Michael Bryden has a fun job. He's the man responsible for customising the ‘standard’ Rolls-Royce (if a Roller can ever be described in such terms) into whatever the client’s automotive dream might happen to be. He’s busy, too: almost 100% of Rolls-Royce customers opt to personalise their vehicle, one way or another.
The designer normally works out of the company’s beautiful headquarters — designed by Grimshaw — on the Goodwood Estate, in West Sussex. It’s a magnet for wildlife, thanks in part to the living roof, and not uncommon for employees and visitors to spot a family of ducks parading past a Rolls Royce on the forecourt. ‘It’s certainly not the normal car manufacturing site,’ says Bryden.
Collaboration is key, so Bryden admits to feeling a ‘bit worried’ when the lockdown was first announced. He’s been working from home ever since. There are daily team meetings and everyone takes turns to screen share and show what they’ve been working on. ‘We’re almost better connected,’ Bryden says, adding that working from home has given the team some much-needed time to get through the mounting pile of customer requests.
Requests can range from the more manageable — a custom paint job or small monogram detail — to the more time consuming. For example, working with an artist on The Gallery, an interior space in the car conceived to house bespoke artistic creations. Just last week, Bryden found himself on a socially-distanced call with a customer in Tokyo and an external collaborator in a third country.
One of Bryden’s favourite projects was a car nicknamed the Rose Phantom, for a customer in Stockholm. Every leather-trimmed surface was embroidered in roses, totalling over 1,000,000 stitches. Another was for a client in the US, who wanted a custom, lambswool dog cover for the cars rear seats, personalised with the dog’s name.
The customer demographic is broad: Bryden has worked with people in their late teens to some in their late 80s. ‘More younger clients coming to Goodwood is really exciting,’ he says, going on to explain that they often want to push the boundaries with design. He sometimes finds himself browsing their social media channels to get an idea of their lifestyle and what they might be looking for from the experience.
And if he could design a Rolls Royce for himself? ‘Right now, it’s a Wraith. I would want to bring an elegant theme to it, rather than opulence. And this is actually a theme we’re working on right now: reduction. Something that whispers, rather than shouts. We’re referring to it as post-opulence. I’d love this theme to be in every single detail of my car. A purity to the design.’
Go-to office uniform
Well-tailored chinos, a shark collar shirt and a navy blazer. If there’s a client visit, where it’s a bit more formal, a tie might come into the equation.
Work soundtrack
We all have very different tastes in music, so when it gets to the mid-afternoon, everyone puts their own headphones on. I typically like to listen to House music. My fiancé is a DJ, so I listen to her mixes.
Messy desk or tidy desk?
Very, very tidy.
Best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given
In challenging times, when the pressure is on at work, remember that there’s someone out there who would give their right arm to do what you’re doing.
Your Instagram hero
I love following a company called Winch Design and I love seeing what they’re doing. They work on super yacht and aviation projects. It’s a super-luxury, no compromise sort of thing.
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan: Audacious, outrageous, stupendous and luxurious
Charles Rangeley Wilson tries out Rolls-Royce's new SUV and declares it to be the best of all the cars he's
Credit: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The newest addition to the Rolls-Royce fleet? Not a car, but a rather incredible Champagne chest
For the places that their famous cars cannot go, Rolls Royce have created the perfect dining companion, perfectly paired with
1940s glamour, Goodwood's youngest racer and a psychelic Rolls-Royce: The best pictures from a sun-kissed weekend at the Goodwood Revival
-
Where I Work: Huw Edwards-Jones, master craftsman and canoe makerThe ups and downs of 2020 didn't see Huw Edwards-Jones change where he worked, but it did change what he did: he's used the time to switch from creating beautiful hand-made furniture to spectacularly beautiful canoes. He spoke to Toby Keel.
-
Where I work: Jane Taylor, millinerJane Taylor is — like so many of us — looking forward to returning to the office. She spoke to Rosie Paterson about her royal clientele and making a mess
