A$AP Rocky and Mercedes Chief of Design Gorden Wagener Talk Design

A$AP Rocky and Mercedes Benz Chief Design Officer, Gorden Wagener talked cars, culture, music, art and luxury this morning at SXSW featured session called “Using Design ‘Differently’ to Make a Difference”. In the rapidly changing world of design, this unexpected pair stands together at the intersection of cars, culture, music, art and luxury.

Photo x Anne-Marie Halovanic

“I’m in a place to dictate what’s cool right now,” says Rocky. “This collaboration is natural. Mercedes has been at the pentacle of luxury especially in hip hop world.” With so much change happening in the auto industry (i.e. car sharing, driverless cars, etc.), Wagener says “designing automobiles is just as much about designing experience.” Together A$AP Rocky and Wagener, who is in charge of Mercedes’ vehicle design and brand identity, will permanently impact hip hop culture’s influence on the world of luxury design. “The future is not written,” says Wagener, “We can design it. And it’s much easier to design it when you actually live in the future.”

Both shared their perspectives on the challenges of innovation. Rocky, who has experience in apparel, accessory and brand design in addition to his music and music videos, spoke about unveiling his SRLo sneaker during his live performance art piece Lab Rat. “Lab Rat was a play on the experimental sound in my last album,” Rocky said, “[I’m exploring] feeling like a fish in a bowl, with so many bystanders and onlookers watching and peering in while you create.” The SRLo sneaker, a skate shoe redesigned for raves, was yet another way to continue experimenting and mixing cultures, “just like hip hop is transcending into pop culture.”

Photo x Anne-Marie Halovanic

Wagener operates in a different space of innovation with Mercedes’ rich heritage and reputation as one of the most desired cars of its time behind him. He said “the car will change in the next 10-15 years more than it has in the last 100.” That said, they face “significant staging challenges trying to keep complexity under control.” 

Rocky views himself as part of a group of artists who are the crash test dummies, putting themselves in radical environments and taking risks for those who’ll come up next. Of entering the realm of luxury cars, Rocky says, “I wouldn't step into anything just to conquer it; it’s all about execution.” Good execution is the absolute design goal for both Wagener and Rocky, who share a key element: the crash test dummy.

To Rocky, the crash test dummy aesthetic “symbolizes a person who pioneers.” It's heavily present throughout his latest album Testing, which included a collab with Mercedes for the “Gunz N Butter” music video. Rocky chose to redesign a 30-year-old Mercedes rally car—30 years vintage because he’s 30, too. “I’m in the metamorphosis of my life and of my career so I didn't want to go with anything ordinary.”

Rocky chose to redesign a 30-year-old Mercedes rally car—30 years vintage because he’s 30, too.

“There’s no future without heritage,” Wagener says, “[and the vintage rally car] is a cool example of taking something from Mercedes’ heritage and interpreting it in a new way.”

“There’s nothing new under the sun” is a beautifully simple piece of wisdom Rocky and Wagener both reference as a driver of their creativity. They’re not fueled by a desire to create something no one has before, rather to experiment and explore new paths so they can execute better than anyone before them.

The last audience question requested advice for young designers. Rocky, who initially felt a lot of resistance when the Mercedes partnership was in its beginning stages, says, “stick to your guns. Don't compromise. I won’t compromise my integrity when it comes to design or just beliefs in general. Sometimes people won’t see your vision until the world says it’s the shit.” Wagener, who became Mercedes’ Chief Design Officer when he was 30, says “have fun! In car design we are still the little boys in the sandbox playing with cars—just on a bigger scale and with better pay. Enjoy yourself and stay foolish.”