Rolls-Royce Presents Stunning Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
The arrival of spring means it is time for Sakura season, or as some call it, Cherry Blossom Season. To celebrate this occasion, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has presented a one-of-one Phantom Extended commission for a Japanese client that celebrates the fleeting beauty of Sakura season.
Sakura season in Japan is one of the most beautiful sights, and people from all over the world travel to the island nation to see the beautiful pink cherry blossoms. In Japanese culture, they symbolize nature’s rhythms and mark the arrival of spring after a long winter. The peak of the season only lasts for one week and serves as a stark reminder to cherish the present and embrace life. The celebration is deeply connected to Japanese culture and can be seen in Japanese art, literature and philosophy.
People from all over the world visit Japan to partake in the tradition of ‘Hanami’ or ‘flower viewing’. Typically, families will come together under the pink trees for picnics and celebrations, creating lasting family memories. In memory of these cherished times, a client in Japan wished to capture these emotions in a highly Bespoke Phantom that will be passed through the generations. The client’s wish was to capture the spirit of Hanami.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Phantom Cherry Blossom: A Bespoke Vision Brought To Life
The journey of this Bespoke Phantom began over three years ago when the design team flew to Japan to better understand the client’s vision. This motor car is a stunning example of what can be accomplished with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bespoke. It combines the client’s personal ambition with the skill and artistry of the Bespoke team. Three years later, the car was delivered just in time for the 2025 Sakura season.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Floral Sanctuary: Incredible 250,000-Stitch Embroidery
The goal of the project was to create the feeling of sitting beneath a flowering cherry blossom during Hanami. The Starlight Headliner is a Bespoke design adorned with an embroidered cherry bough sprinkled with delicate white blossoms. Falling petals have been embroidered on the rear door panels and Privacy Suite to give a sense of motion and the feeling that petals are currently falling around the occupants. The craft of the embroidery spanned over six months, with the headliner taking three weeks alone and exceeding 250,000 stitches.
The petals have a second life when the light reveals an offset tatami stitch inspired by an ancient Japanese weave technique, further celebrating Japanese art and culture. The artists wanted to give the branches the appearance of growing over and under one another by meticulously aligning 11 individual embroidered frame sections to create the single, seamless graphic seen rising from the rear of the motor car over its occupants.
The headliner is embroidered with cherry blossom flowers, formed of individual satin-stitch petals designed to reflect the light at different angles to give off a jewel-like quality.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom
Rolls-Royce First: Sculptural 3D Embroidery
One of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Cherry Blossom's most interesting features is a first for Rolls-Royce. That would be the three-dimensional cherry petal embroidery found throughout the motor car. It was designed and crafted to give the appearance of actual petals falling from the tree in the headliner around the occupants.
To create the three-dimensional petals, a specialist pioneered a new technique that involves layering the thread upon itself to form a structure that can be self-supported. Each petal is then shaped and sculpted to the artist’s vision and hand-stitched into place, where it was carefully measured to complement the interior lighting and play with the shadow effects. The results are nothing short of breathtaking.
Perfectly encapsulating the spirits of Sakura, Hanami, and Bespoke. This is genuinely a masterpiece in Rolls-Royce Motor Car’s impressive Bespoke history.
Floral Inspiration: An Elegant Bespoke Statement
The Hanami theme continues outwards as the inner lining of the Bespoke umbrellas, which continue the tradition of being concealed within the motor car’s doors, all feature the falling petal motif. The exterior is Crystal over Arctic White. The coachwork incorporates a hand-painted coachline that tapers midway along the rear passenger door, featuring a cherry blossom, previewing what is to be found inside.
“Cherry blossoms are cherished in Japan as a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life and the beauty of transience. With this magnificent commission, we translate an internationally renowned moment into our pinnacle motor car, Phantom, with exquisite embroidery comprising more than 250,000 stitches. For the first time at Rolls-Royce, we have applied three-dimensional embroidery that gives the falling flower petals a tactile, sculptural quality. Developed using ancient Japanese stitching techniques, this motor car represents a deeply personal memory for the client and demonstrates the power of Bespoke in uniting individual meaning, heritage craftsmanship and modern artistry.”
Martina Starke, General Manager, Bespoke Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars