Filed under: Aftermarket Concept Cars Nissan

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Back in August we told you about the partnership forged between urban fashion icon Marc Ecko and Nissan. Ecko will market a co-branded clothing line through his Ecko Unltd. and Marc Ecko Cut & Sew collections the proceeds from which will support the designer's nonprofit organization Sweat Equity Enterprises. In addition to the clothing line Ecko designed a pair of SUVs -- a pathfinder and an Armada -- which will be used for promotional purposes. Ecko went to Unique Autosports to turn his designs into reality. Unique for those of you who may not be familiar with it is Will Castro's auto customization outfit that's featured on SPEED TV's Unique Whips. As you might expect the Ecko Nissan jobs were filmed and will be featured during the program's upcoming season.

The Armada sports enormous laser-etched deep dish wheels a new grille two-tone cream and orange exterior landau top (!) and a fully-overhauled interior done in Florentine leather to match the body's color scheme. it represents the themes seen in Ecko's more upscale Cut & Sew line.

The Ecko Pathfinder is reflective of the Ecko Unltd. brand and as such sports a grey urban camouflage paint job that upon closer inspection reveals details like Ecko's signature rhinos which "hide" in the camo. Shots of orange accent the grey exterior. Like the Armada the Pathfinder gets a bit of a facelift in the form of a revised grille. Huge five-spoke wheels with orange rim lines fill up the wells and make the Pathfinder's brakes look ridiculously small. The orange-painted calipers are meant to accent the overall color scheme but they also serve as beacons that draw your attention to the small discs they clamp down on. Inside driver and passengers get to sit in black button-tufted leather seats backed by polished molded wood. The center console and instrument cluster is trimmed in orange lacquer. And what would a ride out of Unique be without an utterly monstrous A/V system. The front headrests have embedded LCD screens while the cargo area is stuffed with JBL amps and woofers.

Unfortunately we only have the full set of publicity shots for the Pathfinder at this time. Once we get the suite of Armada shots we'll update the post with them as well. In the meantime you can check out Unique's galleries of both SUVs here.

(Photo gallery and a pair pf press releases after the jump)

{Sources: Nissan Marc Ecko Enterprises BusinessWire]

Ecko Pathfinder:
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Design Sketches:


Will Castro Unique Autosports:
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PRESS RELEASES:
NISSAN AND MARC ECKO UNVEIL THE ULTIMATE IN URBAN STYLE WITH CUSTOMISED VEHICLES AND AUTOMOTIVE-INSPIRED CLOTHING

New York (Oct. 27 2006) - Nissan and Marc Ecko have revealed what happens when two of the most design-forward companies in the automotive and fashion industries unite. At a VIP event held at New York's Splashlight Studios Nissan and Marc Ecko showcased the results of their recently announced partnership - the Nissan Pathfinder and the Nissan Armada customised by Marc Ecko and the Nissan-inspired line of apparel and accessories from the *ecko unltd. and Marc Ecko Cut & Sew collections.

"Nissan and Marc Ecko are two brands known for bold forward-thinking design" said Jan Thompson vice president of marketing for Nissan North America. "The new customised vehicles and clothing line emerging from this collaboration are the perfect extension of the quality and affinity for street culture inherent to both brands."

The Nissan Pathfinder customised by Marc Ecko is inspired by *ecko unltd.'s street-smart swagger. It takes a vehicle that loves to get a little dirty and gives it an 'old school' twist with smoothed wheel wells a modified grille and a custom black and grey camouflage paint job. The interior includes seamless black leather moulded wood backs and a glossy safety orange centre console.

The Nissan Armada customised by Marc Ecko follows Cut & Sew's sophisticated designs retaining the muscularity of the vehicle's original look while adding an edge. The exterior features a cream Landau roof laser etched rims and safety orange side panels. The interior offers sophisticated touches like the use of premium cream and tan calfskin leathers with heavy-contrast stitching.

