Inside Dubai’s Rolls-Royce studio where buyers turn personal stories into cars

That influence is present in everything I do. When I was a child, I would watch my grandmother working on her sewing machine, creating handbags from scratch. I remember seeing the pattern pieces and then watching them transform into a finished product within a week. That process fascinated me, especially the idea of taking a raw material like leather and turning it into something elegant and three-dimensional. I later did work experience at Mulberry myself and learned how to make handbags.

This background strongly influenced my textile design studies and continues to shape my approach today. Much of my work involves thinking about how flat materials can be manipulated, stitched or formed into three-dimensional surfaces, which is exactly what we do when designing interiors for Rolls-Royce vehicles.

Art has always been an important influence in my work. When you approach a blank canvas in printmaking or etching, you build the design layer by layer, and the final outcome is not always predictable. That creative process is very similar to bespoke automotive design.

In printmaking, you carve into metal and work directly with the material, and every line you create becomes part of the final piece. In -design, we also work closely with materials— embroidery, veneers, leather—and explore how different techniques interact with them.

What I love most is pushing these techniques further by combining materials or experimenting with new approaches. Working with the craftspeople in Goodwood is incredibly inspiring because they bring deep expertise, and together we often discover unexpected and innovative results.

The Middle East has always been one of Rolls-Royce’s most important markets for bespoke commissions, and personalisation is deeply connected to the culture here. Clients in the region enjoy expressing their individuality through luxury products, whether in fashion, jewellery or automobiles. Rolls-Royce clients are often highly creative and innovative, but they also like to incorporate heritage and storytelling into their designs.

A Rolls-Royce is not just a car, it is an experience. Owners spend a significant amount of time in that environment, so the materials, colours and design elements should reflect their lifestyle and personal story. In the Middle East, many commissions also carry a generational aspect, with cars often designed to celebrate family heritage or milestones and eventually passed on to future generations.

The most important element is storytelling. Before designing anything, I like to have a conversation with the clients about their lifestyle, interests and personal memories. Sometimes these details are not directly related to the final design, but they help reveal what might inspire the commission.

Many clients are not entirely sure what they want initially, so part of the process is guiding them. By understanding their personality and experiences, we can translate those ideas into subtle design elements within the car.

One of my favourite projects was the Pearl Cullinan, which was created as a gift from a son to his father. During conversations with the father, I gathered inspiration without him even realising it. When the final design was revealed, it incorporated details that reflected his life and personality, which made the surprise incredibly meaningful.

We do receive some unusual requests, but there are certain elements of the brand that we would never alter. For example, the Spirit of Ecstasy and the Rolls-Royce badge are integral to our heritage and identity, so those elements are untouchable.

At the same time, we don’t see ourselves as the “taste police”. Clients come from different cultures and have different aesthetic preferences, so our role is to guide them and help express their vision in the most refined way possible. Storytelling is often the element that ties everything together.

Another important boundary is safety and engineering integrity. Rolls-Royce cars are designed to last for decades, so every detail must meet strict technical standards. While we can experiment with colours, materials and decorative elements, we never compromise on safety or performance.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Travel, art exhibitions, fashion and architecture often influence my ideas. Events like Art Dubai are particularly inspiring because they expose you to creative ideas that are not directly connected to automotive design.

We also collaborate closely with the craftspeople and innovation teams in Goodwood to experiment with materials and techniques. Sometimes inspiration comes from a client’s own style. For example, we once developed an embroidery technique inspired by a couture dress, creating a lace-like pattern in leather and incorporating small pearls into the design.

We are constantly exploring new textiles and materials as well, including options like bamboo fabrics and other innovative surfaces that can be integrated into the interior.

One of the most exciting developments is that our client base is becoming younger. The average age of Rolls-Royce clients is now in the 40s and continues to decrease, which introduces new perspectives and creative ideas.

Younger clients often bring influences from graphic design, digital culture or even gaming. We recently created a Rolls-Royce Ghost with a -gaming-inspired theme that included “Player One” and “Player Two” embroidery details.