Travel Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz Raise $160,000 USD Through Sale of Replica Collaboration

Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz Raise $160,000 USD Through Sale of Replica Collaboration

By Media Beast in Travel

When Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the collaborative Project Geländewagen in September, they also revealed that a one-of-one replica of the car would be sold at auction. On October 2, Sotheby’s hosted its Contemporary Curated auction featuring the 1:3 model, which sold for $160,000 USD.

At the time of the launch, Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh committed to donating the proceeds of this sale to a charity that supports the arts, adding that the felt “compelled to help support the arts and the international creative community at a critical time.” Honoring that commitment, the full $160,000 USD has been given to the Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund. The fund was launched earlier this year and provides support to fashion students of academic promise of Black, African American, or African descent.

In addition to the project Geländewagen maquette, the Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated Auction also included three works by Virgil Abloh and Gordon Wagener, his collaborating partner at Mercedes-Benz. Wagener selected the works of Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler and Gerhard Richter, while Virgil Abloh starred three African American artists in Barkley L. Hendricks, Kerry James Marshall and Rashid Johnson.

Announcing the donation, Abloh said, “Now more than ever, those of us who have voices and doors opened need to keep them open and make sure that the dialogue involves the youth. This is what we are trying to achieve through my Post Modern Scholarship Fund. All I’ve done in my career has been to pave the way for the next generation, and now, with the aid of Mercedes-Benz, we can take that one step further.

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