Rolls-Royce Phantom [has] Serenity Now
Rolls-Royce continues to redefine what luxury means in the segment with its bespoke models.
At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the British automaker is showing off what it calls “Serenity” and Firefly fans can appreciate the Asian-inspired special model. The company chose the Phantom as a canvas for its latest creation and turned to a blank bolt of the finest hand-woven silk that adorns the interior of the ultra-luxury sedan. To source the unique, high-quality material, the design team went to Suzhou, China and had the material also hand-dyed by the Chinese craftspeople who have been creating beautiful silks for centuries.
From there, the bolt was transported to one of Britain’s oldest mills in Essex where it was hand-woven into nearly 33 feet of fabric. Laying the foundation is the plain Smoke Green silk that has been layered by the blossom motif designed by Haye and Lusby. As a finishing touch, a detailed petal-by-petal hand-painting of crimson blossoms was applied directly onto the silk. According to Rolls-Royce, the resulting panels and swatches forming the centerpiece of Serenity took up to 600 hours of work per panel.
2015 Geneva Motor Show Coverage
Complementing the Oriental theme inside the cabin is Smoked Cherrywood that is found on the door cappings, dash fascia and rear center console. Bamboo also embellishes the interior along with Mother of Pearl that’s applied to the face of Serenity’s clock and the driver’s instrument dials.
Like the TV show Firefly, this Serenity is also one-and-done as a one-off commission which are growing in popularity with the brand. The company also revealed that one-off commissions and Bespoke Collections have helped Bespoke sales to grow worldwide by 31 percent last year with 85 percent of all Rolls-Royce vehicles sold around the world commission with some level of bespoke content.
“The desire for the finest, most opulent fabrics endures amongst the cognoscenti around the world, including many Rolls-Royce owners,” said Giles Taylor, Director of Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “The thought that fabrics such as silk have been discounted from use because of their delicacy only spurred us on to go further than any other car maker is capable of doing. The result is Serenity.”
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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finally, a Roller with a nice name. Very pretty interior. Grains in the bamboo resemble Zebrano