In some cultures, gifting a knife is considered an offensive gesture, while in some, its considered a mark of respect. For example, when I completed five years with my Japanese boss, he gifted me a Porsche Design Army Knife. Slick black and ultra-sexy, it was an army knife that completely floored me. In Japanese culture, a chef gifts his apprentice his set of knives, as a gesture to let him know that he is ready to take on the world. However, in my culture, you never gift a knife or any sharp object, as it’s a mark of disrespect.
The reason why I bring up this story is because of the Victorinox Classic Limited Edition 2019 Swiss Army Knife. This collection of small pocket knife, features “10 designs celebrating favorite foods around the world” designed on them. The winning designs from their Classic Limited Edition Design Contest have some exceptional artwork on them. For those who don’t know, the Classic Limited Edition Design Contest has a has a specific theme each year.
For the 2020 competition, the theme is “Sports of the World”, and 2,155 design ideas from 62 countries worldwide have already been submitted. The winners will be picked after Victorinox users vote for them – voting will commence on September 11th.
Coming back to the 2019 competition, the brief for the designers was to capture the essence of food, and be inspired by it. Hence the “Food of the World.” Each Swiss-made pocket knife features seven functions. Functions include a small blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver, key ring, toothpick and tweezers. The collection includes artwork depicting the iconic designs of the signature dishes that the designers salivate over.
Key Features:
- Limited to the year 2019
- Designed and selected by our fans
- 10 designs celebrating favorite foods around the world
Designs feature foods like Let it Pop (popcorn), Gingerbread Love, Banana Split, Swiss Mountain Dinner, Burger Bar, When Life Gives You Lemons, Chili Peppers, Mexican Tacos, Alps Cheese and Sardine Can.
What I love about the Limited Edition Knives is that they keep the functionality aspect intact and cover the essential features of what a pocket knife or an EDC should have. Since the 2020’s theme is sports – it may have to do with the fact that it’s an Olympic year – I’d expect Victorinox to surprise us with some sporting essentials woven into the knife. Of course the sport’s design is depicted in the art, but perhaps an emergency skipping rope, or some tool that helps tightens a tennis racket gut or fixes a deflated football, could be included in the design.
Pavlina, the winner of the Swiss Mountain Dinner design was inspired by the love for campaign and showcased camping food that includes spicy tomato soup with white beans & Swiss Chard, barbecue. The knife showcases the Alps in the background and a camp setting with delicious food.
Designer Louis brought out the best of Mexico with his Mexican Tacos design as well as the Banana Split design. The tacos knife features the well-known Tacos al Pastor (tortilla with marinated pork meat and a combination of dried chilies, spices and pineapple). The Banana Split is a take on the classic dessert and an all-time favorite of mine.
New Zealander Andrei was inspired by Art Nouveau and 17th-century botanical drawings for his piece – When Life Gives You Lemons. Taking a philosophical twist, he showcases the fact that lemons taste sour, no matter where you eat them. What matters is what you do with them and how you treat them.
Get any of these knives for under $30.
