The world is pretty shambolic at the moment but Willie van Niekerk of Kiwi Blade Knives is on a mission regardless – to defy the plague of sameness and fly in the face of the modern ‘throw away’ world, one knife at a time.
“I like to produce things that last. It’s what I value. Quality has to be at the centre of everything that I do,” he tells us.
He’s never been one to run with the pack, and his knives are the same. A fusion of the tradition of craft with art, and a dash of personalisation, Willie’s customised knives are a collaboration of everything his customers could wish for in a knife, sculpted and moulded with skill into what is achievable.
“Not everything is doable,” he says, “but I try my best. And I’m always intrigued by a challenge. I’m a bit of a magpie like that.
“A bespoke knife is something unique. It should say as much about the person who it is designed for and the person who commissioned it as it does about the process and the knife maker, him or herself.
“My knives have a lifetime warranty because I believe in longevity and family. You should be able to pass your knife on through the generations. “
Family is the reason I came to New Zealand from South Africa”, adds Willie, who is now a fully bona fide New Zealand citizen. “That is where the name for our business came from actually – my love of New Zealand. New Zealand gave me another home for myself, and my children, and I will always be thankful for that. “Heirloom is the only way to go.”
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