Curiosities · The interview
Grifos Pens, refined art instruments for writing in style
by Paola Perna (Blog Champdepraz, Interviste Artigiani)
Pens of renowned quality have been made in Champdepraz for twenty-five years: writing instruments in silver and gold, in a play of pairings with other materials such as hard resin, natural horn, briar and leather, to renew one of the most classic objects of tradition. A story whose roots go back to the Fascist period and that shaped the development of an area whose name has become inextricably linked to the refined art of making writing instruments.
Maurizio Stura, of Grifos Pens, interviewed for Comuni-Italiani.it
- Interview with
- Maurizio Stura
- By
- Paola Perna
- Published on
- Comuni-Italiani.it
The interview
How the craft began
How far back do the origins of this old profession go in your area?
Pen manufacturing in Italy and in our area stems from Mussolini’s autarky of the 1930s, that is, when Italy was under embargo because of the colonial wars in Africa and could no longer import many essential goods from abroad.
By decree it was established that the various Italian cities would each supply the nation with the missing goods. Our area was tasked with producing pens and fountain pens so as to no longer import them from Parker, Italy’s main American supplier.
When did your passion for this old art begin?
I was about 12, around 1979-1980, and pen factories were so widespread in my area that after school I used to assemble pens to earn my first few lire.
Then I studied and worked in other fields, but in 1990 I went back to working professionally with pens, first for a company and then with a business of my own.
Which products or objects do you focus on most?
Refined and precious writing instruments, personalized too: fountain pens, ballpoint pens, rollerballs and pencils in solid silver, gold, natural horn, alligator and stingray leather, resins and fine woods, and also in soapstone, turned by hand of course, with great patience.
What makes your pieces unique and inimitable, in your view?
Our ability to personalize pens even in small series has opened up a market left free by the big international brands, which don’t care about the needs of small customers. Engraving silver and resin is not simple; it takes quality work and patience, but at the same time we have to make sure the price stays fair.
How much, and how, have time and progress shaped the evolution of your handcrafted products?
Fortunately, time and progress have not upended our field; they have improved it, making possible micro-engraving and machining techniques that were unthinkable 40 years ago, but the heart of our creations is centuries old. Thank heavens, writing has not been replaced by the computer, as some predicted a few years ago. Quite the opposite!
Maurizio Stura
“Thank heavens, writing has not been replaced by the computer, as some predicted a few years ago. Quite the opposite!”
The interview
The area and the future
How much have local traditions influenced the spread of this craft?
As I was saying, I come from a local community where until a few years ago a great many companies made writing instruments. In our company we have simply refined this, finishing the pens to make them a niche product and pushing their personalization as far as possible to meet our customers’ needs. The local traditions of fine craftsmanship completed the picture.
Are there permanent venues in your town – such as museums, galleries, exhibition halls – where these pieces are displayed?
No, there are none, apart from a small showroom that we plan to complete soon.
Are events, fairs or trade shows organized to sell them and promote them to tourists?
Our Region promotes initiatives for our craft sector, abroad as well, mostly fairs but also trade shows. The Aosta Valley is tiny, and precisely for that reason it pays attention to the needs of the equally small local craft businesses.
How could your business be given more recognition?
Undoubtedly, in our world proper advertising is far more necessary than a product of excellent quality.
So our business would gain recognition if we neglected the product and devoted ourselves much more to advertising, as most successful companies do today. I admit, however, that this is not my way, and I prefer to keep caring for my pens.
Interview by Paola Perna for Comuni-Italiani.it (Blog Champdepraz, Interviste Artigiani).
Grifos Pens
The pens Maurizio talks about
Fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints and pencils in sterling silver 925 and natural materials: fossil wood, salmon leather, stingray, horn, resins and briar.