Can pencils be sexy?
Yes, they can! At least that’s what Britain’s "Sunday Business" newspaper confirmed a few months ago when they dedicated the cover of their weekly magazine and a 6-page article to our success and honoured Graf von Faber-Castell with the title "The man who made the pencil sexy". This surprise honour was awarded to Faber-Castell as a result of a spectacular action that created waves not only in the UK: on behalf of Faber-Castell, the British fashion designer, Arkadius, had sewn over 6,000 colour and lead pencils onto delicate chiffon dresses, jeans and evening gowns. The pencils had to be individually drilled for this unusual piece of haute couture. Some of the dresses weighed up to 8 kilograms!
The outfits are so slender that they fit only the most sylph-like models, but then they look like they’ve never worn anything but pencils…
But how do you come up with the idea to create pencil-fashion? "For our 240th company anniversary we wanted to do something quite special ..." explains Graf von Faber-Castell: "Something appropriate to our credo of the "Point of Difference", and thus lending proof to our power for up-to-date innovation".
Faber-Castell selected the British couturier, Arkadius, as its partner for the action. The Polish-born designer studied at the renowned creative forge, St. Martin's College. Fashion muse, Isabella Blow, and star designer, Alexander McQueen, supported the newcomer, who created his own label in 1997.
This unusual pencil collection was first paraded in the spring of 2003 in London’s famous Mayfair Club before an enthusiastic audience from the stationery sector as well as the fashion scene. The garments then set out on a long journey, from the British capital, where they graced the window displays at the well-known PaperChase specialist store, they moved to Germany where they arrived in time to present themselves to the guests at the "Bleistift - Werkzeug der Kreativen" exhibition as "Pencils – Tools of the Creative". Then they were off to the grand Faber-Castell anniversary celebrations in Sydney, Australia.
Before that, however, the photographer, Frank Boxler, was able to photograph the pencil nymphs, Doris and Elke, at the Schloss Stein castle. This is the result!