12 Cars Given The Catwalk Treatment By Fashion Designers

There was a time when the idea of a fashion designer collaborating with a car manufacturer would have seemed laughable, and to some, it probably still is. Yet in an age where style, lavishness and luxury seem to be the flavor of the month, you might have to get used to seeing this unusual combination flourish.

Back in 2012, Range Rover recruited Victoria Beckham to their design team when producing a limited edition of the Evoque, and received generally high praise. In a week where we got our first glimpse of the one-off Paul Smith-designed Land Rover Defender, we take a look at 12 memorable examples of the automotive and fashion industries coming together, from the stunning to the revolting.

12 Chrysler 300C John Varvatos Limited Edition

John Varvatos has worked with the likes of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein before launching his own menswear label, but in 2013 he teamed up with Chrysler to design a special edition of the 300C. The car was intended to look both tough and imposing yet tailored and sharp, and we think Varvatos did a decent job of achieving that. The interior of the car is a little leather heavy, inspired by the pattern stitching of John Varvatos jackets, although the titanium finished wheels get our seal of approval.

11 Mini Cooper Red Mudder by DSquared

Twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared designed this striking-looking Mini Cooper. Taking the base model and adding all-terrain tires, a new front guard, rally headlamps, tinted side windows, mesh grilles and a spare tire attached to the car’s tailgate certainly makes this Mini stand out from the crowd. The interior of the car has a rustic look, featuring a compass and floor mats made of aluminium sheeting.

10 Bijan Pakzad Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Bijan Pakzad sadly passed away just months before his special edition Bugatti Veyron was released in 2011. The Iranian menswear designer, whose shop on Rodeo Drive, Beverley Hills, has been described as “the most expensive in the world”, had previously customized his own Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Mercedes before being given the opportunity to design his own Grand Sport by Bugatti. The flash looking vehicle sports the distinctive shade of yellow commonly found in Pakzad’s work and is perhaps a little ‘too much’ for some people’s tastes.

9 Fiat 500 By Diesel

Do not be confused, the Diesel in the Diesel Fiat 500 is not in reference to the engine but rather the company who joined forces with Fiat in the design process for this limited edition vehicle. The Fiat 500 is already a cute, good-looking car, but Diesel took it up a notch. The car was available in three colorways, and Diesel added fresh bodywork and new trim on the bumpers, as well as exclusive wheels. Inside, the car featured dark black leather, denim upholstery and a Diesel badged gear stick. The car was not particularly limited edition, as Fiat produced 10,000, ranging in price from $16,000 to $19,000.

8 Spencer Hart Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake

Fashion designer Nick Hart, director of London’s tailor house ‘Spencer Hart’, teamed up with German car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz in 2013 to create this special edition vehicle. The exterior of the car is fairly standard, although the color, called ‘Nick Hart Midnight Blue’ is unique to the car. The interior is where the focus of Hart’s work has taken place, lavished in chocolate brown Italian leather, contrasting stitching and customized headrest logos.

7 Caterham 7 Lambretta Special Edition

In 2010 one of the few remaining truly-British car manufacturers, Caterham, teamed up with fashion designer Rob Harmer and Lambretta Clothing to produce this special edition design of their 7 model. Based on the entry level Caterham it only has a 1.6 liter, 125 bhp engine, although weighing in at just 1,200lbs it will still do 0-60 mph in under six seconds. The distinctive British color scheme and styling is maintained with the car’s interior featuring hand-stitched seats and embossed with Lambretta logos.

6 Rolls-Royce Phantom Rayan

Lebanese fashion designer Walid Atallah laid his distinctive style upon the colossal Rolls-Royce Phantom in 2012, producing this special edition model. Available only in Admiral Blue, the car feature no external alterations other than the color. Inside was a rather different story, cashmere and leather adorn the interior in equally lavish measures. The interior may be a little yellow for some people’s taste, but not Atallah’s.

5 Roberto Cavalli MINI Paceman

Mini are no strangers to teaming up with fashion designers and the like. Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Versace, Paul Weller and, as seen above, DSquared, have all seen their distinctive designs come to life on the iconic car. The most memorable collaboration however, is probably that of Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, the man who invented sand-blasted jeans. Finished with shimmering, iridescent paintwork which alters color depending upon light and the angle in which the car is viewed from, and a luxurious quilted black leather interior, the car sold for over $190,000 at a charity auction.

4 Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham Special Edition

Probably the most well-known fashion/automotive collaboration, Victoria Beckham joined up with the Range Rover design team to create 200 special edition Evoques. The baby of the Range Rover family, a top-of-the-range Evoque would normally set you back $60,000, whilst this special edition model would cost you around double, priced just under $120,000. The exterior features a hand-finished matt grey paint and a contrasting glossy black roof. Whilst the interior consists of vintage tan leather, suede headlining, mohair mats, a four-piece leather luggage set and a leather wallet with rose gold accents.

3 smart fortwo edition by Jeremy Scott

It is fair to say this car is memorable, although perhaps not for all the right reasons. Jeremy Scott’s striking-looking smart fortwo features two rather unmissable wings, although we hasten to warn potential buyers that the car cannot in fact become airborne. Whiteness is a dominant feature of the car; with a polar white exterior matched by the completely white leather interior.

2 Bugatti Veyron Fbg by Hermes

The second Veyron on this list, the Hermes edition Veyron is slightly more understated than Pakzad’s design. The car maintains Bugatti’s traditional two-tone styling, with a glossy black finish contrasted by a colored hood. The color of the hood makes up the predominant coloring of the cars interior which is adorned by bull calfskin produced by Hermes in Paris. The Hermes edition Veyron was initally only available in brown, but the firm later released four different color schemes include the one above. If one came up for sale, the Hermes edition Veyron would set you back around $2,000,000.

1 Versace Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster

Versace did not take drastic action when putting their editorial impression upon the Lamborghini Murcielago, but then, I’m sure most people will agree that it is a car which does not require wholesale changes. The exterior was available in simply black or white and those color schemes are repeated inside the car. The stunning Versace two-toned leather came with a Versace luggage case, driving shoes, gloves and a matching watch. Lamborghini produced 20 of the limited edition vehicle, but only put 8 up for sale, each available for the price of $1,000,000 in 2006.

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