Mercedes-Benz Design and MAYBACH Icons of Luxury have collaborated to create the “DESIRE COLLECTION”, a luxury bag collection that combines handcrafted perfection with a progressive design language. The bags are available in different colors and sizes, including THE BARREL BAG I, II and III, THE COCOON BAG I, II, and III, and THE COCOON CASE. The bags feature the distinctive components of the Maybach brand and an exclusively developed lining fabric. The collection is available in MAYBACH boutiques, exclusive partner shops, and online. The collection aims to embody the Mercedes-Maybach DNA of “Sophisticated Luxury” and represent the perfect fusion of technical precision and luxurious lightness.

Press Release
Apr 27, 2023 / Stuttgart

With the “DESIRE COLLECTION” MAYBACH Icons of Luxury is teaming up with Mercedes-Benz Design to launch a high-quality, progressive bag collection for a discerning clientèle. In combination with the Maybach pattern as an exclusive brand characteristic, it represents a synthesis of the traditional values of a luxury brand – such as the highest level of handcrafted perfection – with an expressive design language.

“The ‘DESIRE COLLECTION’ embodies our understanding of luxury and the desire for beauty and the extraordinary. It combines exclusive materials and craftsmanship at the highest level with theperfect fusion of technical precision and luxurious lightness. The collection embodies the characteristic Mercedes-Maybach DNA of our philosophy ‘Sophisticated Luxury’.” – Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG

“In close cooperation with Mercedes-Benz Design, this bag collection has been created with a naturalness that can be felt in the aura of its forms. I see in its expression all the positive energy that has always accompanied us in our joint development process.” – Jutta Kahlbetzer, CEO & Head of Design MAYBACH Icons of Luxury

The uniformity of the design language is reflected in the use of only two interlocking cut shapes; in addition, elements that are coordinated in terms of colour and materiality feature the brand’s distinctive components. The utmost attention is paid to the seams and zips – here the focus is on both harmony with the basic formal principle and perfect implementation of craftsmanship. The inside of the bags also meets the demands of the highest handcrafted production and emphasises the brand affiliation with its exclusively developed lining fabric.

The individual bags of the “DESIRE COLLECTION” are available in different colour combinations, meaning that the collection always appears in a different light – from timeless-classic to progressive and expressive. They are available in MAYBACH boutiques, exclusive MAYBACH partner shops and in the online shop www.maybach-luxury.com.

The following articles belong to the “DESIRE COLLECTION”:

THE BARREL BAG I

Measuring 55 x 24 cm, THE BARREL BAG I is ideal as a weekender for a short trip to the mountains or vibrant cities. It has two inside pockets with a zip, plus an adjustable and detachable shoulder strap for maximum flexibility. THE BARREL BAG I is available in three different colour combinations: the version in white leather with black Maybach pattern and gold metal parts combines sporty nonchalance with that certain something, while the understated design in black leather and suede combines the grey Maybach pattern with palladium-plated metal applications. The orange and pink leather version is particularly expressive, also with palladium-plated metal applications.

THE BARREL BAG II

The smaller sister of THE BARREL BAG I, THE BARREL BAG II is every bit as functional and comfortable. It is also equipped with two inside zipped pockets and an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap. The 35 x 15 cm bag is available in the same designs as the larger version: white leather with black Maybach pattern and gold metal parts, black leather and suede with grey Maybach pattern and palladium-plated metal applications, and orange and pink leather with palladium-plated metal applications.

THE BARREL BAG III

Measuring 22 x 10 cm, THE BARREL BAG III variant is ideal for shopping trips or club visits. Currently the smallest of the THE BARREL BAG range, it has an inside pocket and an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap. It is available in the same three colour variants as the larger versions.

THE COCOON BAG I

THE COCOON BAG I, which can be worn as a backpack or crossbody bag, offers optimum comfort between two business appointments: the 25 x 40 cm bag can hold a 12.9-inch tablet, and thanks to the inner zipped pocket and pen loop, all important utensils are within easy reach. Two adjustable and detachable shoulder straps provide maximum flexibility. It is available in the three “DESIRE COLLECTION” colour combinations: white/white with pattern/gold, black/black with pattern/palladium and orange/pink/palladium.

THE COCOON BAG II

The slightly smaller version of THE COCOON BAG measuring 19 x 32 cm is the perfect companion for every day. The crossbody bag is equipped with an inner zipped pocket, a pen loop and an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap, and is available in the identical three colour variations.

THE COCOON BAG III

THE COCOON BAG III compresses the highest design standards into 24 x 11 cm. This interpretation of a modern crossbody bag or belt bag has an inner zipped pocket and an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap. Like the other two bags, it is also available in three colour variations.

