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HERITAGE.
The MINI Cooper S "Red Mudder" by DSQUARED².
How do a couple of twins create the most striking Canadian Mini Cooper S that is equally adept on the runway as it is off the beaten path somewhere in British Columbia? The answer lies in the famous Vienna Life Ball.
We've talked about our association with this most famous of charity events in the past. This dazzling AIDS fundraiser began in 1993 and would be held annually for 26 years until 2019. Many a special MINI was presented at the event. We began donating one-of-a-kind MINIs – which were specially designed by selected designers and celebrities – to the event in 2001 and would continue to do so for more than a decade. Designed by such names as Agent Provocateur, Donatella Versace, Diesel, Missoni and Gianfranco Ferré, the Life Ball MINI models generated more than half a million euros on behalf of the gala’s organisers, Aids Life (the cars were usually auctioned off with proceeds going to the AIDS charity for research).
This was also the case in 2011 when Canadian designers Dean and Dan Caten, the men behind the fashion label DSQUARED², created their very own “Red Mudder” MINI Cooper S. It was fitting that for the Life Ball the Caten twins created a car that was all about joie de vivre. One would maybe expect two fashion designers to disregard practicality in favour of ostentatiousness, but the Red Mudder is anything but. As the name implies, the Caten twins wanted a car that could take on even the toughest of elements.
With its two doors sporting two maple leaves, the car looks ready for anything in the Great White North that is Canada. The 1964 next to the leaves is a reference to the birth year of the designers.
But that doesn’t mean the car lacks in striking features. Among them are its rugged front guard and rally lights, located behind the front guard as well as on the roof. It also features black wheel flaring, a roof rack and tinted side windows, as well as a spare tyre on the tailgate. These, together with its raised chassis and deep-tread all-terrain tyres, are practically begging the owner to take the car off the road and in any direction they please. The adventure doesn’t stop on the inside either, as it features a car compass (just in case), as well as floormats made of structured aluminium sheeting to protect the inside from dirt. There are also a number of trademark DSQUARED² maple leaves on the leather seats and the side doors.
WITH ITs TWO DOORS SPORTING TWO MAPLE LEAVES, THE CAR LOOKS READY FOR ANYTHING IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH THAT IS CANADA.
The roof of the Red Mudder can also open up; indeed the Caten twins rode in, popping out from the roof, when they went down the Life Ball runway in 2011. The Red Mudder MINI wasn’t the last cooperation between the Caten brothers and the brand that year, as the fashion designers and MINI also designed the “Red Mudder Foulard by MINI & DSQUARED²”, a unique and stylish scarf that was also sold to benefit AIDS research.
The MINI One-Off Series.
During the 2022 European Championships a number of unique MINI cars can be seen at the Königsplatz in Munich. Whether they were created for movies, noble causes, or designed by celebrities to show the world the many faces of MINI’s personality, we love them all equally.
Check out:
Mr. Bean's legendary, broom driven Mini.
The shiny Mini designed by David Bowie.
The unforgettable Mini motorhome, the shapeshifting Wildgoose.
The coolest, Batman-inspired pink Mini, the Mini Ice Cream Van.
