At NYCxDesign Week 2025, MSCHF and Mercedes-AMG presented Not for Automotive Use, a conceptual exhibition that reimagined car parts as radical furniture. Held in MSCHF’s Brooklyn studio from May 14th to 17th, the show marked the collective’s first-ever public opening during New York Design Week.
Inside the Greenpoint space, visitors found sculptural objects built from real AMG components—seatbelts became chairs, headlights lit up sofas, and a ping-pong table carried the industrial imprint of performance engineering. More art intervention than furniture collection, Not for Automotive Use took cues from the 1960s Italian Radical Design movement, with Achille Castiglioni cited as a key influence. Each handmade piece blurred the line between design and commentary, emphasizing transformation over function.
The New York Design Week 2025 showcase also featured a limited-edition apparel and accessories capsule—engine-scan prints, ironic design motifs, and a scented tree nodding to AMG’s hometown, Affalterbach. For MSCHF, this project was less about usability and more about subverting expectations—a fitting contribution to NYCxDesign Week and a standout moment in New York Design Week’s evolving narrative.
Don’t miss our interview with MSCHF’s founders as they discuss the fine line between art and design, the “spicy present,” and the power of context-switching.
Courtesy of MSCHF
Courtesy of MSCHF
Courtesy of MSCHF
Courtesy of MSCHF
