Hi Peshkabz. As long as the subject of collaborations is up, it is probably a good subject for discussion.
I think the first of the well know collaboration designs was between Pete Gerber and Blackie Collins. Blackie was an innovative and prolific designer and his relationship with Peter Gerber set the stage for the current collaborations.
There were a few with some of the larger companies in the past, but the arrangement wasn't satisfactory for the designers and the concept of custom collaborations with factories got a bad rap. The Gerber / Collins arrangement worked out much better and is in use today by most factories.
Spyderco began collaborations with Bob Terzuola in the late 80's, using the Gerber/Collins format. Quickly followed by Wayne Goddard. Wayne's design was one of the most successful to date. I think that these two "gutsy" makers were willing to try a collaboration design with Spyderco, deespite the earlier bad rap because both Bob and Wayne were friends of mine and they knew my intentions and integrity was proper. I've been a Guild member and supported the Guild since 1979.
When makers like Jess Horn and Michael Walker joined in, there were enough makers working with us to influence others. We've done more than 20 collaborations over the past 15 years. obviously there was a satisfactory way to have factories work with custom makers.
As the number of makers interested in design collaborations with factories increased, I began to encourage the makers to consult with other manufacurers (we could only do so many) and I encouraged the factories to go to the Guild show and seek custom designs. The rest is history.
We have learned that cusom designs are often quick to become popular and likewise quick to decline in sales. My guess is that this is because these models are purchased by collectors and aficianados and the number of these buyers is limited.
Volume must be carefully judged or overstocks occur which hurts the collectable value of the design.
We would not likely bring back an earlier design without some changes for the same reason. The collectable value of the earlier design is affected if we re-introduce the same exact model. This is not fair to those collectors that already own the model.
If we wee to bring back an earlier design, we would first have to be sure there is sufficient demand to make a run of 1000-1200 or more pieces. 30 or 40 forumites could not support the costs of a run.
Then we would have to modify the design so as not to impair the collector value of the original piece. This can often be done with a color change in FRN or a material change in either the handle or the steel or both.
Bringing back an item like the Jess Horn could be done in FRN with a different color quite easily. Using micarta (very limited colors available at this time) or some other material like G-10 or Carbon Fiber, brings the price way up and this severely limits the number of possible buyers.
If we have to re-tool for the design, the costs go way up and more volume would be required to compensate for the tooling costs.
The best and most practical way for us to bring back an earlier design is to make a short run of 1200 pieces as an exclusive for a large distributor. We currently have an OD green Delica with a black VG-10 CE blade that we made for Moteng, and an all black Endura and Delica that we made for Blue Ridge. I think both will be successful for all concerned. If this works out well, you may see more of the earlier designs re-introduced as distributor exclusives.
I'd like to do a short run of Calypso jrs, though it is not a collaboration, because I think there are enough potential customers out there that appreciate the design enough to support a run. But, I would not make them exactly the same as the previous run.
I think the Jess Horn FRN design and the Michael Walker design in Almite would both be nice retros, but if I had to choose between making a brand new design and a retro, (which we must do because of inventory costs) I would opt for the new design.
If we modified an early design like the Viele, we would re-tool and make it a different size (probably under 3" blade length) but the new tooling costs would require a larger volume to justify the investment in new tooling.
Another problem that exists is even more complicated. The designers would generally prefer to work with many factories as it increases their royalties. When a designer works with many factories, the factories are reluctant to advertise the name because now they are selling competitors models that are designed by the same designer, and the lowest price model sells the most. It's sort of a "catch 22" for both the factories and the designers. We have no solutions at this time. This is further complicated by the fact that not all factories produce at the same quality levels or with the same materials. If you purchase a John Doe design from ABC company, the quality is lower, as is the price. Then DEF company produces a high quality model from the same designer at a higher price, customers are already associateing the quality and price of the first model with the designer and the second factory has to overcome the quality and price issue so sell the model. Sometimes more hassle (read cost) than it's worth.
Just some thoughts to share on the question. Your input, as always, is appreciated.
sal
