Bentley deploys crossover footwear collection with The Shoe Surgeon

November 18, 2022

Custom footwear creator Dominic Ciambrone designs streetwear with Bentley for the brand's latest drop. Image credit: Bentley Motors

By Amirah Keaton

Backing values of craftsmanship, British automaker Bentley is tapping an imaginative artist for a sneaker collaboration inspired by its iconic cars.

The brand has teamed up with the brain behind a custom footwear collective based in downtown Los Angeles. Its founder stars in new content that takes viewers behind the scenes on the production of the limited-edition Bentley capsule.

“There are so many similarities between Bentley and The Surgeon,” said Dominic Ciambrone, designer and founder of bespoke shoe manufacturer The Surgeon, in a statement.

“It’s the respect for the craft, the quality, and the integrity,” Mr. Ciambrone said. “The whole factory is just an amazing place to visit — to see passionate humans creating, showing their art, and showing what they're into with the different processes.

“That energy is just next level.”

Bentley x The Surgeon
Mr. Ciambrone creates custom, Bentley-inspired styles as part of the brand’s latest digital drop.

“I’m working with Bentley to create something extraordinary,” he says, at the start of a minute-long spot.

Bentley Motors and Mr. Ciambrone, The Shoe Surgeon, are cut from the same cloth in a new campaign video

Its introduction is filled with backstage footage – quick camera pans highlight Bentley’s marque features, before following Mr. Ciambrone around his workshop.

The low hum of sewing machines is topped with conversational narration.

The tattooed artist is subsequently shown sketching blueprints for the capsule-to-be.

The part digital, part physical production process works to modernize Bentley’s brand image.

“We may come from different worlds, but we’re both cut from the same cloth,” Mr. Ciambrone shares.

Four unique pairs of Bentley-inspired sneakers will debut this December, at Miami Beach’s Art Basel event. Image credit: Bentley Motors

The Shoe Surgeon-founder explains that almost all items are made by hand, nodding to the caliber of artisanship backing the kicks.

“We respect the materials we work with, and the art we create,” he declares.

Four unique pairs of Bentley-inspired sneakers will debut this December, at Miami Beach’s Art Basel event.

Featured SUV skyrockets sales
The release falls under the brand's "Art in Motion" umbrella, which celebrates craftsmanship’s role in the journey of an idea from inception to implementation.

Evidenced by previous campaign drops and accompanying projects, Bentley has long concerned itself with the artistic process.

In collaboration with Los Angeles’ Secret Walls Studio, Bentley Motors kickstarted the initial iteration of “Art in Motion” as a virtual event and film series.

Three young artists were tapped to create original pieces drawing inspiration from key attributes of an updated Bentley model’s detailing, from sharp lines to diamond stitching and much more (see story).

Launched in 2020, the series inspired by a then-new SUV launch has since flourished, and the vehicle, too, continues to see success. The Bentley Bentayga SUV accounted for 41 percent of vehicle sales for the automaker's third-quarter 2022 alone.

Behind-the-scenes with Bentley x The Surgeon. Image credit: Bentley Motors

The British automaker happened to post the highest third-quarter results in the brand’s 103-year-old history at the start of this month and on the back of the model.

Bentley reported a 23.1 percent return on sales for the third quarter, also the highest recorded in its history.

A total of 11,316 vehicles have been sold year-to-date. The company’s previous highest profit for a full year was $384.1 million (see story).

The line’s success can be attributed, in part, to its brand-building initiatives.

“To make the shoe and the car true Surgeon creations, it’s about doing the things we’re asked not to,” said Mr. Ciambrone, in a statement.

“We want to push the limits, push the boundaries, and to try and do more,” he said. “There are a few first-time-ever’s we’re building into these designs, and you can see it and you can feel it from all the years we’ve been doing this.

“That’s what I’m most excited about.”

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