Mercedes-Benz has officially launched its Class of Creators initiative in New York City, beginning with a bold collaboration featuring Ice Spice. The four-time Grammy-nominated rapper and style icon revealed a custom-designed CLA art car at the grand opening of the fully renovated Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan dealership. Her interpretation kicks off a year-long global campaign inviting a diverse group of artists to reinterpret the new CLA through their own creative lens.
CARS
First unveiled in Rome last month, the all-new CLA represents Mercedes-Benz’s next step into the electric and digital age. The model is positioned as the brand’s most intelligent and efficient series production vehicle to date, serving as the foundation for the Class of Creators, a global multi-collaboration involving five visionaries across music, fashion, design, gaming, and art.
Ice Spice’s contribution stands as a visual remix of the CLA’s aerodynamic form. Her custom car features a molten chrome finish punctuated by glittering details, including nods to her signature “Princess of Rap” persona. The design includes diamond-encrusted accents and personal symbols, seamlessly merging her aesthetic with the car’s sleek silhouette. In addition to the vehicle, Ice Spice is launching a limited-edition capsule collection of pastel and black hoodies and t-shirts that reflect the same mood and visual identity as the car.
“Ice Spice brings a bold, authentic voice that resonates far beyond music,” said Bettina Fetzer, Vice President of Digital & Communications at Mercedes-Benz AG. “With the Class of Creators, we’re using the CLA as a way to start new conversations and connect with communities who are defining culture today.”
The event in Manhattan drew over 350 guests for a high-energy evening themed Stars, Sounds & Slices. The launch celebrated both the creative debut and the market introduction of the CLA in New York. Highlights included a performance from the cast of Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen and an electrifying DJ set from Brooklyn-based artist LPX, creating a night that blurred the lines between art installation, fashion drop, and automotive innovation.
Looking ahead, the Class of Creators continues with Swedish interior designer Gustaf Westman, who will present his CLA reinterpretation on May 22. Fashion designer Colm Dillane, better known as KidSuper, follows on June 28. Collaborations with toy brand Hot Wheels and gaming giant League of Legends are set to be revealed later this year, completing a series that invites audiences to rethink the relationship between car design and cultural expression.
Each artist will create a one-of-a-kind CLA art piece along with original content, some accompanied by exclusive capsule collections. Together, they form a creative dialogue around personalization, design, and storytelling, positioning the CLA as a canvas for the future.
Through the Class of Creators, Mercedes-Benz reimagines the car as an artistic medium, opening the door to fresh interpretations of what mobility, identity, and innovation can look like in 2025 and beyond.
