Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz Raise $201,600 USD Through Sale of Replica Collaboration

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 $201,600 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 $201,600 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.

As well as the Project Geländewagen maquette, the Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction also featured three works selected by Virgil Abloh and Gordon Wagener, his collaborative partner at Mercedes-Benz. Wagener chose work by Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler and Gerhard Richter, while Virgil Abloh spotlighted 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 have opened doors need to keep them open, and make sure that the conversation includes the youth. This is what we’re working to achieve through my Post Modern Scholarship fund. Everything that I’ve done in my career has been to pave the way for the next generation, and now with the help of Mercedes-Benz we’re able to take that one step further.”

In related news, Virgil Abloh also recently presented the latest Off-White™ HOME collection.