Inside, Hermes made leather pouches for the glovebox for iPhones, and added hidden embossing with the Hermes logo and a dedication plaque. The trim geometry of the seats has changed to a simplified design to include Hermes leather from the handbag.
In the most nerve-jangling part of it all, McLaren sent the car over to Paris for it to be trimmed by Hermes, in the middle of lockdown, then issued advice to Hermes via Zoom calls. Jo admits there was “negotiation over what ownership Hermes could have. They’ve got a workshop and trimming facility where they trim bespoke products, like we do.” Hermes was also closely guarded and wouldn’t share lots of their materials with Jo for testing. The car then came back to McLaren for final assembly before being shipped to the customer in California.
“It was incredibly tense in terms of not damaging any surfaces or materials in transit”, says Jo.
She sent a list of dos and don’ts to the receiving dealer in California plus a set of white gloves for him to touch the car with. The end result is a car that everyone admits will be more a static piece of art than a means of transport, but McLaren isn’t bothered.
“I do feel that’s where things are going”, says Jo. “Materials that tell a story, personalisation, something that looks amazing. If we had the choice of a fashion brand, we have lots of ideas – I thought of reaching out to Stella [McCartney]. She was pioneering in not using animal leathers, she uses a vegan silk and now it’s everywhere. Our customers are becoming more aware of sustainability and non-animal products.
“I think the brand would have to be British. My team has had a brainstorm about up-and-coming British designers – graduates who are the next big thing. Someone a bit niche, not so obvious would be good – it’s not right for McLaren to partner with a big brand: something a bit underground and exciting. We’ve got this GT family of cars so that sort of collaboration could be good – in China we have a lot of female customers and there is a difference – it will be interesting to see what they are speccing and choosing.”