EX5 continued - Bentley Media

THE BENTLEY COLLECTION
Below Bentley Boys
espresso cups are
among the highlights
of the luxury collection.
They’re issued as a
limited edition of 500
numbered sets, after
which new archive
images will be chosen.
Tempted to collect the
complete set?
Luxury of choice continued
It starts the minute I arrive in Crewe and step into the gleaming
Mulsanne beckoning to me outside the station. I rest my head against
the sumptuous leather of the seats, sink my heels into the plush velvety
carpets and stroke the glossy veneer of the walnut tables so smooth I’d
very happily eat caviar straight off them.
And everything around me is whispering ‘Bentley Experience’. Gosh,
I’ve even chosen my car (Continental GTC Speed), selected the racing
green colour, tossed up ideas for leather interiors and walnut veneer
combinations and I haven’t even arrived at the headquarters yet.
It’s there on the pristine factory floors, in the car bodies suspended in
mid-air, in woodwork, in the design room, among the craftsmen, who have
that look of knowing pride on their faces that comes from a quiet sense
of belonging. It’s about living Bentley. Racy, exciting, reeking of quality
craftsmanship, rooted in heritage and utterly unique. Not something I can
quite put a finger on. Unless of course I’ve visited the factory. And then
bought my car. And that’s not about to happen. Just yet.
I’d like to come away with a car, really I would, but in the meantime
I’ll have to make do with something else. Like a cashmere scarf.
Or cufflinks. OK. But when I think about it, they’ve really got to be very
Bentley. And quite frankly, how can a product capture that Bentley-ness,
that glamorous motoring spirit and luxurious made-in-England
heritage, if it’s not, well, a Bentley?
“You have to be true to the brand,” explains Lindsay Weaver, Director
of Licensing and Branded Goods, as he talks me through the re-launch of
The Bentley Collection. “I would never produce any product that would
damage the brand. That’s key. I have to make our collection relevant to
people’s lifestyles. A beautiful handmade leather wallet, made in England
like our cars – yes. This captures craftsmanship and fine materials.”
It’s exactly like visiting the Chanel Haute Couture salons, watching the
skilled seamstresses who spend weeks hand-stitching spectacular
garments from fine-spun fabrics and coming away with a Chanel lipstick,
or pair of sunglasses. Instead of that dress. But I still feel like I’ve just
died and gone to an automotive version of Chanel heaven.
The understanding of Bentley is so integral to the creation of these
products that all Bentley partners are taken through a two-day brand
immersion. “Every partner is taken on a journey that starts with a tour
of Lineage and the production facilities,” says Weaver. “They spend time
with our Styling Team. They talk to them about materials and finishes
and most importantly the design ethos and what makes a Bentley a
Bentley. Finally we spend time with both the Product and Marketing
departments. When they leave Crewe they understand the brand and
our values. They become Bentley.”
Weaver has shaped the collection into a range that has an anchor and
identity. And I’m gazing at a tidy selection of sterling silver cufflinks
and soft leather iPad cases, a model car and a very Bentley mug, to name
but a few. I don’t know what it is about that simple mug but it looks like
a solid steering wheel. If I drink from it I just know I’m one step closer to
my car. These are the types of pieces to get anyone in the Bentley mood
and what I’d like to know, but don’t ask, is, “where was this collection
when I needed it most – my friends’ and relatives’ birthdays?”
“Each product has integrity as it has been designed and critiqued
by the same people who design the cars. These guys know the brand.
They know what is Bentley and what’s not Bentley,” says Weaver.
Sitting within the new Bentley Collection is The Bentley Boys range,
deeply steeped in the brand’s heritage and racing history. I think back to
those glorious boys of yore, the infamous ‘Bentley Boys’ who lend their
name to this category. The likes of Woolf ‘Babe’ Barnato, Sir Henry ‘Tim’
Birkin and Baron d’Erlanger. These pieces evoke motoring history, exciting
races along the French Riviera, sipping champagne aboard yachts on
the Mediterranean, speed, fearlessness and fabulous cars.
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