What motivates us
While current theory maintains that economic development requires expansion of specialized industrial goods and services, we are challenging this notion. There is a clear downside to products being standardized with little tolerance for variation. We think it is wrong for the process of design being far removed from that of production with an overwhelming focus on the marketability and efficiency of the product. Big data has a lot of economic power, but it also reduces our creativity to the largest common denominator.
In what is becoming known as the artisan economy, certain sectors are demonstrating craft-like qualities that have catalyzed their success. This is true for products as well as services and experiences. They touch many areas of our daily life: what we eat, how we live, the places where we work and the experiences we make.
As a specialist in maker brands, we bring attention to the importance of sustainable, well designed and crafted products. We believe that brands and products should surprise and delight.
Our Values
Sustainability
Transparency
Design
Craft
What motivates us
While current theory maintains that economic development requires expansion of specialized industrial goods and services, we are challenging this notion. There is a clear downside to products being standardized with little tolerance for variation. We think it is wrong for the process of design being far removed from that of production with an overwhelming focus on the marketability and efficiency of the product. Big data has a lot of economic power, but it also reduces our creativity to the largest common denominator.
In what is becoming known as the artisan economy, certain sectors are demonstrating craft-like qualities that have catalyzed their success. This is true for products as well as services and experiences. They touch many areas of our daily life: what we eat, how we live, the places where we work and the experiences we make.
As a specialist in maker brands, we bring attention to the importance of sustainable, well designed and crafted products. We believe that brands and products should surprise and delight.
Our Values
Sustainability
Transparency
Design
Craft
Our Founder
Our firm was founded by Jan-Patrick Schmitz. He dedicated his career to the development of consumer brands where the excellence of craft, superior product quality and the beauty of design are central to the brand equity. Mr. Schmitz is also the CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of the WÜSTHOF Group. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of Thornwillow Press and the German American Chamber of Commerce in New York.
He is the former Chairman of the Steiff Group, a diversified company operating in the consumer and engineering space. He served for over two decades on the global leadership team of MONTBLANC, a Richemont-owned luxury brand. He has been instrumental in repositioning and growing Montblanc into a $ 1+ billion company.
For many years, he was a driving force behind the “The 24-Hour Plays” on Broadway and the “The 24-Hour Plays: Los Angeles”. He has been actively involved with Urban Arts Partnership, a New York-based organization providing arts curriculum to underserved schools in the New York City and the Los Angeles public school system. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of “Jewelers for Children” and the advisory board of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School.
Mr. Schmitz is a thought leader in the consumer goods space with extensive experience in brand management. He lived and worked in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has been a guest lecturer on global consumer brand strategies at various universities including Harvard Business School, George Washington University, New York University and the Fashion Institute of Technology.