U.K. Company Uses Kickstarter to Launch Knife Line

Allison Zisko //Editor in Chief//May 30, 2017

U.K. Company Uses Kickstarter to Launch Knife Line

The Kuroi Hana knife set is made with 67 layers of Japanese steel

Allison Zisko //Editor in Chief//May 30, 2017

Kuroi Hana knifeLONDON—Edge of Belgravia, a U.K.-based brand of high-end knives, has turned to Kickstarter to launch its latest line of designer cutlery and raise funds for its rollout.

The campaign, which began May 29, allows investors to purchase the Kuroi Hana six-piece set of knives made with 67 layers of Japanese steel. Designed by London’s Christian Bird, the set is selling for $299, which is near the production cost and a 70 percent discount from what the usual retail price would be. For those looking to make a smaller investment, there is a $99 introductory level, which comes with a 7.5-inch chef’s knife, and a $199 level that garners a limited set of four knives.

Charlotte Rose, press officer for Edge of Belgravia, said introducing the line via Kickstarter “enables us to fund the first production batch and reduce the risk of holding excess stock. As a small, but fast-growing company, we would not have been able to fund this,” she added, noting that the working capital needed for this project, using premium steel from Aichi Steel Corp. in Japan, is quite high.

“We would also run the risk of not selling our first batch as quickly as needed to get the working capital back. Thanks to the Kickstarter platform, we can launch Kuroi Hana a few years earlier,” she said.

This is Edge of Belgravia’s first experience with Kickstarter, said Rose. The company’s funding target was $30,000, but as of yesterday they had raised nearly $58,000 from almost 200 backers within five hours. Rose said $50,000 is the company’s break-even point.

Some similar products have been very successful on Kickstarter, but Edge of Belgravia’s offer is more robust, said Rose, providing a set of knives versus a single one.

Investors will get their Kuroi Hana knives—so named for the black flower design etched on the blades—in October. The first 200 backers at the $299 level also receive a Black Diamond knife block. A successful campaign means the Kuroi Hana series will likely be rolled out to existing Edge of Belgravia retailers in 2018, but at a higher price, she said.

Edge of Belgravia, which was started in 2010 in London’s Belgravia neighborhood and entered the U.S. market in 2013, targeted backers through a combination of social media, emails to existing customers and with help from the crowd funding marketing company, Funded Today, according to Rose.

Last year, the Knasa knife, an ultra-sharp knife made with a patented alloy and licensed by Habitat, exceeded its $200,000 Kickstarter campaign goal, raising more than $446,000 from 4,095 backers. (See HFN article, “New Knife Inspired by NASA.”)