Lexus, the luxury vehicles company, and adidas, one of the largest sportswear manufacturer, along with partners like Carbon, a digital manufacturing company and Calty Design Research team up to reveal the Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”-inspired RX 500h F Sport. To commemorate the recent release of adidas’ “Wakanda Forever Collection,” the adidas design team sought to incorporate “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”-inspired designs into the automotive space.
This performance sportswear was designed for the best athletes in the world and explores the question, “What if Wakanda had a national athletic team?” The vehicle wrap expands on adidas’ custom identity of the fictional African nation, creating an automotive identity that matches the fashion collection.
Lexus Re-imagined RX 500h F Sport
The RX’s reimagined exterior features the Wakandan-inspired print and purple colourway that can be found throughout the adidas sportswear collection. The diamond pattern inlay on the hood is inspired by the Black Panther’s claw necklace, and the gold details on the outside are inspired by the new Black Panther suit. The word “Vibe-Branium,” also spelled in the Wakandan alphabet, is added to the rear badging as part of the Lexus RX 500h Vibe-Branium AWD DIRECT4’s unique name: the Lexus RX 500h Vibe-Branium AWD DIRECT4.
The students at adidas S.E.E.D (School for Experiential Education in Design) took on the challenge of reimagining the interior of the all-new Lexus RX by drawing inspiration from the highly anticipated sequel. Calty Design Research led students through a series of workshops exploring automotive design, Lexus design, creative processes, color and materials, and the power of collaboration to help guide them through the design process.
“The all-new RX 500h is part of our expanding Lexus Electrified portfolio with evolved innovative technology that elevates the driver’s experience. There’s an athleticism in the performance of the RX that makes it a perfect fit to join the ‘Wakanda Forever’ team.”
– Michael Moore, General Manager, Lexus International
The interior of the custom build will be reimagined with futuristic designs, textures, and materials. adidas’ custom Wakanda-inspired tribal gold print covers sections of the seating surfaces and is prominently featured on the seat bolsters in particular, using the modern luxury of the latest RX as a canvas. The same design is used on the door panel inserts and steering wheel.
Carbon’s contribution to costumes, animatronics, and other worldly environments on the silver screen makes them the ideal partner to help realize the interior vision of the S.E.E.D student.
Carbon 3D printed energy-returning athletic shoe midsole material is used in areas such as the steering wheel pad and front and rear headrests of the adidas 4D-FWD. The Lexus emblem appears on the front headrests, and the adidas logo appears on the rear center headrest. Meanwhile, surfaces around the shifter receive laser-cut wood and gold trim to help create a Wakandan-inspired in-car environment.
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