Rolls Royce is often the trend setter when it comes to glitz, glamour and style. However while the bespoke British luxury car maker has certainly been busy rewriting the rules of luxury with the all-electric Specter EV, it has been awhile since we saw Rolls Royce in the world of fashion. That’s changing with the company confirming that it has teamed up with fashion designer Iris van Herpen for a special Phantom, the Rolls Royce Phantom Syntopia
Phantom Syntopia Embraces Haute Couture Themes
Rolls Royce has made plenty of bespoke Phantom custom models over the years but company reps claim that the Syntopia is the most technologically complex and bespoke Phantom ever created. The exterior styling features a slick purple hue and a pattern that is called “Weaving Water.” The pattern will play a more prominent role later, but Rolls claims the Syntopia is built on the principles of Haute Couture which is a process where designers carefully handcraft custom high end design pieces. A small slice of this is seen on the hood with the “Weaving Water” look making its first appearance behind the Spirit of Ecstasy badge.
This theme makes its most dramatic appearance however in the interior of the Syntopia with the headliner of the Phantom featuring an intricate “Weaving Water” pattern. The leather is a single piece and was chosen from over 1,000 hides. The pattern in the headliner was cut by hand and was the most difficult part of the entire interior for van Herpen’s designers. The elegant petal like pattern took over 300 collective hours of work at Rolls Royce’s Goodwood factory. The seats also have a fluidic pattern to them and van Herpen claims that the overall look of the interior is supposed to reflect the designer’s 2018 design collection which builds on patterns and shapes that are found in nature. The headliner also features Rolls Royce’s starlight system which undoubtedly made this task even more challenging.
“For this special collaboration, I was inspired by the concept of ‘Weaving Water’ and transformed the sense of being in movement into an immersive experience of fluidity inside the Phantom. I wanted this to become a state-of-the-art experience being overwhelmed by the forces of nature. The powerful movement of the Phantom is woven into the shifting three-dimensional waves inside the car to embody the ingenuity of nature,” fashion designer Iris van Herpen explains.
A highlight feature for us is the picnic tables which mirror the hood’s wave like pattern. To help achieve this effect Rolls combined multiple colors and lacquer while also infusing it with glass particles. This particular effect took the company four months to perfect and nine trial coats were used before the team finally found the right mixture of colors and glass. When you bundle everything together, it took over 700 collective work hours to build this special one of a kind Phantom Syntopia.
When Can I See It?
This particular Phantom will exclusively be a one of a kind creation with Rolls not revealing whether it has any buyers for it or not. However, look for the Phantom Syntopia to possibly make the rounds at select events where it will be on display.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.