Opinel Knife - Iconic Status

Iconic Status

Originally sold as a simple working man's knife, the Opinel has since become an iconic symbol of French culture and lifestyle. Pablo Picasso used an Opinel to carve his sculptures, while Roger Frison-Roche, the Savoyard alpine guide and mountaineer, never made an ascent without carrying an Opinel along. Éric Tabarly, the long-distance solo sailor and yachtsman, swore by the Opinel, which he always carried aboard his sailing yacht, the Pen Duick.

The Larousse dictionary entered the word Opinel as a registered trademark in 1989, and is known as the French knife in the United States. The word Opinel has come to mean any wood handled pocket or penknife, as its inclusion in the Collins–Robert French–English Dictionary implies:

opinel NM (wooden-handled) penknife

In 1985 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London selected the Opinel as part of an exhibit celebrating the “100 most beautiful products in the world”, featuring the Opinel alongside the Porsche 911 sports car and the Rolex watch. The Opinel was also selected as one of the 999 best designs in Phaidon Design Classics, and has been exhibited by the New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as a design masterpiece.