In modern China the idea of ‘bespoke’ luxury is still new. Even luxury cars are often thought of as commodities to be bought ‘off the shelf’, with many customers expressing a wish to drive away whatever is on display in the showroom. The Mulsanne Seasons Edition was created to appeal to those wealthy Chinese who are now starting to look for something worth more than money: self-fulfilment. So we needed to find a way to fit the ‘bespoke’ story into a narrative which would resonate with this hard to reach audience.

The interior finish of every Bentley can be individually specified down to the finest detail. To further fuel their success in China, Bentley wished to build awareness of this, and of their unique heritage in coach-building and marquetry - skills still kept alive today to allow every Bentley to be finished to its owner’s most exacting requirements. To this end they commissioned Chinese artist Lin Xi to work with their own craftsmen to create inlaid wooden finishes for five unique ‘Seasons’ edition Mulsannes. Our job was to create a book to show off these creations in Bentley showrooms throughout China.

While the ‘bespoke’ idea is new, China’s new rich do deeply relate to their own cultural heritage. Xin Li’s creations sit firmly in this tradition; her themes relate to the five traditional seasons of Chinese astrology. So we used them as a starting point to explore this heritage. The design, structured around the five seasons, features inspiring quotes from Chinese scholars. The format reflects traditional Chinese book-binding. And every detail, from the binding, to the ebony claps, cloth covers, embossing, calligraphy, classical and modern watercolours, paper-cutting and photography, relates Bentley’s bespoke offering to China’s own rich creative heritage.

Each Bentley dealer was given two copies of the book. One to keep, and one for purchasers, and disappointed would be purchasers, of the five cars. The dealers reported a remarkable effect. These books stimulated very different conversations to the usual, ‘how much is it, and can I have it now’. The special edition sold out before it even arrived, and orders for tailor-made interiors on other Mulsannes are keeping the marquetry team in Crewe working flat out.