The One Designer That Influenced Me Most
Without a doubt, my single biggest influence in the realm of knife making has to be the legend, the genius, Gustavo Cecchini. Since the first time I saw his designs to this very day; there isn’t a single knife maker whose work still shocks, excites, and inspires me like the amazing GTC Knives. Based in Brazil and born of Italian and Brazilian descendants, his artistic vision can be compared directly to architectural royalty such as Zaha Hadid.
What separates Gustavo Cecchini’s work from the rest of his peers is is an absolutely unique approach to graphical break-up, construction, and material usage. His aesthetic is a bit of ‘Futuristic Architecture,’ meets postmodernism, meets high concept. It’s hard to exactly capture in words the absolutely unique proportions, angles, and innovations may be present in a single one of his creations.
His model, the Federal, first created around 2012 (exact year unknown), is still the most ergonomic knife I’ve ever handled. Some people may dismiss the idea that good ergonomics exist in knives that look as bold as these however, they would be wrong. Each one of his designs are a delight to hold in the hand.
One of the amazing features of the Federal is that there is no pocket clip to dig into your palm. This is something that often irritates me about most folding knives – their clips protrude too far into my hands and regardless of position, cause hotspots. With the Federal, Gustavo treated the pocket clip like a lock bar, requiring you to deflect the metal and expose the integrated clip. A genius solution to a very common problem; elegant, simple, and effective. Signature Gustavo Cecchini.
In addition to the Federal, Gustavo’s Airborne model caught my eye early on. This model was created around 2016 (exact year unknown) and was one of, if not the first model to debut his SLT opening system. Using a spring-loaded tab, inspired by the mechanisms in a revolver, he created an ingenious opening system that was later licensed by ZT Knives and put into a series of production versions of the Airborne.
What always struck me about this model was the styling and proportions. The custom version is quite possibly the most beautiful knife design I’ve ever seen, and then the production version by ZT Knives took it to another level. The production version features deep CNC sculpting and texturing, the lines of which remind me of the Amsterdam EYE. The EYE designed by Vienna-based Delugan Meissl Architects feels like it is in motion; an aerodynamic sculpture that both makes a statement and is functional, much like Gustavo’s work.
What is so fascinating about Gustavo Cecchini is that he only began making knives in 2004, yet in just a couple of years he was crowned the Best New Maker at the 2006 Sao Paulo Knife Show. He then continued to innovate and develop new assisted opening methods, new approaches to the locking mechanism, new clip designs, and pivot bearings. The GTC brand can be encapsulated simply as a fusion of technical innovation, absolute precision, and stunning artistic vision.
There is no single GTC creation that doesn’t embody these qualities, which results in beyond gorgeous pieces of functional art. As a result, I’ve personally collected every single production model that he has released and hope to one day own a custom handmade version as well. Unequivocally, Gustavo Cecchini has been and will continue to be my single greatest inspiration. His work and his ethos both light a fire within me.