David Adjaye and Aston Martin, BIG and NASA, and Frank Gehry and Hennessy were some of the unexpected duos that collaborated on design projects in 2020 – which we’ve rounded up as part of our review of the year.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry and Hennessy released a crinkled gold bottle to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the brand’s X.O cognac drink.
The handcrafted cover was forged from 24-carat gold-dipped bronze to evoke feelings of drinking cognac and the process by which it is made. Gehry said he hopes it is unlike “anything people have seen before”.
Find out more about Frank Gehry’s Hennessy X.O cognac ›
British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye partnered with luxury carmaker Aston Martin to design five residences inside his first New York skyscraper.
The residents of these homes will also receive a limited-edition Aston Martin DBX designed by Adjaye.
Find out more about Aston Martin Residences ›
Virgil Abloh x Musée du Louvre
Designer Virgil Abloh’s capsule collection for his Off-White brand in collaboration with France’s Musée du Louvre combined the worlds of fashion and art in an unexpected way.
The collection, which was revealed in December 2019, was created to mark the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death and featured hoodies and T-shirts with Da Vinci’s paintings, combined with Off-White’s signature markings.
Find out more about Virgil Abloh x Musée du Louvre ›
This project by furniture giant IKEA and Lego resulted in storage boxes in the style of Lego pieces – the boxes have stud-covered lids that kids can top with their own creations.
Each of the boxes can also be stacked on top of one another and secured together with the Lego studs.
Find out more about IKEA x Lego ›
Other partnerships that blossomed this year include one between architecture firm BIG and space agency NASA, who unveiled plans to design 3D-printed buildings for the moon.
Called Project Olympus, the project also involves 3D-printed building company ICON, and is intended to develop a way to create infrastructure for living on the moon using materials found on its surface.
Find out more about BIG x NASA ›
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