Original Story (09/30/22): Kith and BMW have reprised their partnership for a second chapter, following their first team-up in 2020.
2022 marks two significant 50th anniversaries for BMW, the first being the debut of the brand’s first electric concept car and the second being the launch of BMW M. These two milestones serve as the foundation for Chapter II, as Kith combines them to tell one cohesive story. The project includes the introduction of two BMW vehicles, one vintage and one modern, redesigned by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, as well as a Kith x BMW apparel and accessories collection.
The first vehicle in this chapter is the new 2022 Kith x BMW i4 M50, which will be sold via Sotheby’s auction. The winner of this auction will not only receive the car, but also one of each item from the Kith x BMW 2022 collection’s 51 styles of apparel and accessories, as well as an assortment of special 1-of-1 products. The auction runs from Friday, October 7th at 11am ET and closes on October 14th at 2pm ET. 10% of the proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that aims to protect the ecosystems and biodiversity of East Africa. Only seven of these vehicles will be produced for the public, and only one will be auctioned. Learn more on Sotheby’s lot page.
The second vehicle in this project is a 1-of-1 Kith x BMW 1602 Elektro. In 1972, BMW celebrated the Olympic Games in Munich by converting two 1602s into electric cars. These concept cars were BMW’s first foray into electromobility and were used at various long-distance competitions as accompanying and camera cars by the Olympic Games committee. Kith commemorates this accomplishment 50 years later, as Ronnie Fieg worked with BMW to completely rebuild and redesign his personal 1-of-1 1602, converting it to a fully electric vehicle adorned with custom design details. These details include a collaborative rendition of the BMW roundel which replaces the BMW wordmark with “Kith,” which can be seen on the hood, rear decklid, and rims. The interior was crafted in a caramel-colored full-grain merino leather embossed with an all-over Kith monogram pattern. The final and most significant detail featured on the 1602 is the paint color, which is a custom green developed specifically for this partnership, titled “Vitality Green by Kith.” This green hue was chosen as electromobility is the underlying narrative throughout Chapter II and “Vitality” in its most basic form means “energy.”
The 51-piece Kith x BMW apparel collection comes in a green and caramel brown color palette, matching the two vehicles in this project. Kith’s staple silhouettes and custom-milled fabrics have been updated with interpretations of BMW’s classic iconography. Styles include Italian leather and Manteco wool outerwear, double-weave coaches jackets and pants, various styles of knitwear, heavyweight fleece sweatsuits, and an array of graphic hoodies and tees.
Car-centric accessories in the collection include leather keychains, microfiber towels, car plates, and canteens. These are complemented by various lifestyle and home goods such as umbrellas, sunglasses, leather duffle bags, headwear, table trays, rugs, pins, pillows, glasses, snowboards, as well as a candle created with D.S. & Durga.
To celebrate this second chapter, Kith invited its friends and family on a road trip from Munich to Paris. You can check out the video and photos from this trip below.
Kith for BMW Chapter II will receive an early in-store-only release exclusively at Kith Paris on Friday, September 30th. The global launch takes place on Friday, October 7th at all Kith hops, Kith.com (11am ET), and EU.Kith.com (11am CET).
Update (10/03/22): Kith has shared campaign imagery for BMW Chapter II starring actor and filmmaker Edward Norton. Check out the photos below.
Kith trip imagery:
