Carbon 3D printed energy-returning athletic shoe mid-sole material used in the adidas 4D-FWD. The Lexus badging is reimagined using the fictional Wakandan alphabet and the word ‘Vibe-Branium’, also spelled in the Wakandan alphabet, is added to the rear badging as part of its unique name.
Beyond the customized exterior wrap, the students at adidas S.E.E.D (School for Experiential Education in Design) embraced the challenge to reimagine the Lexus SUV’s interior by using the much-anticipated sequel as its source of inspiration.
To help guide the students through the design process, Calty Design Research led the students through a series of workshops exploring automotive design, Lexus design, creative processes, colour and materials and the power of collaboration. Calty is Toyota’s advanced design studio which was established in California in 1973.
“Lexus, adidas and Wakanda Forever may seem like they come from totally different worlds but the thread that draws everything together is the pursuit and leadership in unique storytelling and innovative technology,” said Alex Shen, chief designer at Calty Design Research. “Because of this common thread, the S.E.E.D. designers have such a unique and exciting task ahead of them to create something really artful and cool. It’s a real pleasure and honour for us to witness all the creativity, enthusiasm and collaborative thinking and execution from the S.E.E.D. designers.”
“A critical aspect of our curriculum is ‘open-source’ product creation where we team up with experts across various industries to educate and co-create with our S.E.E.D. designers to bring unique products to life. So, collaborating with Lexus, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Carbon, Calty and Annex to design the Lexus Vibe-Branium Direct4 RX 500h was such a transformative experience for our students. The end result is a powerful example of what can happen when we leverage the ‘collective genius’ across disciplines,” explained Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D., adidas.
Created for top athletes in the world, this performance sportswear embodies what it means to be Wakandan and explores the question, “What if Wakanda had a national athletic team?” The vehicle wrap builds on the custom identity of the fictional African nation as envisioned by adidas, creating an automotive identity that matches the fashion collection.
