STUDY
The

This section of our website is an opportunity to dive into the stories, brand histories and craftsmen that define Bentleys.

For regular updates please subscribe to our newsletter, The Despatch.

Recent Editions

  • No.12 - The Lost Leather of Metta Catharina
  • No.11 - The Jet that Flew Through Tower Bridge
  • No.10 - Hide and Seek: Meet our Craftspeople for London Craft Week 2024
  • No.09 - On Wings of War: Jan Zumbach’s Supermarine Spitfire
  • No.08 - Sabrage and Sabotage – the Life of Comte Robert-Jean de Vogüé
  • No.07 - The History of Goyard
  • No.06 - The History of Louis Vuitton – Part 2 (1893–1987)
  • No.05 - The History of Louis Vuitton – Part 1 (1835–1892)
  • No.04 - MacGregor and Michael Interview
  • No.03 - Echoes of Real Luxury
  • No.02 - William Medcalf
  • No.01 - Aero Concept
    • No.12
    The Lost Leather of Metta Catharina
    A real highlight of London Craft Week 2024 was displaying a leather shoe trunk handcrafted by Neil MacGregor from rare ‘Russia’ leather. The remarkable story behind the case begins almost 250 years ago, in the port of St Petersburg, Russia.
    No.11
    The Hawker Hunter Jet that Flew Through Tower Bridge
    On April 5, 1968, Flt Lt Alan Pollock ended his distinguished RAF career in some style; an unauthorised flyby of London’s most famous landmarks, culminating in a low pass through Tower Bridge.
    No.10
    Hide and Seek: Meet our Craftspeople for London Craft Week 2024
    This year is the tenth anniversary of London Craft Week (13–18 May). To celebrate the milestone, Bentleys invited everyone we’ve had the pleasure of hosting in our shop to create a one-off capsule collection of leather goods sourced from across the globe. We sat down with the craftspeople involved to find out what makes them tick.
    No.09
    On Wings of War: Jan Zumbach’s Supermarine Spitfire
    We are delighted to offer a unique, fully electrified model of a Spitfire in our shop.

    Complete with lights, working propeller, retracting wheels and machine gun effects, the model was built by Robert Andel in 1951 and features Polish fighter ace Jan Zumbach’s signature ‘Donald Duck’ motif.

    We trawled the history books to find out more about an extraordinary man that piloted one of Britain’s most famous machines.
    No.08
    Sabrage and Sabotage – the Life of Comte Robert-Jean de Vogüé
    Our latest half-hull is a mid-twentieth century shipyard engineers model of Eryx II. 

    Research revealed the yacht was commissioned by Comte Robert-Jean de Vogüé, a fascinating character that witnessed glamour, conflict and liberation in equal measure throughout his life. Read on for a glimpse of his life story.

    No.07
    The History of Goyard

    Bentleys presents a history of Goyard – a tale that began over two hundred years ago. The label has welcomed Maharajas, artists, writers and Rockefellers in the centuries since. 
    No.06
    The History of Louis Vuitton — Pt.2 (1893–Present)

    Bentleys present a story of the Louis Vuitton brand and the remarkable family behind it. 
    No.05
    The History of Louis Vuitton — Pt.1 (1821–1892)

    Bentleys present a story of the Louis Vuitton brand and the remarkable family behind it.

    No.04
    Unpacked: A Conversation with MacGregor and Michael
    Neil MacGregor and Valerie Michael are arguably Britain’s finest leather craftspeople. The pair have been hand stitching leather goods in their Tetbury workshop since 1974, and join us in the shop for London Craft Week 2023. We sat down for a chat to find out more.
    No.03
    Echoes of Real Luxury

    Simon Crompton, editor of Permanent Style and online editor of The Rake magazine: 
    Truly glamorous travel lasted a few short years. Not until the mid-1930s had the world’s wealthy recovered sufficiently from the great depression to spend serious money on foreign travel; and then all too soon, the merrymaking was halted by the onset of the Second World War.
    No.02
    William Medcalf
    We have found a kindred spirit in William Medcalf, one of the country’s leading vintage Bentley restorers. William has recently moved to purpose built workshops in West Sussex and a mutual customer introduced us. William is passionate, exceptionally knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm for his craft and the array of Bentleys that he cares for is spectacular.
    No.01
    Aero Concept
    Aero Concept at Bentleys: Aero Concept was founded in Tokyo in 2003 and grew out of the philosophy, skill and passion of its creator, Keiichi Sugano. These beautiful and practical objects are testament to Sugano’s art and creativity – from taking his original idea to using his hands and vision to bring together materials and tools to make it a reality.