Rolls Royce is renowned for outdoing itself with bespoke creations; for the latest custom creation, the British marque has collaborated with French luxury fashion house, Hermès for Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. The founder of online fashion retailer Zozotown has a liking for flashy, luxury supercars. The 45-year-old entrepreneur’s collection includes a $2.9 million Bugatti Chiron, an ultra-rare $1.8 million Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, and an Aston Martin One-77. The most recent purchase is the $3 million, 1,000 hp Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. The addition of a Rolls Royce comes as no surprise, with the Phantom Oribe being one of the elegant bespoke creations ever!
Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa.“This magnificent expression of our pinnacle product represents a landmark for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, bringing together two houses with more than three centuries’ 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.” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Designed and handcrafted by a combined Bespoke specialist team at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex, and Hermès in Paris, Phantom Oribe reflects the personality and passions of its owner. The client envisioned the car as a ‘land jet’, bringing the serene exclusivity of private air travel to the road. Phantom Oribe features a striking two-tone exterior of green and cream glazes inspired from the antique Japanese Oribe ware, of which Maezawa-san is a prominent collector. Developed over many months by specialists in the Surface Finish Centre at Goodwood, it perfectly captures the lustrous, deep-green glaze that characterizes these 16th-century ceramics. The cream-white lower section beautifully completes the effect. The upper part is finished in Oribe Green, a fully Bespoke color created exclusively for the client. The client has also expressed his wish to use the green color for his private jet – thus pairing the two vehicles.
The exteriors of the Phantom Oribe are complimented with the magnificent interiors, created and realized through a true meeting of minds between Hermès designers and craftspeople in Paris and the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers, and artisans. The interior is finished predominantly in Hermès Enea Green leather, extending to details that include the immediate touch-points of the client like the steering wheel, duchess handles, and gear selector to the center console, decanter stowage compartment, and Champagne cooler. The glove compartment lid is embossed with the signature Habillé par Hermès Paris – a sign of the project’s truly collaborative nature.
“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, amongst 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.”, said Axel de Beaufort, Design and Engineering Director, Hermès Bespoke Division
Maezawa wanted the interior to remain subtle; thus, the Open Pore Royal Walnut veneer is applied to the doors, creating a seamless, textured aesthetic and delicate haptics. For Phantom’s Gallery, a feature unique to Rolls-Royce, that runs the length of the motor car’s fascia, Hermès commissioned an artwork based on a design by the celebrated French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron. He created many of the House’s iconic scarves. The work, inspired by the famous Hermès horse motif, is hand-painted on Open Pore Royal Walnut and is presented as staged in an art gallery behind glass. In another first for Rolls-Royce, the interior features Hermès ‘Toile H’ canvas on the door armrests, center, and rear consoles, and, most notably, the signature headliner.
“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.”, said Michael Bryden, Lead Designer, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective. The Phantom Oribe features the delicate Hermès piping adorning the headrest cushions and calf supports of the rear seats, while soft Seashell White accents and matching lamb’s wool floor mats create a sense of light and space throughout.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös added, “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.”
