Sharpening Your Style Since 1772
It’s not every day that a brand gets to celebrate their 250-year anniversary, but 2022 sees Wilkinson Sword celebrate this landmark occasion.
The fascinating back history began in 1772 with famed London gun, sword and bayonet manufacturer, Henry Nock, founding the company. In 1824, Henry Wilkinson, who was by then managing the company, changed the name to James Wilkinson & Son. By this time the business was growing a reputation for excellence in the manufacturing of swords, but it wasn’t until later that the company name was changed to Wilkinson Sword in recognition of this.
During the eighteenth-century small swords were the sidearm of choice, at least for gentlemen, and were sometimes considered a jewellery item or fashion accessory to demonstrate social status and wealth, with many sporting dazzlingly beautiful craftsmanship.
Over the years, fuelled by the decline in sword carrying, the Wilkinson Sword Company diversified into other areas, and given their expertise in producing ‘cutting edges’, razors were seen as a natural extension of the business. It is worth noting that this was the era of the industrial revolution and there was great enthusiasm for Wilkinson Sword’s technical innovation which the company rolled out at pace and in 1898 they introduced the Pall Mall safety razor.
In the 1920s the spirit of the times changed, and style conventions dramatically altered with men putting more emphasis on a well-groomed look. This focus on grooming and personal style continued to define men’s style during the first half of the twentieth century and inspired innovation in the shaving category. Through the 1950’s and 60’s, Wilkinson Sword focused on technological improvements on their blades.
The 1970s saw the introduction of the first Wilkinson Sword safety blade system in a fixed plastic housing with the launch of the T70, sometimes known as the Bonded, the brand’s first user-replaceable moulded razor cartridge with blades bonded in plastic. It also featured the brand’s first intuitive loading system and is considered the predecessor of Wilkinson Sword’s cartridge-based systems. During the 1980s and 90s, blade technology continued to evolve and in 1992, Wilkinson Sword launched a new product, the Protector. With design heavily the focus with this product, the Protector won favour with retailers and consumers alike. Around the turn of the century, the brand’s first 3 blade disposable razor, Xtreme 3 was launched.
The turn of the millennium saw the industry focussing on multiple blades and in 2003, Wilkinson Sword launched the Quattro four blade razor, which was followed in 2007 by the Quattro Titanium, featuring a titanium layer and a separate carbon layer to the blades.
The introduction of the Hydro range came in 2010, with an equal emphasis on innovation and comfort. The introduction of features on Wilkinson Sword products including a five-blade system, water activated gel pools and integral skin guards, are all part of Wilkinson Sword’s journey towards excellence and demonstrate a deep understanding of men’s grooming and style habits.
As Wilkinson Sword moves towards its quarter millennial anniversary, the brand remains as relevant today as it was in 1772, and to celebrate this milestone, Wilkinson Sword has launched a creative campaign to help chart its journey through style.
Wilkinson Sword has always been all about its consumers. The brand develops razors that fulfil all their shaving needs. It encourages them to express their unique style through shaving. And it applauses them. Everything to make men feel good in their skin, confident and appreciated. So, when the brand celebrates its 250th anniversary, it’s all about the consumers too. The theme of the campaign is “Celebrating your style” and the brand puts consumers in the focus, featuring real men and their style in the campaign assets.
The regular campaign will be strongly supported by the activations. The brand will run a strong in-store activation, along with a digital campaign on social media (FB, IG) celebrating 250th anniversary. The anniversary campaign started in July and will run until end of calendar year 2022.
