Back in March, in an article about Rolls-Royce expanding its Goodwood factory, I mentioned that 2024 was its best year for Bespoke commissions ever. You can add the Phantom Extended Cherry Blossom, a custom build inspired by the Japanese tradition of Hanami, to the tally for 2025.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, “From the latter half of March to as late as early May, the blossoms of Japan’s iconic sakura (cherry blossoms) captivate visitors and locals alike, as they light up the length and breadth of Japan in subtle shades of pink splendor.” During Sakura season, families and friends take part in the tradition of Hanami (flower viewing) by gathering under cherry trees for picnics and celebrations. The memories may last a lifetime, but Sakura season doesn’t: Rolls-Royce states the blooms last only a week or so.
One of Rolls-Royce‘s clients in Japan has enjoyed a lifetime of Hanami, and commissioned the Phantom Extended Cherry Blossom as an experience to be passed down through his or her family. The design process started three years ago. From the outside, it’s not immediately obvious that Cherry Blossom is anything more than a Crystal and Arctic White long-wheelbase Phantom. But if you look closely, you’ll see there’s a cherry blossom motif to the hand-painted coachline that ends halfway across the rear passenger door. The inner lining of the umbrellas that pop out of the rear coach doors shows falling petals, further hinting at what’s inside the car itself.
Over the course of six months, Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke team designed and developed Cherry Blossom’s unique and history-making interior. To make rear passengers feel as if they’re sitting under a tree with intertwining branches full of Sakura blooms, one artisan assembled 11 individually embroidered frame sections to form one seamless graphic. The custom Starlight Headliner alone took three weeks of embroidery and more than 250,000 stitches.
The petals that appear to be falling on the rear door panels, and the privacy partition between the first and second rows of seats, took their own special work. In fact, it was so special that Rolls-Royce had never done it before. Rather than just sewing in flat petals, the automaker’s Bespoke crew assembled layers of thread into self-supporting structures for three-dimensional petals that they then shaped by hand, making Cherry Blossom the first Rolls-Royce with 3D sculptural embroidery.
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Phantom VIII is “The Gallery,” a glass enclosure across the entire dashboard that presents the owner’s choice of artwork. Clearly, Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke division can turn the entire Phantom itself into a work of art that can not only been seen, but also touched as well.
What would you have the Rolls-Royce Bespoke division create for you? Post your answers in the Comments section below.
