Ferrari Roma Tailor Made
Specially Crafted for
COOL HUNTING
An Italian-Japanese love story about passion, craft and attention detail
In 2019 we were invited by Ferrari to participate in their Tailor Made customization program with the encouragement to expand and explore the use of colors, materials and finishes further than the luxury automaker has ever done before. We had just returned from our CH Japan trip, and as we were still inspired by indigo and traditional Japanese crafts we decided to bring some of the artisans in from our Omakase collaborations to help create our dream car.
This is the story of how we transformed our inspirations and passions into a Ferrari Roma unlike any other. We didn’t begin our journey with the intention of creating an Italian-Japanese love story, but we most certainly ended it that way.
The Ferrari Roma Tailor Made, Specially Crafted for COOL HUNTING was completed in 2022 and after a tour of events and viewing opportunities, was delivered to its new owner.
Artisans and their Craft
To pursue our distinct vision for what would become the Ferrari Roma Tailor Made, Specially Crafted for COOL HUNTING, we commissioned several Japanese artisans that we had visited during our CH Japan trip (and collaborated with on the CH Omakase collection) to make various components. These include sakiori (an upcycled textile woven with vintage kimonos) for interior surfacing and seat in-lays, indigo-dyed and woven leather for the headliner, a copper shift plate inspired by Kaikado tea tins and a signature kamon (or house crest).
Sakiori
Our first visual deep dive is on the art of Sakiori, an ancient weaving technique that brings new life to older garments. Our partner, Tadaaki Hajime, owner of Hajime Shoji, is based on the tropical Japanese island of Amami Ōshima. Hajime deconstructed two historic kimonos (both older than 75 years) and used the panels to create strips which he then wove—one meter per day—into a durable new fabric. It took two months to develop enough of this upcycled material, which features in our Ferrari Roma’s seats and interiors.
Indigo
To achieve the enveloping surprise of our headliner, Japan’s Sukumo Leather utilized their proprietary take on the Hon-Ai technique, which employs naturally fermented, plant-derived indigo as dye. This is a chemical-free process—and, as leather is more challenging to dye than silk or cotton, it requires many more steps to achieve the perfect hue. Two hides were dyed, one in a single shade of indigo and the other with a pattern hand painted using the traditional Roketsu technique. The leather was then sent to Italy to be cut into strips and woven—a poetic symbol of the international collaboration.
Kamon
As various aspects of the Roma’s design started to codify, we began looking at creating a graphic mark to represent the project. We decided to explore the art of kamon, traditional Japanese house crests—a practice believed to date back to the late Heian era, during the 11th and 12th centuries. Family-run Kyogen, who have been practicing the craft for generations, were the perfect partner for our work given their respect for history and craft and an innovative use of digital tools in their process.
After a few iterations we landed on a design featuring two elements: waves and the wheel of an 19th century royal carriage. The designers gave our wheel eight spokes, representing eight cylinders of the Ferrari Roma’s engine. The waves (with eight crests) embody force and forward movement while also paying homage to the engine. We had originally imagined that the kamon would be a large element on the front sides of the car, but eventually made it quite small and placed it in the interior—screened on top of the carbon fiber door sills felt right, as did the badge on the car’s armrest.
Copper
Founded in Kyoto in 1875, Kaikado is known for hand-producing metal tea caddies. During our first brainstorm session in Ferrari’s Tailor Made studio in NYC, we brought a Kaikado tea caddy to share with the design team. In many ways, it became a guiding force in the partnership and the patina of the caddy a reflection of the work (and time) every one of us put toward building this dream.
Those patina-ed hues in our reference copper tea caddy informed our choice in wheel color, interior stitching and trim elements. We also tapped Kaikado’s sixth-generation owner, Takahiro Yagi, to oversee the copper coating of our custom H-shifter plate, or cancelletto. Notably, it’s the first time Ferrari has customized this element—an exception Flavio Manzone, Ferrari’s SVP of Design, felt compelled to make for this very special Roma. These copper attributes are an ode to Kaikado, and it’s another facet in a marriage between the many traditional Japanese attributes and the Roma’s exquisite contemporary Italian form.
The proud owner
“Several years ago I developed an interest in Japan through my oldest son. He’s a gamer. He’s into anime. He collects kimono, and I collect denim. We started building all three collections together as a father/son project.”
“The first time we saw this car was at Pebble Beach when it was introduced to the world. What grabbed me first was the paint, the color of the paint, which I think is absolutely unique. When I got in the car, I just looked up and saw the beautiful ceiling and the woven kimono and the copper details and was absolutely blown away.”
Press
Cool Hunting's Tailor Made Ferrari Roma Celebrates Japanese and Italian Craftsmanship
Ferrari Embarks on its First-Ever Multinational Collaboration
Ferrari x COOL HUNTING: An Unexpected Collaboration Embodying Novelty, Craftsmanship and Elegance
This One-Off Indigo and Copper Ferrari Roma Is the Best-Looking Car You’ll See Today
Ferrari teams up with Cool Hunting to showcase what's possible with their Tailor Made program
— Acquire