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6 years ago

April 2017

  • Text
  • Velar
  • Dogs
  • Skye
  • Bonanza
  • Rover
  • Onelife
  • Heritage
  • Velar
  • Restored
  • Defender
Unveiling of the New Range Rover Velar | Step inside some of the planet’s most exclusive homes | Man’s relationship with dogs | An epic drive through the Isle of Skye | The legendary Beechcraft Bonanza takes to the Skies

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

ON A PERSONAL NOTE MATERIAL WORLD Amy Frascella, Land Rover’s Chief Designer for Colour and Materials, on the challenge of hitting the right aesthetic notes for the new Range Rover Velar Continued evolution driven by an ongoing, relentless focus on creating desirable products that our customers will love for life, is at the core of everything we do. Every new vehicle we launch is a celebration of our creative endeavours; if it excites and delights the customer, then the designers and engineers have achieved their aim. The New Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of glamour and elegance to the Range Rover Family: a new type of Range Rover for a new type of customer. The Velar is a product of a well-considered design strategy combined with an intensive, creative, intellectual process. When the essence of the vehicle has been defined, Land Rover designers work in conjunction with many other teams within the business to craft a new vehicle that is focused and congruent with the original vision. There is an infectious, positive energy at play when we work on a project like this. It’s the kind of energy that leads us to many of the creative solutions you’ll end up seeing on the finished car. My work on colour and materials is no exception to this, as it works as the essential, harmonious link between the exterior and interior design of the vehicle. A rare blend of art and science, this is a unique discipline. As designers we need to understand both the technical specifications and physical make-up of materials in order to push the boundaries of innovation, functionality and design. Traditionally a course in textile design leads to work in the fashion or architectural industry. However, my career followed a very different path. Our material and colour inspirations are driven from within Land Rover and what is relevant to our design ethos, but particularly in Colour and Materials Design we often also seek inspiration from beyond the brand in the worlds of fashion, furniture and other areas of design – we can tap into fresh thinking. It is crucial we always look further and understand how the landscape is shifting. One of the shifts we are beginning to see is the desire for curated choice and personalisation. Most luxury brands only offer leather in their top models, but Velar challenges this and the traditional conventions of automotive luxury materials. To do this, we have developed a high end premium wool blend textile as an alternative to leather. We collaborated with one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of premium textiles, Kvadrat, whose luxury wool blends are used in high-end furniture. This is an automotive industry-first use of premium textile materials that are beautiful in their own right, as well as durable and sustainable. However we had to ensure it met all of Land Rover’s durability standards, as our technical specifications are different to the furniture industry. Exhaustive testing and experimentation with different fibre blends and weave structures followed until we achieved the perfect mix. The Premium Textile is just one of the new material developments for the new Range Rover Velar. However, this one option reflects the principles of the Velar project as a whole: compelling design, tailored technology and relevant innovation coming together to create a vehicle of timeless modernity. Amy Frascella is Land Rover’s Chief Designer for Colour and Materials 6

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Land Rover Magazine

 

Land Rover Magazine showcases stories from around the world that celebrate inner strength and the drive to go Above and Beyond.

In this issue, New Defender is put through its paces by two inspirational young adventurers as they prepare for an expedition to the South Pole. We also celebrate 50 years of Range Rover by taking a journey of discovery to Dubai. As well as looking back, we look to future as a group of visionaries explain the technologies that could change the future for all of us.

Jaguar Land Rover Limited: Registered office: Abbey Road, Whitley, Coventry CV3 4LF. Registered in England No: 1672070