Lexus & Adidas Channel ‘Black Panther’ In ‘Wakanda Forever’ Car
By Nicole Rodrigues, 03 Jan 2023
The futuristic (and fictional) country of Wakanda serves as inspiration for an extension of Adidas’ ‘Wakanda Forever Capsule Collection’. Created in partnership with Lexus, this new automotive addition comprises a car decked in tribal print and a T-shirt to accompany it.
The car’s design was spearheaded by students at Adidas’ School for Experimental Education in Design (S.E.E.D) and Calty Design Research, with parts of the vehicle 3D-printed by Carbon DLS.
The exterior takes the aesthetics of the Black Panther franchise and turns them into motifs for the special Lexus RX 500h F Sport.
Its exterior boasts a purple tribal print taken from the fictional culture in Wakanda. Over its hood rests a diamond pattern referencing the claws found on Black Panther’s necklace. In addition, to tie in even more of the Wakandan culture, the ‘F SPORT’ branding has been translated into the in-movie language.
Looking into its interior, the students have placed the tribal print onto the car’s upholstery with a running theme of a golden pattern on the door panel inserts, seats, and even the steering wheel.
The collaboration reaches a new height on the steering wheel as the material used in Adidas’ 4D-FWD shoe is used for the steering wheel cover and on the front and rear headrests.
And to round out the rollout, the students have also created a t-shirt with the famous African proverb, “Educate a Woman, Educate a Nation,” translated into Wakandan and stylized in traditional Japanese format, tategaki.
[via Robb Report and Hypebeast, images via Lexus]