Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand that is owned by Volvo, has collaborated with luxury fashion house Balenciaga to help showcase its latest autumn collection. When such a high-brow brand partners with an electric car company it highlights the importance of zero-emissions vehicles and a more sustainable future.
The new fashion collection and electric cars debut in Balenciaga’s Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, which is an online futuristic video game set in 2031. Balenciaga approached Polestar to help add depth to the virtual environment by placing Polestar cars on the streets in the game.
Inspired by the Polestar Design Contest, the gamified city features futuristic vehicles designed by the Polestar Community, as well as Polestar’s Precept. Vehicles from designers including Konrad Cholewka, Arthur Martins, Charlie Nghiem, Rash Tagirov, Mattias Waltz and John McInnis were all chosen.
Balenciaga said: “Balenciaga’s first video game, Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, is set in a near and hopeful future. To make the setting more realistic and exciting, Balenciaga chose to work with other forward-thinking companies, populating the game with their newest designs.
“The innovative electric vehicles, including the 3x Moto, the MMXL, the 0, the Pickup, and the Polestar Precept, compliment Balenciaga’s ideas on luxury and sustainability, and so made a great addition to the project.”
Polestar believes that open collaborations lead to innovation, and the brand is building a reputation for identifying and working with so-called kindred spirits. On this occasion though, it was the other way round and Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia was so intrigued he reached out to see if Polestar wanted to be part of the project.
Maximilian Missoni, Head of Design at Polestar, said: “At Polestar, our aim is to be a leader in the shift to sustainable mobility, as we design towards zero. When Balenciaga reached out and explained the Afterworld project, inspired by the slow return to a healthier balance of nature and industry, we felt it was a perfect match for us.”
