In line with Crewe’s direction of setting a more future-facing creative & design vision, Bentley Motors has now appointed an esteemed pairing of External Creative Directors for the first time ever in the form of designer & brand advisor Mai Ikuzawa, alongside world-renowned photographer and film director Greg Williams. Following on from the EXP 15 concept’s debut at Monterey Car Week in August, they will closely partner with Bentley’s design, marketing, and communications teams to channel key creative insights & strategic advice over the following year, reaffirming Bentley’s significance to automotive culture.
An accomplished multidisciplinary creative deeply rooted into both design and car culture, Mai Ikuzawa’s life has long been shaped by a steadfast passion for speed, style, & storytelling. Indeed her journey could hardly have taken any other direction, for her father was none other than Tetsu Ikuzawa: the pioneering Japanese driver whose boldly red and white liveried ‘Team Ikuzawa’ race cars became renowned for blending speed with artistry across the motorsport scene, from endurance racing Porsches right up to Le Mans & even F3. Mai herself is no less accomplished, as she collaborated in more recent years with digital publication Type 7 on Volume 4 of their annual coffee table print volume which quickly sold out both online and in-store at Selfridges London. Now, as Bentley’s External Creative Director, she will draw upon this unique, vividly storied background in product curation & graphic design to reinvent the brand’s connective efforts with people. Her first initiatives towards repositioning the marque creatively include crafting a bold new advertising visual language for Bentley, along with creating an exclusive lifestyle collection set to hit the catwalks in 2026.
She stated, “My personal journey with Team Ikuzawa has shown me the power of an authentic heritage combined with an understanding of modern aesthetics and culture. My role is to help the brand recapture that confidence, and bring this heritage brand to life in a relevant way for today. The opportunity to apply this experience to a brand like Bentley, with a 106-year history is a unique one.”
Meanwhile, longstanding Bentley owner Greg Williams is one of his generation’s most influential photographers, having started out as a war photojournalist in the 1990s before finding his lens’ true calling in film and portraiture. His unequaled portfolio encompasses specials peering behind the scenes of James Bond filming, captivating portraits of Formula 1 drivers & leading Hollywood figures alike, capturing stage side scenes of the Oscars, and the shooting of major campaigns for international fashion’s household names. Famously sought after for his playfully candid aesthetic inspirations, he now brings that distinctly human & authentic perspective to bear on comprehensively revamping Bentley’s campaign still and motion image production; having already engaged in creative dialogues with Ikuzawa herself.
This year is a vital turning point for Bentley design indeed, with only the fifth new iteration of Bentley’s ‘Winged B’ throughout the company’s history recently unveiled in July. EXP 15 has been the first car to sport these new wings, symbolizing the marque’s near future design & engineering principles as a fully electric 3-door three-seater. Joining Bentley at a time of rapid creative evolution, Ikuzawa and Williams will thus play vital parts in bringing this vision to life during a time of cultural change for the marque, together with a series of visionary appointments throughout the coming year.
