Luxury car manufacturers often associate their image with other luxury goods companies, including watchmakers or fashion houses, with both parties hoping to gain some new customers from the collaboration. Bentley has gone the extra mile and collaborated with luxury men’s lifestyle brand Pankhurst, which recently opened a new men’s grooming store in London.
So what does Bentley have to do with a male grooming salon? Well, the craftsmen from the automaker’s Crewe headquarters renovated six barbers’ chairs, using the artistry and engineering techniques of the marque and materials and finishes from Bentley cars.
Eight hides were used in the development and production of Bentley’s unique chair covers, while bespoke Bentley and Pankhurst embroidery was created to embellish the luxury specification of the chairs. The chairs’ arms were rebuilt by grafting new wood onto the structure to replace the redundant ashtrays, and the suspension system within the chairs was reworked to improve the level of comfort.
Here’s how Bentley Motors’ director of marketing Stefan Buescher explained this partnership:
“A key part of what makes Bentley special is our hand-crafted expertise in wood and leather that makes our car interiors a special place to be. Working with Pankhurst has given us the opportunity to show this craft in an innovative and exciting way to create a unique experience in London’s finest barber shop. Only Bentley could make such exquisite and beautiful chairs.”
One thing is for sure: if car-making no longer becomes profitable in the future, Bentley could easily get into the furniture business…
By Dan Mihalascu
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