Love Hermès bags? How about a Rolls-Royce x Hermès Phantom?

MANILA: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled its newest Bespoke Phantom that was produced in collaboration with luxury fashion brand Hermès.

The Phantom Oribe was manufactured and handcrafted by a combined team of Bespoke experts at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England and Hermès in Paris, France. The car was designed to embody the character and passions of its owner, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. The client visualized the car as a “land jet” that will bring the exclusivity of private air travel to the road.

 

In a statement, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer Torsten Muller-Otvos said, “This magnificent expression of our pinnacle product represents a landmark for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, bringing together two houses with more than three centuries of combined experience and heritage. It is the result of a deep, genuine collaboration between the Houses of Rolls-Royce and Hermès, in which designers, materials specialists, and skilled craftspeople worked side by side to create a truly one-of-a-kind Phantom. It has been an extraordinary privilege to unite on such a creatively challenging, technically demanding commission and bring our client’s remarkable vision so beautifully to life.”

The car features a two-tone exterior that combines the traditional green and cream glazes of 16^th century Japanese Oribe ware, which is being collected by Maezawa-san.

The top section is coated in Oribe Green, an exclusive Bespoke color for the client. Rolls-Royce has surprisingly made the paint available for use on the client’s private jet that the Phantom will be paired with. The Phantom Oribe perfectly depicts the antique ceramics through its polished, deep-green finish with cream-white coating in the lower section.

With the help of the artistic Hermès craftsmen and Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective designers, the Oribe ware-inspired colorway was harmoniously adapted through the car’s interior. The prowess and creativity of the two luxury houses were concretized on the Bespoke Phantom.

Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective Lead Designer Michael Bryden said, “This unique Phantom is a fusion of East and West, ancient and modern, serenity and exhilaration. It was a great creative and cultural exchange working with Hermès; we learned a great deal from each other. It is always a pleasure when a client brings us a bold, clear and imaginative vision, and a great thrill to see it realized so perfectly.”

The interior was primarily upholstered in Hermès Enea Green leather. The premium material flows around the immediate touchpoints of the client such as the steering wheel, duchess handles, gear selector, and rotary controls for the vehicle’s climate settings.

The Hermès leather was also wrapped around the upper instrument panel, interior pillars, and parcel shelf. It was also embedded on less visible surfaces such as the glove compartment and luggage compartment lining, center console, decanter stowage compartment, and champagne cooler. To honor the collaboration of the two makers, the glove compartment lid was decorated with the signature “Habillé par Hermès Paris.”

The headrest cushions and the calf supports of the rear seats were also embellished with fine Hermès piping. To create a sense of light and space, the interior was decorated with soft Seashell White accents and lambswool floor mats.

For a seamless and textured aesthetic, the Open Pore Royal Walnut veneer on the doors was meticulously perforated to form wooden speaker frets. The Open Pore Royal Walnut was also applied on the center and rear consoles and picnic table backs. The interior also features Hermès “Toile H” canvas on the door armrests, center and rear consoles, and on the signature headliner.

Hermès Bespoke Division Design and Engineering Director Axel de Beaufort said, “We are really delighted to see this Bespoke car come to life after a remarkable journey of creation and craftsmanship conducted hand in hand with both of our houses. We are proud to have contributed to creating a unique and contemporary expression of our client’s vision, thanks to our spirit of innovation, the quality of our materials and the know-how of our craftsmen, who have developed, among other things, unique stitching and upholstery techniques for the interior of the car and a hand-painting technique for a Bespoke gallery. It has been a real pleasure to work alongside the Rolls-Royce experts and to see how this car expresses all the values that Hermès cherishes every day.”

To incorporate the equestrian history and innovative craftsmanship of Hermès to the car, the Phantom Oribe’s leather upholstery was crafted by applying the stitching and edge-painting methods that were originally used by master saddlers. Just like the other Bespoke Phantoms, the Phantom Oribe also comes with a unique “gallery” on the dashboard. It features an artwork based on a design by French artist and illustrator Pierre Peron, who created most of the iconic scarves of Hermès. The artwork was hand-painted on Open Pore Royal Walnut and presented behind glass as if it was staged in an art gallery.

“This majestic and tasteful Rolls-Royce Phantom demonstrates what is possible when talented people from two of the world's great houses work closely together alongside a far-sighted, inspirational client like Maezawa-san. It is a meeting of minds, expertise, visions and skill that represents the very best of our respective craftspeople and capabilities,” Muller-Otvos added.

Photos from Rolls-Royce

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