Rolls-Royce unveils Haute Couture-inspired Phantom Syntopia

MANILA: In partnership with renowned Dutch fashion designer and Haute Couturière Iris van Herpen, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled Phantom Syntopia, a sophisticated, Haute Couture-inspired masterpiece.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia is the most technically complex project the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective has ever worked on. It is based on Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended, the ultimate blank canvas for customization. This exceptional and one-of-a-kind masterpiece is now finished after four years of continuous development, and it will soon take its position in the private collection of discerning Rolls-Royce fans.

The “Weaving Water” theme of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia seeks to capture the illusive, mystical beauty of fluid motion in solid materials, much like van Harpen's landmark 2018 collection, which consists of a series of highly sculptural pieces brought to life through movement.

“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,” van Herpen said.

“From the very beginning, this truly was a meeting of minds: two luxury houses that share the innovative vision and ambition to transcend the boundaries of luxury design,” Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke Design Head Gavin Hartley stated. “Phantom Syntopia literally takes Rolls‑Royce interior design into a new dimension with its immersive, sculptural elements, reinterpreting the elusive fragility of nature’s forms in a perfectly engineered reality.”

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective formulated a unique Liquid Noir paint to achieve the spectacular, glistening exterior of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia. Its iridescent quality in sunlight exposes undertones of Purple, Blue, Magenta, and Gold when viewed from different angles. To create this look, Rolls-Royce's darkest solid-black paint is covered with a finish comprising a mirror-like pigment, chosen for its color-shifting capabilities. The team used a brand-new method of applying pigment to the clearcoat in order to give the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia a delicate, exquisite sheen. This procedure took several months and required more than 3,000 hours of testing and validation.

A delicate portrayal of the “Weaving Water” theme, achieved by meticulously spreading the pigment during the finishing process, may be observed on the bonnet of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia on a closer look.

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective and van Herpen collaborated to design the exquisite interior elements of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia. van Herpen's team and some of Rolls-Royce's top craftsmen handcrafted some of the interior parts at the Home of Rolls-Royce, while others were made in the designer's atelier in Netherlands alongside her Haute Couture garments.

The Weaving Water Starlight Headliner, the most technically demanding iteration of this iconic Rolls-Royce feature ever manufactured, immediately catches the attention as the majestic coach doors are opened. The Headliner appears three-dimensional, thanks to precise symmetrical cuts that reveal a silver “liquid metal” texture created by woven nylon fabric underneath that was utilized in van Herpen's “Embossed Sounds” collection. It is finished with 162 exquisite petals made of glass organza, attached by members of van Herpen's Couture team who flew to Goodwood to do the job — a procedure that took almost 300 hours. Furthermore, 187 of the 995 glittering fiber optic “stars” were individually placed next to the artwork, successively lighting up from the rear to the front and giving the illusion of movement. The entire Headliner alone took around 700 hours of labor to complete.

The “Weaving Water” theme extends through the special artwork in the Gallery, which spans the width of the Rolls-Royce Phantom's fascia. This very expressive piece, which combines classic Haute Couture methods with avant-garde visual forms, has 85 additional petals that were carefully hand-attached by van Herpen's crew at Goodwood over the course of almost 60 hours.

“When I met the Bespoke Collective, I discovered that the world of Rolls-Royce is very similar to Haute Couture. Every garment I create is a one-off, tailor-made to my clients’ individual measurements, just like every Rolls-Royce. My clients come to our atelier in Amsterdam for fittings, just as Rolls-Royce clients are invited to Goodwood throughout the design and craft process. On many levels, this collaboration was a natural symbiosis,” van Harpen said.

“The result of four years’ continuous development, Phantom Syntopia is a magnificent testament to the skill, talent, passion for materials and commitment to excellence of our exceptional Bespoke Collective team,” Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke General Manager Jonathan Simms stated. “To bring the client’s vision to life, our engineers and craftspeople pushed their own limits and challenged existing notions of what’s possible in their pursuit of perfection.”

van Herpen will also create a one-off garment exclusively for the buyers of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia to give them an authentic Haute Couture experience. The dress' sculptural design draws inspiration from the “Weaving Water” theme of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia's Starlight Headliner. It features an artistic application of the “liquid metal” fabric and glass organza petals that were laser-cut and hand-stitched in a pattern that resembles rippling waves. This stunning fashion piece, which illustrates van Herpen's new Haute Couture techniques, is estimated to take around six months of work, including pattern development, crafting and applying petals, embroidery, fitting , and tailoring.

Photos from Rolls-Royce

Also read:

Rolls-Royce celebrates 112th anniversary of Spirit of Ecstasy

Rolls-Royce celebrates 20 years of production at Goodwood

Rolls-Royce unveils its first EV, the Spectre