Cars and couture have long shared a love language of craftsmanship. Ultra-luxe marques like Rolls-Royce and Bugatti have sometimes enlisted the expertise of Hermès and other ateliers for cabin upholstery, ensuring that the interior experience matches the splendor of the chassis. But today’s fashion partnerships are shifting into entirely new territory. This is no longer just about quilted seats and custom embroidery — it’s about cultural cachet.
Manufacturers are now collaborating with fashion designers not only to develop co-branded collections of clothing and objets d’art, but to embed themselves more deeply into the world of lifestyle. These ventures are less about polish and more about positioning — particularly with a view to reaching a new generation of buyers. Younger, more diverse and increasingly female, these consumers are reshaping what luxury looks like — and the car industry is ready to dress for the occasion.
Bentley
If there’s a marque that has leapt two feet first into fashion, it’s Bentley — emerging as perhaps the most playful, expressive and forward-thinking in this evolving intersection of luxury. With Mulliner — the brand’s bespoke division — at the heart of this shift, Bentley is embracing the fashion world as both muse and mirror, using fashion partnerships to reflect the individuality of an evolving customer base. The 2024 collaboration with British-Indian designer Supriya Lele marked a pivotal moment. Inspired by her heritage and personal aesthetic, Lele co-created a one-off Bentayga S showcasing the bespoke Nīla Blue — a deeply nuanced, sapphire- toned hue now available exclusively through Mulliner. The vehicle’s detailing, from stained walnut veneers to pinstriped 22-inch wheels, reflects a sensibility more often found on the runway than the road.
That same sense of expressive freedom defined Bentley’s SS25 Fashion Week collaboration with Annie’s Ibiza — the glittering, couture-meets-vintage brand adored by Zendaya, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Guests were chauffeured in Flying Spur Mulliners, arriving in style to witness Annie Doble’s celebration of craft, storytelling and maximalist femininity. “Luxury mixed with luxury,” as CCO of Bentley Motors Wayne Bruce describes it — an alignment not just of aesthetics, but of clientele.
From a recently debuted rose gold–clad Batur to collaborations with artists and experimental designers, Bentley’s future strategy is clear: Lean into fashion’s daring, its diversity and its emotional resonance to shape a new language of opulence.
McLaren
“The next era of luxury isn’t just about the product — it’s about the relationships you build with your customers,” says Andrea Bermúdez, McLaren’s global marketing director. Positioned at the ‘pure entertainment’ end of the supercar spectrum — where competition is increasingly fierce and diversified — McLaren is evolving beyond performance into the realm of curated lifestyle. “It’s about enhancing our clients’ lives,” Bermúdez explains, “from the properties we visit, to the food we serve, to the brands we partner with for events.”
McLaren’s ambition to align with the wider luxury world is deliberate. “We look at how other luxury brands operate — particularly outside the more traditional automotive space — because they provide a blueprint for how we can be more disruptive and differentiated.”
On the Formula 1 side, McLaren Racing’s fashion collaboration with Reiss has proven to be a masterstroke. “It’s allowed them to speak to a younger, emerging fanbase. This in turn supports long-term growth across the board, by nurturing this audience into building an emotional connection with the McLaren brand, so that when they have the means, they will also choose our cars.”
And the automotive arm, beyond its long-standing partnership with Richard Mille, is actively exploring deeper crossovers with fashion and design. “We’ve had customers ask to bring fashion brands into their car builds,” says Bermúdez. “In some cases, that’s sparked conversations with labels we hadn’t previously engaged with.”
Upcoming collaborations with renowned artists signal a bold new phase. “This isn’t about McLaren buying creativity to exploit commercially,” she says. “It’s a mutual innovation process. We’re doing things for the first time in automotive — and they’re doing things for the first time in art. Together, we’re creating something for our clients that hasn’t been done before.”
Porsche
Porsche exists in a cultural sweet spot: a heritage marque beloved by purists, yet increasingly fetishized by a new generation raised on ’90s nostalgia, retro sportswear and minimalist luxury. While Porsche remains a cult pillar for older car enthusiasts, its iconic silhouette, design consistency and newer ventures into EV have cemented its appeal with Gen Z and millennials, too — especially those with an eye for aesthetic legacy.
Collaborating with Aimé Leon Dore has only deepened that foothold. The partnership — now in its sixth year — has allowed Porsche to speak fluently to a fashion-forward, street-savvy audience, bridging generational gaps and amplifying its relevance within contemporary culture.
But the real question is: What does a fashion label as directional and already zeitgeist as ALD get in return?
The answer lies in Porsche’s symbolism. This is a brand that embodies precision, timelessness and clarity of signature — all values that resonate deeply with ALD’s own design language. Restoring and reimagining vintage 964s and 993s wasn’t a gimmick; it was a meditation on legacy, translating automotive heritage into a new visual code. The Porsche connection transformed the 2023 clothing capsule into more than a fashion drop — it became a collector’s moment.
According to StockX spokesperson Rachel Makar, “The ALD x Porsche drops are outperforming every other automotive fashion collaboration we track,” with nearly 100 products on the resale platform averaging a 150% premium over retail.
For fashion brands seeking longevity, credibility and storytelling depth, Porsche isn’t just a collaborator. It’s a mythmaker, and partnering with a brand of that stature offers a kind of timeless legitimacy no runway could buy.