THE COCOON CASE

A classic in daily business — interpreted in a high-quality and sophisticated way by MAYBACH Icons of Luxury together with Mercedes-Benz Design. THE COCOON CASE is equipped with an inner zipped pocket, two pen loops, a divider and an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap; also available in three colour options.

About MAYBACH Icons of Luxury

MAYBACH Icons of Luxury GmbH is a family-owned company which extends the reach of the luxury car brand Mercedes-Maybach by creating prestigious MAYBACH handcrafted products in many lifestyle sectors.

For decades, Maybach has symbolized the most exacting demands on top-class quality. Exquisite, intricately-worked materials and outstanding design are well-known brand characteristics. The company MAYBACH Icons of Luxury is convinced that it is a true luxury to be able to take the time to create beautiful pieces by hand in today’s fast-moving world. Primarily, fine natural materials are selected, and these are consciously used and their high worth appreciated.

With temperatures dropping and the sun beginning to set a little earlier than the day before, we have no choice but to accept that winter is on its way (and will be here very, very soon).

If you live near the mountains, that’s welcome news.  You’re no doubt anxiously awaiting that beautiful first dusting of snow, so you can get out and hit the slopes for yet another round of winter sports.  For those of us in the city, however, winter is a somewhat less joyous time…  a time that typically means running from building to car; ducking inside stores on longer excursions to warm up; and constantly being bombarded by strong, bitter winds that somehow manage to make their way through whatever it is we’re wearing.

But despite the challenges that living in a city during winter presents, there is hope.  Helly Hansen – the brand that’s been creating the most rugged, high performance outerwear for the past 130 years – recently unveiled their 2012-13 fall/winter collection, and included is the Flow Down Parka.  It’s a gorgeous piece of outerwear that not only features a style that’s perfectly at home in the city, but also one that boasts the warmth and protection we’ve come to know and love from the best of Helly Hansen’s mountain-ready ski jackets.

At the heart of the Flow Down Parka is… you guessed it… down.  Down, as you probably already know, is easily one of warmest, most insulating materials on the face of the earth.  But the problem with most down outerwear is that it’s overly bulky.  Down is stitched inside baffles, and the result is an overly puffy coat that makes you look the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters – not exactly an endearing style trait.

The Flow Down Parka is different, however, because the down is stitched into pods, not baffles.  As a result, you get all the benefits of 700+ fillpower European goose down, but without the huge amount of added bulk typically associated with it.  In addition, the spaces in between down the pods create channels throughout the interior of the coat, allowing the heat generated by your body to exit the parka while still maintaining the parka’s overall warmth.  So while the Flow Down Parka keeps you warm in the most frigid of conditions, its temperature management always keeps the parka’s internal temperature at a comfortable level.

From there, the Helly Flow Down Parka notes a huge assortment of features that you’ll absolutely love in a winter coat.  Four enormous front pockets that fit seamlessly into the Flow Down Parka’s design are perfect for keys, your wallet, your cell phone,  and any added extras you need to carry.  The faux fur hood – one of my favorite design elements – adds a superb layer of protection in the harshest environments.  Best of all, the hood features a velcro adjustment on the back, so when you’re walking through the city and want the warmth of the hood with full visibility, you can adjust the hood so that it remains farther back on your head.  On frigid days with blisteringly cold winds, loosen the velcro, and the hood is big enough to completely envelop you and keep your head warm and toasty.  And lastly, I love the exterior material of the Flow Down Parka.  It stretches, so it’s not restricting and it’s comfortable to wear even when being active; but it still manages to excel at keeping moisture and cold air out – a must from any winter coat.

Put it all together, and the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka is an exceptionally awesome choice for anyone seeking the perfect marriage of style and warmth in a single piece of outerwear.

To learn more about the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka or to pick up your own, head over to the official Helly Hansen website.  Pricing for the Flow Down Parka is $650 in either men’s or women’s variants, and it’s available in either black or espresso flavors.

You can also check out the photo gallery below to see the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka in action.

In everyone’s life, there’s a moment when you try something and you think to yourself, “This is brilliant… why didn’t I think of it?”  In the world of outerwear, Helly Hansen has just launched a product that falls precisely into the aforementioned category , solving the dilemma of how to precisely blend optimal amounts of heating and cooling.

