Marketing Director Petr Balej and designer Ondřej Němec presented Mikov’s products at a meeting of representatives from cities with a tradition of cutlery-making, which took place from May 12 to 14 in the French city of Thiers.
“In addition to presenting the company’s history, we had the opportunity to show the attending delegates our latest products, particularly thePatron outdoor knife,” said Petr Balej.
The meeting’s program primarily consisted of a professional conference where individual European knife-making regions were presented. In addition, participants visited local knife-making museums and an international knife exhibition.
“As a designer, I was struck by the French emphasis on tradition. Most knives produced in Thiers still retain their characteristic shape, making them instantly recognizable—not just by their logo, which is based on the city’s name,” noted Ondřej Němec.
The city of Thiers will once again host a professional conference and a gathering of cities with a cutlery-making tradition in 2018. Mikulášovice, home to the Mikov company, is among these cities, as its industrial cutlery tradition has been documented since the late 18th century. However, the roots of the local small-scale artisanal knife production run much deeper.
Mikov is currently the largest Czech manufacturer of sports, hunting, outdoor, and pocket knives. It exports its products worldwide andthis yearwon the prestigious Czech Grand Design award and the international Red Dot Award for itspocket knife collection.