Tracking Knife Trends

There aren’t many dull, boring or mundane trends, and for good reason.

Knifemakers embrace the old saying, “change is constant.” The “same old, same old” never catches on with a new generation. Knife craftsmen strive for fascinating and innovative ways of blade building, and collectors seek out the rare and unusual.

Eventually knifemakers find something modern that is not only aesthetic and utilitarian, but it also catches on with other artists. That’s the start of a trend. 

You get the idea—trends are born out of creative thinking and design capabilities, and not from copying old patterns without any tweaking, improving or thinking outside of the box.

Sure, some trends have staying power. There are many new trends to take in, like dimpled, sculpted, grooved and glass-beaded knives, for example. 

It is a trend in knives that presented itself to me while I poured over 1,000s of images from knife photographers for possible inclusion in the Knives 2014 book, now available and a gorgeous book, if I may say so myself, but not because of anything I did. It’s the knives and images thereof that make it a handsome title, and the Trends, State Of The Art, Factory Trends and Feature articles therein.

Enjoy, and keep your eyes peeled for new knife trends in the industry, particularly if you’re a collector, investor or general enthusiast with a habit of accumulating custom or production pieces.