As anyone fond of the outdoors will tell you, it’s the age-old problem:  finding a mid-layer or outer layer that not only keeps you warm, but also finding one that regulates your temperature as your core temperatures heat up.  If you’ve ever taken a long hike, especially one with a pack, you’re likely already familiar with the need for temperature regulation.  You wear layers for their heat and protection from the elements, but as time goes on, your body temperature rises and you start to overheat.  This results in either an abundance of sweat or the need to shed layers, both of which are less than ideal

Enter the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket.  Thanks to Helly’s revolutionary Hollow Heat Flow technology, the H2 Flow is not only incredibly effective at warming you as a mid-layer, it also provides an absolutely amazing amount of venting and cooling where you need it, when you need it.

Making the magic happen are two key elements:  adjustable venting on the jacket, and 200g of insulation that utilize both positive and negative spaces.  Together, they form the basis for a tremendous level of user controlled temperature regulation throughout the day.

So let’s say, for example, that your hike begins on a cool fall morning.  You begin your hike with a base layer and the H2 Flow Jacket, with all venting closed.  As a result, you’re warm and comfortable.  But as you pile the miles pile on, your body temperature rises, as does the outside temperature.  Normally, you’d be forced to shed your mid layer, but with the H2 Flow, you have the ability to open the vertical vents and let the outside air flow in.  Once the air is inside the jacket, the insulation’s negative spaces allow it to flow around your body, lowering interior temperatures and aiding in sweat evaporation.

Helly calls it a micro-climate system technology, and if it sounds ingenious, it is.  You can adjust temperatures to match a huge array of activities, from casual to intense, and you can do it all in a single mid-layer.

From there, Helly Hansen took the H2 Flow a step further and incorporated all the features that make their other outwear so incredible.  There’s the breathable, ripstop fabric that’s not only remarkably impervious to abuse, but it also excels at repelling moisture while maintaining breathability.  There’s the sleek styling that makes the H2 Flow at home on the street as much as it is in the outdoors.  And there’s the fact the H2 Flow Jacket is constructed from Blue Sign approved fabrics, ensuring that it’s made in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

It’s a lot to fit into one coat, but Helly Hansen has proven once again why they’re the leader in outdoor gear for the most demanding of uses.

The H2 Flow Jacket is part of Helly Hansen’s Fall/Winter Collection and is available for both men and women for $180.

With all the hype surrounding this new jacket by Helly Hansen, I decided there was no better way to break it in than by putting it to a little test.  Two days after I picked mine up, my wife and I headed to the Eightmile Lake Trail – me with with my new H2 Flow Jacket and her with a standard fleece.

About 4 miles in and just over 5,000 ft, we had both worked up a sweat, meaning it was the perfect time to see how the H2 Flow Jacket’s venting would perform. While my wife packed her fleece into her pack (which later turned out to be a mistake when she got scratched up by quite a bit of brush), I simply opened the H2 Flow venting and kept on going.  Within a few minutes, I had stopped sweating and had cooled down to a comfortable temperature.  It wasn’t the shocking cold you get when you take your jacket off completely.  Instead, I was entirely comfortable – no chills, no wind gusts whipping through the coat – just a comfortable temperature.

Another mile and a half and we arrived at Caroline Lake and the H2 Flow Jacket had done its job.  I removed my pack, zipped the vents back up and sat down to enjoy the view. My wife on the other hand was getting bite after bite from the lake mosquitos.  She grabbed her fleece out of her pack, only to find it was still damp from the first four miles of sweat.  The result was an uncomfortable lunch at the lake, to say the least.  Being the sensational husband I am, I bestowed her with the H2 Flow Jacket on the way down. Thankfully, Helly makes a women’s version of the H2 Flow, or I would have just lost my new favorite mid-layer.

Needless to say, the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket lives up to the hype. As a mid-layer or outer-layer, it is a brilliant design that gets the job done.  It’s warm, it’s cool, and it’s everything in between.

You can learn more about the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket at the official Helly Hansen website.

Mercedes-Benz released a complete fashion collection inspired by both Formula 1 and DTM motorsports. Comprisied of a wide variety of sporty and dynamic fashion items as well as functional accessories, the collection’s high-quality materials, refined features, authentic designs and excellent workmanship are a perfect match for the high standards set by Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The dynamic world of Formula 1 is the theme on which the Formula One Selection 2011 is based. Men’s T-shirts in black with Michael Schumacher’s name (also available for children), or in white and featuring Nico Rosberg’s name, as well as caps in the team colours of grey/white/petronas green with the signatures of one of the two Grand Prix drivers, all give their wearers the opportunity to create their own motorsport look. All items also bear the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS logo.

