Ferrari has unveiled, through a recent press release, a one-of-a-kind Ferrari Roma model that features exquisite traditional Japanese-inspired detailing while retaining the clean, sophisticated elegance of the original Italian car. The bespoke commission was carried out by the Prancing Horse’s customization department, Tailor Made.
According to Ferrari, Tailor Made teamed up with Cool Hunting’s Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin. Together, the Maranello-based company’s bespoke division, led by Flavio Manzoni, and the founders of the award-winning independent US publication explored how far Ferrari’s personalization program could go and really push the boundaries of car customization.
Dubbed the Tailor Made Ferrari Roma Specially Crafted for Cool Hunting, this one-off custom car features the parallels between Italian and Japanese culture and design philosophy.
“Traditional Japanese indigo dyes inspired the Ferrari Roma’s color scheme, particularly the vivid blue exterior paint which was specially developed for this car and named Indigo Metal,” Ferrari said in the press release.
Per the Italian luxury car brand, Cool Hunting went as far as visiting Toyama — one of only five remaining indigo farms in Tokushima, Japan’s traditional indigo-growing region. Here, they learned that the dye comes from a green plant which, when harvested and fermented, becomes sukumo, traditional dried Japanese indigo that is mixed with lye, sake, and limestone powder to create authentic Hon-Ai indigo dye.
This color is used on the car’s elegant exterior. The indigo shade is also found in the sakiori fabric used for the seat trim inserts and the carpets.
“Sakiori is one of the world’s oldest examples of upcycling, dating from the 1700s when cotton and silk were available only to Japan’s nobility and the very wealthy. Worn-out kimonos were disassembled, their fabric cut into strands and rewoven with new fibers, creating a material that was both warm, comfortable, and durable. The word comes from the Japanese saku (to rip up) and oru (to weave),” Ferrari explained in the press release.
On that note, a new textile was made specifically for Cool Hunting’s Ferrari Roma using two vintage kimonos that are woven with high-tensile nylon. The material was made in the same place the original materials originated from by Hajime Shoji.
The car’s headlining also features this indigo theme. Ferrari said that the headlining is made of two indigo-dyed hides from Japan that were sent to Italy, where they were cut into strips and hand-woven by Italian artisans in a process called intreccio, forming an elegant one-of-a-kind work of art.
Cool Hunting’s Ferrari Roma also features interior door handles that are inspired by Japanese culture. The handles feature hand-woven strips of black leather which pays homage to tsukami, the ancient art of wrapping the grips of Katana swords.
Furthermore, the gear shifter of the car is inspired by the iconic copper tea canisters of a Kyoto-based family business in Japan. The outline of the dual cockpits, the wheel rims, and the kamon (Japanese crests) are also made in this copper-plated color.
The Tailor Made Ferrari Roma Specially Crafted for Cool Hunting will be on display in the Ferrari Tailor Made Showroom during the New York Design Week (NYC X DESIGN).
Photos from Ferrari
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