Ferrari’s bespoke Tailor Made department has just come out with a new one-of-a-kind edition of the Roma supercar, featuring traditional Japanese-inspired detailing. The idea came from Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin, the founders of Cool Hunting, an independent U.S. publication dedicated to design, culture and technology.
Orensten and Rubin met with Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s chief design officer, in the carmaker’s Tailor Made showroom in New York. The pair had just returned from a research trip to Japan, where they familiarized themselves with the country’s traditional crafts and artisanal methods.
Manzoni and his team were inspired by the parallels between Italian and Japanese culture and that’s when they went to work on a car that features unique materials developed from traditional Japanese techniques. Let’s start with the exterior though, since that’s the first thing you see when you look at a car.
The color scheme was inspired by Japanese indigo dyes, resulting in this bespoke vivid blue paint which has since been named Indigo Metal. This color is said to enhance the purity of the Roma’s design, which is “fancy talk” for looking good, simply put. Indigo is featured a lot in Japanese design culture, and their traditional dye is produced naturally.
The Indigo Metal is said to tie together the car’s exterior and interior into one “subtle, holistic statement.” This shade of blue is also found inside this bespoke Roma, specifically in the sakiori fabric used for the seat trim inserts and the carpets. There’s more indigo inside on the Roma’s headlining, which is comprised of two indigo-dyed hides made with Asai Roketsu in Kyoto – the Roketsu method of hand-painting can be traced back to the 8th century.
Other highlights include the interior door handles, which are enclosed in tightly hand-woven strips of black leather as an homage to Tsukami, the ancient art of wrapping the grips of Katana swords – now that’s cool. We should also mention the copper details (both inside and out) and the unique crest on the central armrest and door sills.
This Tailor Made Ferrari Roma crafted for Cool Hunting will be on display in the Ferrari Tailor Made showroom during the New York Design Week.
Manzoni and his team were inspired by the parallels between Italian and Japanese culture and that’s when they went to work on a car that features unique materials developed from traditional Japanese techniques. Let’s start with the exterior though, since that’s the first thing you see when you look at a car.
The color scheme was inspired by Japanese indigo dyes, resulting in this bespoke vivid blue paint which has since been named Indigo Metal. This color is said to enhance the purity of the Roma’s design, which is “fancy talk” for looking good, simply put. Indigo is featured a lot in Japanese design culture, and their traditional dye is produced naturally.
The Indigo Metal is said to tie together the car’s exterior and interior into one “subtle, holistic statement.” This shade of blue is also found inside this bespoke Roma, specifically in the sakiori fabric used for the seat trim inserts and the carpets. There’s more indigo inside on the Roma’s headlining, which is comprised of two indigo-dyed hides made with Asai Roketsu in Kyoto – the Roketsu method of hand-painting can be traced back to the 8th century.
Other highlights include the interior door handles, which are enclosed in tightly hand-woven strips of black leather as an homage to Tsukami, the ancient art of wrapping the grips of Katana swords – now that’s cool. We should also mention the copper details (both inside and out) and the unique crest on the central armrest and door sills.
This Tailor Made Ferrari Roma crafted for Cool Hunting will be on display in the Ferrari Tailor Made showroom during the New York Design Week.