The arrotino, or knife grinder, has been travelling around Italy for centuries, sharpening blades in the streets, and it was this tradition that sparked an idea for Wallpaper* Re-Made. Last year, we tasked Norway-based designers Jenkins & Uhnger and Swiss knife expert Victorinox with modernising the concept.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the flexibility of this direct-to-customer service has become even more pertinent. But at the time of the project’s inception, our main aim was to encourage repair over buying new, with the portable element offering added convenience. Repair is still at the forefront of our minds today, due to recent legislation in the EU and the UK requiring manufacturers of household electrical products to make spare parts available. The aim is to tackle premature obsolescence – when a product’s short lifespan leads to wasteful and costly replacements for customers – and marks an encouraging advance in attitudes towards a ‘right to repair’.
Wallpaper* Re-Made collaboration: Victorinox with Jenkins & Uhnger
The first functioning…
