High-End Focus: Writing In Style
By Laura Carney

Fashionable designs and functional updates are adding appeal to fine pens and helping them to draw a broader customer base.

Appreciation for the art of the written word has inspired high-end pen manufacturers this year, who say their customers want a product that helps them connect in a more personal way in a technologically advanced world. “There’s more of a connection when you write with a pen than there is when you bang away at a computer,” says Jac Zagoory, president and designer of Jac Zagoory Designs. “You have to feel the words. Writing is a way of feeling what’s inside of you.”

Manufacturers have given their writing instruments more ergonomic designs this year – turning functional necessities into works of art. Like many items in the stationery industry now, the best-selling high-end pens have the most personalized designs and ease of use, as well as the most innovative packaging.

Yoropen USA/Coles of London, which debuted the ergonomically designed “Yoropen” last year, has recently introduced the “Fjader” – another pen designed for more comfortable writing. Created in Sweden, the pen’s name means “feather” in Swedish and is promoted to have “the weight and feel of a feather.” Mark Cole, president and founder of Yoropen USA/Coles of London LLC, says the “Fjader” received a good response at the New York International Gift Fair in February. “Fred Segal ordered the pen,” says Cole. “We also sell ‘Fjader’ at the Contemporary Museum of Art in Chicago.” Prices for the “Fjader” range from $20 to $50, and the pen comes with a convenient desk stand.

Another pen-brand debut in the U.S. this year from Yoropen USA/Coles of London comes from a German manufacturer called “ONLINE.” These pens range from $8 to $65 and include a line called “Crystal Emotions,” which features Swarovski-crystal-encrusted designs – a style that is very popular with European women, notes Cole.

The ergonomic trend is also evident at Jac Zagoory Designs. The company’s new “Free Ride” pen – designed by Jean-Pierre Lepine – takes the pen “out of the round” and gets its inspiration from car manufacturers. “It looks like air is going through and around it,” explains Zagoory. “It’s something your hand fits into, and it becomes an extension of your body, almost like a robot.” The “Free Ride” retails for $185.

Zagoory says he likes to take a spiritual direction in his work and hopes this inspiration is translated through his designs. His newest pens convey positive messages, such as the happy, yellow “KISS” pen, which includes the message, “Keep It Simple. Smile.” The “Carpe Diem” pen urges customers to do just that. The “Proudly She Waves” pen features stars-and- stripes and carries the lyrics from the “Star Spangled Banner” – an ideal style for this year’s political climate. These pens all retail for $65.

This year is the tenth anniversary for Retro 1951’s “Tornado” pen, and the company is debuting a limited- edition version for $19 at the National Stationery Show. “We were the first ones to put this technology in a pen,” says Ross Cameron, Retro 1951 spokesperson. “It produces extrasmooth writing and much longer-lasting refills.” The “Tornado” comes in a package that is very popular with customers – an aluminum cigar tube – inspired by the cigar craze from a few years ago.

Faber-Castell USA has added to its “Graf von Faber-Castell Classic” line with a $300 “Anello” writing instrument. Another example of fine craftsmanship, the pen is constructed with ebony wood and silver rings around the barrel. CEO Jamie Gallagher says that while the majority of his customers are men, Faber-Castell has excellent offerings for women this year. “Our color story for 2008 is an important one,” he says. “We will be introducing fashion pastel colors into our ‘Faber-Castell Design’ line.”

New introductions to Yafa’s “Monteverde” line are also geared to appeal to women. The new “Intima” pen is hand formed from a solid bar of high-grade, acrylic resin and comes in four fashion colors. The “Medallia” pen features a magnetic neck chain for easy accessability. The “Diva” purse pen is shaped like a tube of lipstick and telescopes like lipstick into a full-sized pen; it retails for $35.

Also attracting female customers of all ages are the newest designs from INOXCROM, Inc. – a 60-year-old pen company based in Spain – whose pens take a strong cue from the fashion world. Building on the popularity of last year’s “Dolce Vita” pen from the “Jordi Labanda” line, the company’s new “Naked” pen, by Spanish designer Lluscá, shows that the best things in life are usually the simplest, according to Michael Wieting, retail division director.

In INOXROM’s “Agatha Ruiz de La Prada” line, the “Hearts” pen has been introduced as another fashion accessory. “We are trying to be focused on some thing very sophisticated,” says Wieting. “We try to show off our writing instruments with the fashion of a cosmetics package, even jewelry. It’s like you are doing something very glamorous.” Wieting tells retailers to display INOXCROM pens close to the front counter of the store, as the $25-to-$80 pens are popular impulse purchases.

Retail displays are crucial, emphasizes Zagoory, who sells elaborately sculpted desk stands for his pens. He recommends using the pen stands for in-store displays. “I tell the retailer, ‘Use this to make the story more interesting,’” he says. “‘Use five pens instead of a whole bunch crammed in. Make it clean and smart looking.’”

Charles Flink, national key accounts manager of Yafa, suggests using full-spectrum lighting to “ignite the resin” of the pens and make them “come alive like jewelry.” States Flink: “A pen is an extension of your mind, so why have something that’s a throwaway or mass produced?”

PEN PAVILION RETURNS TO NSS

A collection of fine writing instruments are returning for the third consecutive year to the International Pen Association (IPA) Pen Pavilion at the National Stationery Show. The pavilion features 25 brands of pens, including Aurora, Cross, Dunhill, Omas, Visconti, Woodessen and Yoropen USA/Coles of London LLC.

Located at the far end of the 3,700-4,000 aisles of the 7,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the pavilion presents the latest colors, designs, technologies and trends in fine writing instruments and related accessories.

“In 2008, the Pen Pavilion returns to continue the IPA’s mission of educating retailers about the fine writing instruments product category and the considerable sales potential it presents for stores,” says Patti Stracher, National Stationery Show manager. “The National Stationery Show is the ideal setting for the pavilion, considering the natural connection between social stationery, fine writing instruments and the handwritten word.”

Founded in 2002, the IPA is dedicated to ensuring the growth and economic vitality of the writing instruments industry through greater public awareness, strategic marketing and education reform.