Materiality expert Mel discusses how a Fashion Textiles degree led her to where she is today.

Mel knows Defender inside out – Mel and her team is responsible for every interior and exterior material or surface finish on the legendary 4×4; innovating, designing, developing and implementing everything from textiles and carpets to paint colours for the body. She manages what JLR calls Materiality. That’s an uncompromising vision to deliver the look and feel of every surface you see in the vehicle.

“It’s an extremely complex job, but it’s very rewarding to create impactful finishes that underpin the modern luxury experience through a harmonious customer offering.”

Not just one offering. There are multiple versions of trim and spec levels as well as different colours, all to suit varying tastes and global market requirements.

Mel joined JLR, then known as Rover Group, in the 1990s from a fashion textiles degree, that focused on multiple material specialisms, everything from greetings cards to ceramics. Her counterparts mainly went on to work in the fashion industry, but Mel’s passion and interest in cars led her to pursue a different avenue. Working on the classic Mini and classic Defender at the start of her career, she later took charge of developing the exterior colours for all JLR’s brands. Becoming a Defender specialist, she accepted the huge job of overseeing every colour and material within the Defender Brand.

“This was the first time we’d ever reinvented the icon. So it was a big responsibility to ensure we were offering exciting and innovative materials while evolving Defender in the way our clients would expect and would want.”

Colour development is more complex and requires more time than you might think. “It can actually take longer to design, develop, test and implement a new cutting edge exterior colour than it does to design and engineer a whole car. “It’s the main interface with the external world, and it has to go through such stringent testing to ensure it protects the car and doesn’t fade or chip; essentially these paints need to resist the elements and withstand the extreme conditions thrown at it while our clients drive off road and push their vehicles to their limits.”

The star of the new Defender colour palette is Pangea Green. Named after the original super-continent.  The name represents the origins of Earth as the colour represents the origins of the Defender brand. Developed utilising new thin-milled aluminium technology to create a super smooth metallic finish; an evolution of the original Defender Green.

Mel identified several must-haves for the interior. “There were some design cues and parts we felt were absolutely integral to the Defender brand. Fit for purpose materials that are robust, durable, washable, are non-negotiable.” Even areas such as the flooring materials were developed with the same forensic attention to detail, featuring micro-precision grains where every aspect was considered to ensure extreme durability without compromising aesthetics or comfort.

The exposed cross car metal beam that runs across Defender’s cabin is another unmistakeable feature. It not only looks tough, but actually has to be tough too. Mel’s team achieved this through power coating – one of the most robust finishes possible. “All the parts are metal, so they’re cold to the touch so they feel authentic.” This approach to materiality, combined with JLR’s engineering expertise, created an automotive landmark that still fills Mel with pride.

“This icon had been around for so many years and this was the first reinvention of it. My team and I couldn’t wait to find out what everybody thought and it was probably the best response we could have ever wanted.”

“It makes me so proud today to say that I look after Defender Materiality and that Defender is contributing so much towards JLR’s success.”