Celebrating Memphis Design

Lapo Elkann and Adrian Van Hooydonk From Garage Italia Customs and BMW Present BMW I3 and BMW I8 in a Unique New Look.

Two new and unique cars have been presented today by BMW i and Garage Italia Customs to celebrate the Memphis Design Group. It was a world premiere in the extraordinary setting of the UniCredit Pavilion in Milan. With the exclusive BMW i Memphis Style interior and exterior Design on the BMW i3 and the BMW i8, Lapo Elkann’s creative hub payed homage to the visionary style of the artistic and cultural movement that revolutionised the world of design in the 1980s.

“Renewing the bond with BMW i is a great pleasure. I fully share their vision of looking at the future and technological innovation as the leading elements in any project.” - says Lapo Elkann, Chairman and Creative Director of Garage Italia Customs. “Creativity, style and innovation have always been the key features of all the work carried out by my team in the field of planning and the study of design. This collaboration has given me the opportunity to celebrate my great passion for the Memphis artists. I have been collecting significant works of art from this movement for quite a while and they surround me and inspire me in my everyday life. I can’t help but be proud of the result achieved by my creative hub. Once again, my designers have beaten every expectation; they managed to transfer the real essence of the Memphis Design onto these futuristic one-offs”.

Founded in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis Group was an absolute antithesis to functionalism and any commercial logic. It gave rise to daring lines in furniture that was characterised by unusual materials and original graphic patterns. The style was clearly provocative and was inspired by movements like Art Deco and its surprising geometrical shapes, Pop Art with its bright colours and Kitsch as a way to detach from the minimalist design of the 70s.