Rolls-Royce Showcases Glorious Bespoke Craft Inspired by the French Riviera at London Craft Week 2023

• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showcases glorious Bespoke craft at this year’s London Craft Week
• Inspiration for London Craft Week taken from the French Riviera
• Remarkable pieces of craftsmanship will be on display at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London, for the duration of the event, from 8 to 14 May 2023

“As a brand that has always been synonymous with luxury, refined elegance, and exacting levels of craftsmanship, London Craft Week is an important event in our annual calendar. I am delighted to unveil our portfolio of stunning Bespoke craftsmanship, which will be on display at our flagship residence in Mayfair for the duration of the event. These beautiful examples of craftsmanship are indicative of the marque’s Bespoke capabilities. The inspiration behind these magnificent works of craftsmanship, created in honour of the event, comes from the French Riviera, a destination many miles away from the Home of Rolls-Royce but a location synonymous with luxury, beauty, and elegance, just like a Rolls-Royce.”
Boris Weletzky, Regional Director – UK, Europe, and Central Asia

To celebrate the ninth year of London Craft Week, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will debut a remarkable exhibition of craftsmanship at the marque’s flagship residence in Mayfair. For this year’s event, the marque has selected the theme of Location, with a spotlight on the iconic, breathtaking, and lavish strip of coastline that is the French Riviera.

Having previously sought inspiration for London Craft Week directly from the Home of Rolls-Royce, on the Goodwood Estate, in West Sussex, this year, Rolls-Royce designers have sought inspiration from a place further afield, but still highly relevant and synonymous with Rolls-Royce: The French Riviera.

Part of the marque’s ongoing success rests on a deep understanding of the unique world in which the illustrious community of Rolls-Royce clientele live. Internationally renowned for its glamourous events, super luxurious lifestyle, stunning scenery, unrivalled views and sparkling hues of the Mediterranean, the French Riviera has long been a popular destination for Rolls-Royce clients, making it a befitting choice as the theme of this year’s event.

The French Riviera has also been associated with Rolls-Royce since the early part of 20^th Century, when the Côte d’Azur established itself as the favoured haunt of actors, artists, musicians, and other wealthy leading lights of the Belle Epoque. There is also a highly potent connection between the marque and the area: in 1912, Sir Henry Royce built his villa, the mimosain the village of Le Canadel, where he subsequently spent every winter until his death in 1933.

SHORELINE INSPIRED FASCIA

For this year’s event, artisans from the marque’s Interior Surface Centre have drawn inspiration from the beautiful beaches of The Riviera, to meticulously craft a special shoreline inspired Fascia. To replicate the idyllic golden sands, the lightest in the marque’s portfolio of veneers, Ash Burr, was selected. A special ‘candy’ paint – a light translucent paint that gradually builds up to appear darker in colour – was created specifically for the exhibition by the marque’s in-house colour experts and was chosen to mimic the deep hues of the Mediterranean waters. To showcase the movement, myriad of colours, and depths of the sea, one talented individual sketched the outline of the waves, and then carefully spray-painted layers upon layers of paint at different angles and lengths. A delicate brush was then used to gently draw on the finer details of the waves. Once the hand painting was finished, this magnificent piece of artwork was lacquered multiple times before being meticulously hand polished to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.

RIVIERA INSPIRED HEADLINER

Drawing inspiration from the local Riviera architecture, the talented Collective of artisans at the Home of Rolls-Royce have created a true work of art as the headliner. One highly creative artisan hand painted a beautiful image of a coastal town in the French Riviera onto Turchese leather, before this one-of-a-kind headliner was embroidered with stitching in four different colours – Lemon, Iceland Moss, Sheida Pink and Fame Green – to replicate the vivacious hues typical for the region. To finish this masterpiece, 3D flowers, made entirely from thread, were hand sculpted and individually embroidered onto the main canvas piece. Delicate beads were then added to the centre of the flower before being sewn onto the headliner. This magnificent headliner, with all its delicate and intricate details, took the marque’s team of talented artisans over 100 hours to create.

COACHLINE MOTIF

Continuing the Riviera theme, Rolls-Royce’s highly skilled artisans working in the Exterior Surface Centre have created four Coachline motifs: a sailing boat, gently bobbing up and down on the water; waves; a parasol; and a Riviera-style town. These beautiful Coachline motifs are presented on an Arctic White panel, with an additional clearcoat, infused with a combination of shimmering champagne and blue glass crystals.

BESPOKE UMBRELLA

To complete the exhibition, the world’s leading luxury marque has created a one-off Bespoke umbrella for the occasion. Presented in two-tone Turchese and Arctic White, this Bespoke umbrella is a truly befitting addition to this year’s exhibition.

These unique pieces are indicative of the marque’s fluency in Bespoke and will be displayed in the window of Rolls-Royce’s flagship showroom, Berkeley Street, Mayfair, from 8 to 14 May 2023.