Authentic Knifemaker Look

Mitchell Knives said:
Khakis/Polo - pretty much anything you would wear to work.
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Thats what I was thinking. Maybe a nice heavy LEO style polo and have your logo embroidered on the breast. Tuck it into a pair of nice cargo pants. Not flashy like a suit and cowboy hat, but still very professional as simple as it is. A nice watch would be a nice touch.

I don't think I'd wear cologne of any kind. What you or your wife/girlfriend etc. may find as pleasant, may make someone gag and run to the hills.

To reply to the OP, what I see in my mind as far as an authentic knifemaker look, It's always some form of western garb. Cowboy hat, bolo tie, tight jeans, some form of western shirt, maybe a sport coat or something on top of that.
 
Burl Source said:
I would say corporate casual.
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That's how I have to dress for my day job. Definitely NOT authentic for me in the workshop.
I'd rather go in my shorts than spend another day in "biz cas".

I think Clean, comb your face, and wax your mustachios. :D

-Daizee
 
Bring a good looking lady and no one will be looking at you anyways :)

But from experience we see a lot of personas

Special Ops Guy
Black Smith Guy
Cowboy Guy
Suit and tie Guy
Black T-Shirt Guy
WTF are you looking at Guy
Guy who only puts out pictures and is never at his table Guy

And they are all great guys :)
 
Yeah gotta ask. Why on earth do you guys feel compelled to dress the way you do for a dead end corporate grunt job when you're representing your independence as a knife maker?

I'll let you guys who've never made enough money to feel the harsh sting of paying over half your income in taxes in on a little secret. Nobody with money and taste has any respect for kahkis and polo shirts. No offense intended, but you're expressing conformity, not originality.

I know I'm going to catch a bunch of shit for saying that, but I'd never buy a plain knife, from a plain joe, and if he had really interesting blades, I'd be skeptical whether he was the actual maker.

There are a lot of Cowboy hats in the ABS crew, and as you'd expect, a lot of big honkin' Bowies on their tables. I can dig it, seems appropriate. Wait till you guys see me with dreadlocks down to my ass.

Its a valid question, but in my opinion, if you have to sell your knives, they aren't good enough to sell themselves, and intelligent buyers of high end anything don't appreciate excessive and disingenuous pandering.
 
I wanted to post again, since in retrospect I think I probably sound real confrontational in that last post, but I don't want to edit it.

All I'm trying to say is either; represent who you are, as an individual, knifemaker, and artist, or decide who your target market is, if you're concerned primarily from a business perspective, and dress according to that market. Just realize that while you can appeal to one market, you may alienate another.

Sorry if I came off the wrong way in the first response.
 
Joke all you want, but the cowboy hat thing seems to work.;)
 
javand said:
Sorry if I came off the wrong way in the first response.
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Stop holding back and tell us how you really feel! :D

I do agree that sporting a "costume" sort of turns me off, although some people work it pretty well. And polo shirt/khakis just reminds me of when I worked in a gas station during college... so that's not going to happen.
 
My standard outfit at any event or show is:

Black ABS long sleeve shirt
Black pants
Knife shaped name tag ( looks like an ivory handled folder with my name scrimmed on the scale)
ABS logo belt buckle ( handmade in gold and silver)
Stetson Gentleman Rancher with my signature hat band - cougar fang, bear claws, sapphire cabochons, all in sterling mountings.
Comfortable shoes
If it is a more formal gathering or a dinner, I wear a bola slide tie.

It sounds a bit fancier than it really is, but I have many people who find me in a crowded hall by my hat and clothes.
 
Dress like your going out to dinner with the inlaws. By that I don't mean too dressed up.
One glance at your hands and they should know wether your a knifemaker or not, after all
most of us don't have hands like piano players. Any and all logo shirts ABS, Guild, etc are
good too.
Ken.
 
kc custom said:
One glance at your hands and they should know wether your a knifemaker or not, after all
most of us don't have hands like piano players.
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That makes a lot of sense to me, as a guy with plenty callouses and scars. Perhaps my swollen, ruined, aching knuckles, earned in fistfights 10-20 years ago would add some "tactical" value to my presentation. :rolleyes: I honestly don't know if potential clients would notice that or not.
 
In the words of a great philosopher "I am what I am and thats all that I am"..Clean up and be presentable but dont try to be something your not..You'll be more comfortable that way and likely be more comfortable working with the general public..Just my humble opinion.
Its funny you mention hands..I have a farmers/blacksmiths hands..Knarly,calloused,very,very scared and very,very large.Ive been a farmer all my life and a metal worker since I was 15. I get comments about my hands often..
 
james terrio said:
I thought you wore a kilt whenever in public? :confused:

:D
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I wear a kilt at Scottish events and formal evenings ( opera, fund raisers, Black tie, etc.).
I wear my "Knifemaker's Outfit" at knife events. Although, I have been known to wear a kilt at Ashokan.
I forge in the kilt when doing demos at Highland Games.

I was at Daniel Boone's Pasture Party ( where anvils fly) this past weekend, and there was a young blacksmith who wears a Utili-kilt all the time.
 
I wear something that is clean and well kept but a little outdoorsy meets Bob-n-Doug. I have tried hard to establish a sort of "uniform" that is present in any videos and pics. It must work... I've had folks recognize me because they say I look exactly as I do on the forums...

DSC_2953-2.jpg


I have my clubbin' garb that I wear out to dinner afterwards.
 
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Is this the fashion thread or the copyright infringement thread? :confused:
 
My typical knife making attire is like Nick's and others.....a grubby well worn baseball hat, ratty hooded sweatshirt, and oil and steel dust smeared Dickies five pocket work pants:D

As far as shows go, OKCA next month will be my first as an exhibitor....but I'm a fairly casual guy. I plan on wearing some comfortable shoes, khakis, and a t shirt or polo. I may comb my hair or I may have on a ballcap, can't say for sure. I believe that as long as you're not blatantly grubby and disgusting the knives should speak for themselves. Whether you wear a t shirt or something with a collar should not be an issue so long as you are presentable to your target audience.

I did order a few of these for my wife to wear in Atlanta and Vegas just to help draw attention to the table....figured it can't hurt:D
JMKTankback.jpg
 
AVigil said:
Bring a good looking lady and no one will be looking at you anyways :)

But from experience we see a lot of personas

Special Ops Guy
Black Smith Guy
Cowboy Guy
Suit and tie Guy
Black T-Shirt Guy
WTF are you looking at Guy
Guy who only puts out pictures and is never at his table Guy

And they are all great guys :)
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Does this mean I am 2X's greater than the guys who only fall under one persona?:p
 
All this talk about clothing, and you guys are overlooking the obvious!

Every time I see a picture of a knifemaker the first thing I notice is black filth jammed so far up their fingernails that you'd need a bamboo torture device to clean them out. The blackened nail beds are a definite part of the authentic knifemaker look. Use all the smelly soap you want on the rest of your hands, but those nailbeds say "I work on these knives." A suit would say "I paid someone else to work on these knives."

The next thing I notice about real knifemakers is that they have facial hair... probably a sign of their "rebel" nature, I guess. Shaving yourself clean seems to suggest you think you are better than your furry brethren. What's up with that uppety attitude? Get over yourself and put the razor away.

The last thing I've noticed is that younger knifemakers like to show off their groady toes. Can't understand why, but I see too many toes on this board to believe it's a coincidence.
 
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