“Take the best that exists, and make it better”. A quotation attributed to one of the founders of the world’s most illustrious car manufacturers. Giles Taylor, Director of Design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, has done just that. Recognising the trend of individual personalisation and subsequent rise in Bespoke customer commissions, the automotive visionary has complemented the most prestigious Bespoke Design Team in the world by adding outstanding talent from new arenas.

1. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Media Information
ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS SHOWCASES TEXTILE DESIGN
CAPABILITIES WITH SERENITY
3 March 2015, Geneva
“Take the best that exists, and make it better”. A quotation attributed to one of the
founders of the world’s most illustrious car manufacturers. Giles Taylor, Director of
Design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, has done just that. Recognising the trend of
individual personalisation and subsequent rise in Bespoke customer commissions, the
automotive visionary has complemented the most prestigious Bespoke Design Team
in the world by adding outstanding talent from new arenas.
Two young, female, textile design prodigies, Cherica Haye and Michelle Lusby, have
joined a collective of the automotive world’s finest designers, engineers and
craftspeople, tasked with fulfilling the requirements of discerning Rolls-Royce
customers who wish to make their cars unique.
This fusion of expertise has led to the creation of a motor car which showcases the
pinnacle of both design and automotive luxury, setting a new benchmark in the art of
conveyance.
Serenity, a one-of-a-kind Phantom Extended Wheelbase motor car, is a highly crafted
modern interpretation of a Japanese Garden, designed by Haye and Lusby. The rear
cabin has been created out of hand-painted and hand-embroidered raw silk, depicting
an interpretation of a Japanese tree which wraps around the interior of the motor car.
Designed specifically for the rear occupants, the highly ornate blossom and petal
pattern runs throughout the car, with the emphasis on the opulent headliner.
Haye and Lusby join Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from two of the UK’s foremost textile
design schools.

2. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
“It is imperative that we connect with these designers when their creativity is in
abundance, fresh from university and design colleges. Cherica and Michelle bring with
them a deep understanding of different textures and applications in design; when
combined with the existing expertise of the Bespoke team we can reach new
boundaries in automotive design, allowing us to incorporate precious, beautiful and
natural materials in our motor cars,” Giles Taylor commented.
“Over recent years we have seen the merging of art forms,” he continued. “Industries
are less segregated and compartmentalised; boundaries are blended between art,
design and contemporary culture. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars spans these industries,
marrying contemporary vision and skilled craftsmanship with excellence in design and
engineering.
“This merging of industries, with luxury at the heart, of which Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
is at the core, provides us with an opportunity to offer our customers much more than
just a motor car. Taking the finest practises and techniques from these industries
allows us to satisfy our customers’ requirements, reinforcing Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
as the pinnacle of a hybrid of design, fashion and engineering excellence.”
Haye and Lusby reside in the Colour and Materials department. Responsible for
designing exterior paint and leather colours as well as interior textures, they select
colours and trims which will complement each other, working closely with the exterior
and interior automotive designers.
“Colour and Material Design is the common thread throughout every human’s life,”
says Haye. “I don’t just mean fabric; much of what we take for granted has been
designed specifically to create a certain atmosphere or impression, or to evoke a
particular emotion. The combination of materials is as important as the design itself;
these elements go hand in hand.”
Colour and Materials Designer, Michelle Lusby

3. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Michelle Lusby joined the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design Team as a Colour and
Materials Designer in April 2014, having received a First Class Honours Degree in
Interior Textiles & Surface Design from the University of Plymouth. Here she explored
print, colour and material manipulation, and gained an understanding of the key
properties of fabrics and different printing processes which have enabled her to
explore unique ways to apply texture and form to a flat surface, creating finishes that
are beautifully unique.
Born into a creative family, Lusby followed in her Grandmother’s footsteps and gained
experience working for a luxury leather goods company in her home county of
Somerset. This ignited a passion for textiles and a keen interest in luxury Interior
Design. Lusby’s Grandmother was fabled for her fashion illustrations, a skill passed to
Michelle who to this day uses hand drawing and sketches to illustrate her ideas and
designs.
This creativity is apparent in Serenity, a Phantom Extended Wheelbase, created in the
finest quality raw silk, hand painted and hand embroidered with a tree in full bloom,
evoking an atmosphere of calm tranquillity. The fabric has been designed to provide
texture to the interior of the motor car. Each thread has been hand placed to reflect
light and bring the motif to life.
Lusby commented, “With Serenity we have pushed the boundaries of the concept of
Bespoke. We have taken luxury to a new level. The car transcends being a form of
transportation and becomes a work of art, demonstrating the constant striving for
perfection and an unparalleled pursuit of sourcing the finest materials for the world’s
best motor car.”
Cherica Haye, Colour and Materials Designer, Bespoke Design

4. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Thirty year old Cherica Haye achieved a Masters Degree in Textile Design from the
Royal College of Art, having obtained a BA Honours Degree in Textiles from Central
Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in 2011.
Haye was responsible for hand-painting the Serenity motif onto a paper scroll before
transcribing it for realisation. “To go home after work saying I was hand painting today
sounds like a dream, something I was warned at both the Royal College of Art and
Central Saint Martin’s that I would unlikely do when starting out in the industry. It is
testament to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars that every element of design is considered, no
corners are cut, no compromises made.”
Haye continued, “I feel a certain amount of satisfaction knowing that the many
years spent fine-tuning my creative skills as a Textiles Designer at two of the best Art
and Design colleges in the world can pay off. It is a tremendous payback for those
long hours and relentless investigation of fabric, textures and finishes.” Haye, a keen
cyclist, recognises the importance of exercise in daily routine. “If I’m physically fit I find
it fuels my body to design better”.
As experts in colour and material, the design duo are constantly searching for
inspiration. This rarely comes in the form of automotive design, unless as in this case
from the annals of Rolls-Royce, but often from Art & Design, current trends,
sometimes even societies and cultures.
For Serenity, the women began their research in the marque’s rich archive. In the
early 1900’s, chauffeurs sat on leather, a naturally robust material suited to exposure
to the elements. Luxurious fabrics remained the upholstery of choice for the
occupants of the rear compartment. Today, as supple leather of the finest quality has
become accepted as the norm in luxurious travel, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars re-
introduces silk as a sumptuous and highly opulent upholstery on which to reside.
When Haye and Lusby considered the ambience experienced in the rear compartment
of a contemporary Rolls-Royce, thoughts turned to the Far East, specifically a
Japanese Garden.

5. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
“A Rolls-Royce Phantom is synonymous with tranquillity. It is an ambient, calm and
peaceful cocoon in an often frenetic world. This evoked notions of the Emperors from
the Far East, who would retreat to their private gardens to reflect in solitude under
blossom trees,” says Haye.
She continues, “This lead us to explore the materials and textures used in this culture;
silk defined opulence, the colour of the raw silk we used could often be found in robes
worn by the Japanese Royal Family, and the Blossom motif in full bloom, which
envelops the motor car, is to this day often viewed as a symbol of hope and renewal.”
The exterior paint colour has been specifically designed for Serenity, the most
complex and expensive paint ever created by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Serene
pearlescent hues of the Mother of Pearl paint respond gracefully to light, hinting at the
resplendent interior of this one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
The selection of precious substances used throughout Serenity reference the Oriental
Influences. The Blossom motif is recreated through the finest marquetry on the rear
doors and fascia through the use of Mother of Pearl, laser-cut and hand applied, petal
by petal into rare smoked cherry wood. In addition, Mother of Pearl is applied to the
face of the clock and driver’s instrument dials, etched with concentric circles redolent
of the raked gravel seen in Japanese gardens, and set with hand applied precious
rubies, echoing the colour of the hand-painted flowers in the silk lining.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars brings Serenity to this year’s Geneva International Motor
Show, unveiling the new standard in authentic, bespoke luxury motoring to the world’s
media.
- Ends -

6. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Notes to Editors:
For more information about the Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity visit the website:
www.rolls-roycebespokemedia.com/serenity
For interview requests with Cherica Haye and Michelle Lusby, please contact Emma
Rickett at emma.rickett@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
You can find all our press releases and press kits, as well as a wide selection of high
resolution, downloadable photographs and video footage at our media website, PressClub.
You can also find the communications team at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars on Twitter.
For Rolls-Royce Motor Cars website and social media channels, please use the following
links:
 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars website
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
 Google+
 Tumblr
 Pinterest
 Vimeo
 YouTube
Press contacts:
Goodwood
 Director of Global Communications
Richard Carter +44 (0) 1243 384060 richard.carter@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 Global Corporate Communications
Andrew Ball +44 (0) 1243 384064 andrew.ball@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 Global Product Communications
Andrew Boyle +44 (0) 1243 384062 andrew.boyle@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 Global Lifestyle Communications
Emma Rickett +44 (0) 1243 384061 emma.rickett@rolls-roycemotorcars.com

7. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0SH
Telephone +44 (0)1243 384000
www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Regional
 Asia Pacific - North
Rosemary Mitchell +81 (0) 3 6259 8888 rosemary.mitchell@rolls-
roycemotorcars.com
Ryuta Kurahashi +81 (0)3 6259 8888 ryuta.kurahashi@partner.rolls-
roycemotorcars.com
 Asia Pacific - South
Rani Ramaya +65 6838 9753 rani.ramaya@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Hal Serudin +65 6838 9675 hal.serudin@rolls-
roycemotorcars.com
 China
Anna Xu + 86 1084558037 anna.xu@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 Europe - East
Frank Tiemann +49 (0) 89 382 29581 frank.tiemann@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 Europe - West
Ruth Hucklenbroich+49 (0) 89 382 60064 ruth.hucklenbroich@rolls-
roycemotorcars.com
 Middle East, Africa,
Central Asia and South America
Jamal Al Mawed +971 561717883 jamal.almawed@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
 North America
Gerry Spahn +1 201 307 4378 gerry.spahn@rolls-roycemotorcarsna.com
 UK and Scandinavia
James Warren +44 (0)1243 384578 james.i.warren@rolls-roycemotorcars.com