MINI has collaborated with international fashion guru Roberto Cavalli to create an exclusively decorated one-off  MINI Paceman for the Life Ball, one of the biggest AIDS charity events. Each year since 2001, a specially re-imagined MINI car has been auctioned at the AIDS Solidarity Gala event to raise donations for HIV projects.

The 21st Life Ball, a spectacular oriental-style show, will be hosted in its home-city Vienna on May 25. This year, the brand has chosen a MINI Paceman as the canvas for the art project by Roberto Cavalli. The final piece will combine the power of the car’s character and the designer’s signature approach.

Photo: Roberto Cavalli designs MINI for the Life Ball, ®Ph Bob Krieger

“Designing the MINI was a very fun, exciting and stimulating experience. I had to create a car which not only respected and conveyed my fashion, but also my lifestyle: an unusual challenge, but surely a fascinating one,” commented Cavalli.  So far, the photos of the specially decorated car are not available.

MINI has been developing specially designed Life Ball vehicles for the past 13 years. The first one, the camouflaged MINI, was unveiled in 2001 at the ball before the official launch on the market. The brand has collaborated with a plethora of fashion world creatives for the MINI’s artistic makeover—charitable cars were designed by Donatella Versace, Gianfranco Ferré, Diesel’s Renzo Rosso, DSQUARED’s Dean and Dan Caten, Angela Missoni, Agent Provocateur’s Joseph Corré, Diane von Furstenberg and more. Traditionally, the new bespoke design for MINI is developed by the international designer, who stages the Life Ball Fashion Show.

 

Photo: 2012 MINI Roadster by Franca Sozzani, the chief editor of Italian VOGUE

As part of the Life Ball initiative, the specially designed MINI vehicles helped generate over a half a million euros in total.

Watch the video about the last year’s ball below.