"My goal with this project is to not only introduce my original sense of style to Nissan but to do so in a way that highlights the individuality of the Pathfinder and Armada brands" said Mr Ecko.

Mr Ecko also designed limited edition co-branded pullover anoraks t-shirts leather key chains and other items that will be given away at events and sold online through www.ecko.com. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Sweat Equity Enterprises (SEE) Mr Ecko's nonprofit organisation which empowers at-risk teens to learn professional design and technology skills while working behind the scenes in leading design companies.

About Nissan North America

In North America Nissan's operations include automotive design engineering consumer and corporate financing sales and marketing distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissannews.com or by contacting the corporate media line at 615-725-5631.

About Marc Ecko Enterprises

The youngest member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's board of directors Marc Ecko is founder of *ecko unltd. the world famous rhino brand. Since its creation in 1993 the group of companies that comprise Marc Ecko Enterprises has grown to include: *ecko unltd.(R) men's and Eckored(R) women's apparel as well as outerwear footwear watches eyewear underwear belts bags hats small leather goods formalwear and more. Marc Ecko Enterprises also includes Marc Ecko "Cut & Sew" (a contemporary menswear line launched Fall 2004); G-Unit(R) clothing and accessories (a joint venture with multi-platinum musician 50 Cent); Zoo York(R) (a line of action sports-inspired clothing and accessories); and Avirex(R) Sportswear Collection (a mid-tier brand launched spring 2005). The Company also publishes Complex(R) magazine a men's consumer magazine with a rate base of 330000 and developed Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure[TM] the first truly authentic video game based on urban culture and graffiti art launched February 2006. *ecko unltd. products are available in over 5000 stores domestically and in over 45 countries internationally as well as through 37 of its own retail stores across the country. For additional information please visit www.marceckoenterprises.com.

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Unique Whips Crew Executes Hot New Designs for Marc Ecko-Nissan Project

Taping Underway for Third Season of Hit Series on SPEED

CHARLOTTE N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Will Castro and his crew at Unique Autosports on Long Island N.Y. were selected by fashion icon Marc Ecko to execute his custom designs for two of Nissan's most popular SUVs - the Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Armada - giving each a hip new design inspired by his *ecko unltd. and Cut & Sew clothing lines. The project part of Ecko's recent alliance with Nissan North America Inc. is being captured as part of third-season taping for the popular SPEED program Unique Whips scheduled to debut in February 2007.

"Growing up on the LES (Lower East Side) I saw a lot of graffiti artists" Castro said. "Having the opportunity to work with an artist who actually made it big was too much to pass up. Marc had some really good ideas of what he wants in a car and we were just the right shop to make it happen."

From his beginnings in fashion to his recent entries into the worlds of publishing video gaming and multimedia Ecko continues to break the boundaries of conventional wisdom and further solidify this role as the navigator of global pop culture. His journey began in the mid-80s while he was still a high school student working from a makeshift design studio located in the garage of his parents' New Jersey home. Armed only with an airbrush and his custom graphic designs Ecko quickly built a loyal fan base and in 1993 at the age 20 founded *ecko unltd.

Since then the company has grown to include 12 separate *ecko unltd. apparel and accessories lines the contemporary Marc Ecko "Cut & Sew" collection G-Unit Clothing Company Zoo York Avirex Sportswear Complex magazine (circulation 330000) and his recently launched video game "Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure." Last year alone Marc's full-scale global fashion and lifestyle company reported billings of over $1.2 billion.

"As a devoted fan of Unique Whips I immediately thought of Will and his team when the Nissan opportunity arose" Ecko said. "It is my intent to take the shared design heritage of the Pathfinder and Armada and through the skill and craftsmanship of Unique add my own bold twists to create something truly extraordinary."

SPEED celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2006 is the nation's first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration motorcycles to movies SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 73 million homes in North America SPEED is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country the home to NASCAR TV and an industry leader in interactive TV video on-demand mobile initiatives and broadband services. www.speedtv.com

 

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