Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW) celebrates its 80th edition with the open-top SL, which was launched in 1985, a year before the first detailed images of Uranus and Neptune were obtained.
The number 80 is a number with many connotations in the world of science. It is the atomic number of mercury, but it was also a decade in which the first baby was born by in vitro fertilization, the first clinical magnetic resonance scanners were installed and the foundations for human DNA sequencing were laid.
While all this technological whirlwind was breaking out, in 1985, Mercedes-Benz was renewing one of the most iconic models in its history, the SL convertible, which is now on display at the 80th edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week alongside Spanish fashion designs.
A classic of design
In fact, the Mercedes SL was born much earlier, in 1952. It was more than 30 years old when the Pasarela Cibeles, as it was then called, opened its fashion shows. By then, the Mercedes SL had already won over the public.
Much of the success was based on those two initials that identify it, S for sporty (sports) and L of light (light). There are still some units left that their owners keep as the best of jewels. One of them can be seen at the Mercedes-Benz stand at the MBFWAlongside this, the firm has planned an interactive exhibition in which its most iconic convertible models will be on display until 16 September alongside the most notable looks and shows in the history of the catwalk.
The Cibeles catwalk was renamed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2012
Today, the Mercedes-Benz SL is still being produced. Perhaps in a few years, when the MBFW catwalk celebrates its centenary, we will continue to see this convertible blending in with art, fashion and culture as it does today and has done for 27 editions.
