2020… what a crazy year you turned out to be. When people talk about having plans that went sideways, well, we now fully understand what that expression means.
As a small brand, we had the advantage to be able to make quick pivots. However we faced many manufacturing challenges that bigger businesses easily overcome. In all of our hurdles that 2020 threw our way, people still encouraged us to keep going and keep creating.
Giving it a careful look, this past year has taught us the importance of living more simply and eliminating unnecessary distractions. In doing so, we began to better define our core essence.
What are we made of? Where do we go from here?
These are the exact questions you ask yourself as a designer when crafting a product of substance. From the get-go, WESN was built with a solid sense of purpose. We felt called to make a knife you could use every day for a long time. A knife’s use is multi-faceted and we wanted to accompany you everywhere–from the house to the hunt.
That was our North Star. A no-nonsense approach to design helped us get there.
With a knife's blade underpinning its DNA, design, and duty had to be in tandem with one another. When you unpack WESN’s elements, the blade is always the star of the show, regardless of the model.
Take the meticulous materials of the tiny yet tough WESN Microblade. Designed with high carbon, high chromium D2 design functionality to veto its modest dimensions. It can splice, notch and peel, around the clock like a big knife, but without the mobility setbacks of a larger blade.
For the Henry, our most aesthetically developed knife, we wanted to step it up on tangible terms too, so turned to Sandvik, Sweden’s steel knife pioneers, for the strongest blade to match the dynamic exterior. It doesn’t only look timeless, it’s engineered for infinite use as well.
Our “no-frills approach” extends to our accessory line, where whimsical embellishments are demoted in place of premium materials and grounded design. We want your attention to be drawn to the high-quality leather sheath which slips around the knife like a glove. No other design trappings to complicate things.
While a pared-down framework is our blueprint, our design studio is always looking for exciting ways to expand, so we shook things up a little with the color palette for the Henry, which is available in classic cherrywood and our traditional titanium. Simplicity doesn’t have to be boring either!
In all hope, we wish a better, simpler, and healthier 2021.
— The WESN Team