For those who do not have a favourite driver but still want to feel part of the exciting motorsport scene, there is also a choice of fashionable clothing and caps without the drivers’ names. For example, the Team Selection range includes an authentic team shirt in silver-grey with cutaway collar and Mercedes-Benz and PETRONAS logo, as well as all of the sponsor logos. The same style is reflected in the men’s and women’s team polo shirts in black. By way of exceptional accessories, the Formula One Selection 2011 includes a lanyard with carabiner hook, a set of earplugs presented in a small, elegant aluminium case, or a drinking bottle finished in matt black aluminium with insulating neoprene lid.

The special fascination for the DTM race series has been expressed in another selection of products, also comprising a men’s black T-shirt and a cap – each featuring a printed or embroidered DTM vehicle and DTM logo.

In addition, the Mercedes-Benz Motorsports Highlights Selection 2011 is also made up of attractive fashions and popular accessories which do not reference any specific race series but nevertheless reflect the close connection with Mercedes-Benz motorsport thanks to Mercedes-Benz motorsport logos and various printed motorsport elements. This collection includes a functional waterproof men’s jacket in black with inner mesh lining, zip with star emblem, mobile phone pocket and two inside pockets with Velcro fasteners, a men’s polo shirt and also men’s and women’s white T-shirts. The women’s shirts feature a rhinestone Mercedes-Benz star on the chest area.

The glittering star is also to be found on the front of the matching women’s cap in white, with elegant coloured embroidered Mercedes-Benz motorsport logo. The men’s cap in black has light grey mesh inserts on the sides, which help the wearer to keep a cool head even in the heat of the racing action.

Thanks to their stylish design, the attractive accessories of this selection are bound to be the centre of attention. Prestigious manufacturers help to ensure high quality. The same applies to the three new models of watch – two of which have real carbon dials, while the third is limited to 1500 examples – as well as a pair of high-quality Rodenstock sunglasses, a carbon-fibre ballpoint pen, a highly functional sports bag with toiletry bag, wash bag and shoe bag, a rucksack made by Deuter with special back system for high wear comfort, a stylish beach towel from Möve, an innovative kite-shaped, two-person golf umbrella, seat cushions, wallets and children’s earmuffs from UVEX.

Finely-made and highly-detailed models from well-known manufacturer Minichamps provide an opportunity for enthusiasts to add the world of Mercedes-Benz racing cars to their collection. One particular highlight is Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 car from the 2010 season, faithfully recreated in 1:18 scale. The 2010 season MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 cars of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are also available in the popular scale of 1:43, while other 1:43-scale models include the AMG-Mercedes C-Class vehicles, which caused something of a stir during the last DTM race season. The prototypical miniature cars are finished in the colours of drivers Gary Paffett, Bruno Spengler, Paul di Resta, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard.

High functionality, fine materials and impressive style characterise the new AMG Selection 2011, which transfers the major core values of the Mercedes-Benz Cars performance brand to exclusive items of clothing and first-class accessories, some of which are hand-made in Germany. The products are available in a business line for the office and commercial environment and a casual range for sport and leisure.

The visual style of the business line is distinguished by a striking diamond-look – this diamond embroidery also lends the interior of the AMG twelve-cylinder models S 65 AMG and CL 65 AMG a fine, sporty ambience. Further characteristic features of the AMG Selection 2011’s business line include high-quality materials, sound handcraftsmanship and elegant, high-calibre chic. With a successful day at the office in mind there are items such as a functional laptop trolley suitcase in leather/nylon with variable interior compartments for clothes, a laptop and cable compartment plus wheels with AMG styling, a business bag made of cotton and calfskin, also with practical interior partitioning and further clever details or a non-crease business shirt with a tone-in-tone AMG logo embroidered on the breast pocket.

Further stylish business accessories, some of which are hand-made in Germany, such as a lavishly styled documents case with credit card and organiser compartments – offering room for an iPhone®/Blackberry® and a pen holder – a matt-finished aluminium retractable ball-point pen, a wallet, a key case plus a credit card holder round off the range for everyday business life.

Carbon is the distinctive, high-quality theme running through the casual range. Items of clothing and accessories boast either a chic and trendy carbon-look or in some cases they have even been trimmed with this high-tech material.

Bacteria-inhibiting carbon fibres, for example, have been woven into the fabric of the functional T-shirts. The sports and leisure items in the AMG Selection 2011’s casual range also include practical windcheaters, polo shirts and caps for women, men and children. This assortment of stylish products includes the compact or full-size umbrella with a leather handle, Teflon® coating, fibre-glass ribs and an embossed AMG logo, plus a leather sports bag, a key case and ring in carbon fibre/leather (hand-made in Germany) plus a matching lanyard in a sophisticated AMG-look.

For model car enthusiasts the AMG Selection 2011 also offers the gull-wing SLS AMG as high-quality 1:87, 1:43 and 1:18 scale models.