Moncler's Mercedes x NIGO Collab Is Genius
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When it comes to talking about street style and the pioneers that shaped the culture today, NIGO is usually one of the first names that gets thrown in the ring. The Japanese designer and musician is a veteran of contemporary tastemaking, having founded and fronted some of the most influential brands in streetwear history—A Bathing Ape, Billionaire Boys Club, and Human Made. He’s also the current artistic director of Kenzo.
Yet NIGO’s impact reaches far beyond the physical garments he creates. He was championing streetwear as luxury through high-level collaborations and immersive in-store storytelling long before it became industry commonplace, inspiring generations of artists and cultural leaders as a consequence. It makes perfect sense, then, that fellow Bastians of innovation Moncler Genius and Mercedes Benz tapped NIGO for a hugely anticipated apparel collection—Moncler x Mercedes-Benz by NIGO—and it’s just dropped.
While most apparel collections are headlined by a garment, Moncler x Mercedes-Benz by NIGO is built around a Mercedes. Specifically, it’s built around a special edition G-Class Past II Future model that was unveiled as part of Moncler Genius’ star-studded presentation in Shanghai last year. More of an art piece than your typical car, NIGO took design queues from his own legacy and that of his partners to create a slick, green G-wagon that boasts a roof that resembles Moncler’s iconic puffer jacket. It’s pretty incredible.
As the name of the vehicle suggests—Past II Future—brand heritage plays a huge role in the design approach. “I always refer to the past,” says NIGO. “In Japan, there is a saying that goes Learn from the past to create something new,” and that notion can be strongly felt across the apparel collection. Here, NIGO has taken two brands with a backstory built in the mountains (Mercedes-Benz is famed for its performance tough-terrain vehicles, while Moncler was literally founded in the Alps) and redressed them for city life. That means you’ll find prints featuring the Mercedes G-Class and photographic outdoor scenes found in Moncler’s archives splashed across sweaters and tees and embroidered on jackets.
NIGO’s designs typically have a strong connection to vintage Americana aesthetics and that can be felt heavily here, too, coming through in silhouettes like varsity jackets and shirts with a checkered print that mirrors the G-Class interior. There’s also a washed-out denim jacket and matching pant set that is very classic NIGO and a collection campaign, shot by photographer Thibaut Grevet, that was influenced by New York’s social scene.
It’s not an easy task to take so many influences and bring them together in one collection that feels so seamless, but Moncler x Mercedes-Benz by NIGO really works. And yes, the collection also features some pieces for the performance heads out there—it wouldn’t be a Moncler x Mercedes collab without one.
Moncler x Mercedes-Benz by NIGO is available to buy now online and in select Moncler stores.
