Now, this is a story all about how
My knife got flipped-turned upside down
I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there
and I’ll tell you how Roland became the blade-prince of Thiers.

Tucked away in an old polishing workshop along an alleyway of Thiers’ town centre in France lies Roland Lannier HQ, home to a team of three; Roland (the ‘sick’ brain), Guillaume (the prodigy) and their trusty side-kick Leonard (the French Bulldog). Roland became bored by the pieces he came across in the knife industry and had enough of the animal based and ‘precious’ materials used extensively throughout, such as ivory and exotic wood. Roland wanted change. Think less colonial, more playful, more unexpected and…well, more punk.

Specialising mainly in knife craft (although we have seen the odd letter opener and baker’s blade make it into his bespoke collections), pieces are made from a range of synthetic or recycled materials. From comic books to concrete through to genuine Lucha Libre masks, luminescent resin and vinyl records, Roland’s knives are unquestionably some of the most unique, resourceful and original we have ever laid our peepers on – and believe me, we’ve seen a lot of knives.

If that’s not quite enough for you, Roland has also introduced us to the concept that we have been using our knives upside down. Yes. All this time. I know. Unbelievable. The curved part of the blade pointing upwards leaves the sharp, straight side pointing downwards, ready to get the cleanest cut from your steak (or cauliflower, whatever floats your boat). This straight edged knife is designed to cut on a ceramic plate, and requires 4x less sharpening. Mind blown.

Roland’s knives have caught the eye of many chefs and are used in restaurants worldwide, from London to Tokyo, Dubai to Australia, across the US and more. We are thrilled to have him as a part of the Kinn Collective family and look forward to working alongside him and his team.