Moleskine

Inside view of a Moleskine ruled notebook; the elastic band is visible on the right, as is the bookmark in the center.

Moleskine SpA (BIT: MSK) is an Italian company based in Milan. Moleskine production includes notebooks, planners, diaries, sketchbooks, albums and since 2011 also designs other objects connected to reading, travelling and writing, including bags, reading glasses, pens, pencils, cases for digital devices, booklights, and reading stands. Moleskine notebooks are typically bound in coated paper cardboard, with an elastic band to hold the notebook closed, a sewn spine that allows it to lie flat when opened, ivory-coloured paper, rounded corners, a ribbon bookmark, and an expandable pocket inside the rear cover, packed in a paper banderole.

The name Moleskine does not have an official pronunciation. The company claims it is a "brand name with undefined national identity". The Italian pronunciation is [mɔleˈskiːne].

History

Notebooks with features similar to the present Moleskine notebooks were popular in Paris during the 19th and 20th centuries, handmade by small French bookbinders who supplied the stationery shops of Paris. As documented by many art collections and museums, in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, these nameless notebooks became a prominent creative tool for avant-garde artists who enjoyed drawing and writing outdoors; putting down impressions on paper; painting from life in the streets and cafés; and capturing extemporary scenes, ideas, and emotions. Among artists who used similar black notebooks were Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse.

The present Moleskine notebook is specifically fashioned after Bruce Chatwin's descriptions of the notebooks he used in his travels. The name itself, "Moleskine", is a nickname that Chatwin uses in one of his most celebrated writings, The Songlines (1986). In this book, Chatwin tells the story of his original supplier of notebooks, a Paris stationer who in 1986 informed him that the last notebook manufacturer, a small family-run firm in Tours, had discontinued production that year, after the death of the owner. "Le vrai Moleskine n’est plus" ("The real Moleskine is no more") are the words Chatwin puts in the mouth of the owner of the stationery shop in Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie.

In 1997 a small company based in Milan named Modo & Modo SpA decided to bring this notebook back to life, establishing the Moleskine trademark and starting production of Moleskine notebooks with 5000 pieces. In 1999, Modo & Modo SpA started distributing outside Italy, in the US and Europe. In 2004, Moleskine notebooks arrived in Japan, and from there Moleskine started distribution to the rest of Asia. Perhaps due to their link to the literary and cultural heritage of the Moleskine notebooks, bookshop retailers and design stores everywhere are the main channels for the notebook.

In 2006, according to an article in the International Herald Tribune, the company’s small staff was unable to keep up with demand. In August 2006, the French investment fund Société Générale Capital purchased Modo & Modo SpA, and started investing in its expansion. The company name changed into “Moleskine Srl”. According to an article in the German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland in July 2012, Moleskine collections were distributed in 22,000 stores across 95 countries.

In 2011, Moleskine production extended to new categories with the new Writing, Travelling and Reading Collections, launched at the Milan Design Week 2011. Most of the objects in these new collections are designed by Italian industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti. They include bags, computer cases, reading glasses, pens and pencils, booklights, and reading stands. Moleskine has become a joint-stock company and is therefore now called Moleskine SpA. In March 2013 the Company has announced that it will go public at the Milan, Italy, Stock Exchange.

Moleskine production

Moleskine notebook

Moleskine items are designed in Italy. Most of them are printed, assembled and stitched in China. Since 2008, large formats for Volant, Cahiers and Folio hard cover collections have been manufactured in Turkey. Watercolour paper is supplied by a specialist French manufacturer. Since 2012 some production has also taken place in Vietnam. Moleskine SpA claims to invest considerable resources in the research of ever-new potential suppliers, according to criteria of quality, price, logistics and fairness. Details printed on the external label band indicate production details. Each item has a quality control number connected to a specific production lot number. The localization of production in China has been criticized by members of the community of Moleskine users. See Controversy (below).

Moleskine notebooks are made with acid-free paper. Paper for Folio Collection is Forest Stewardship Council certified. According to Moleskine SpA all suppliers are selected after careful screening about quality standards. Labour and environmental fairness criteria are included in specific clauses of all suppliers’ agreements.

Communities

Moleskine is a brand supported by worldwide communities of enthusiasts who write, sketch, paint and draw on Moleskine notebooks. These communities often share images of decorated pages through blogs, social networks or photo and video sharing platforms. The active members have influenced more and more talented people to join the group and these communities have grown independently from Moleskine srl, even though they are becoming a growing focus of attention for the company, as Business Week reported in May 2007. According to Maria Sebregondi, VP of Brand Equity and Communications at Moleskine srl, Moleskine highly values the opinions of Moleskine users, replies personally to everyone through customer care and is in direct contact with various Moleskine communities.

Digital

According to VP of Brand Equity and Communications Maria Sebregondi, Moleskine collections straddle the gap between analog and digital by giving users a blank space to facilitate creativity online and offline. The company believes that analog and digital are not mutually exclusive.

iPhone, iPad and Samsung smartphone apps have been produced for writing and drawing in the cloud. Their device covers emulate the trademark look and feel of the notebooks.

In August 2012 Moleskine partnered with Evernote to produce a digital-friendly notebook with specially designed pages and stickers for smartphone syncing.

In October 2012 Moleskine forayed into Print on Demand with Photo Books, a collaboration with publishers Milk that lets users upload their own photos into a Moleskine notebook-style album.

Controversy

Production based in China has generated criticism among some Moleskine users. According to official statements by Moleskine SpA, production is mostly based in China because of quality and tradition in the Chinese paper industry, coupled with the appealing economic cost resulting from the combination of automated and handmade manufacturing.

After concerns were raised in 2008 about the presence of PVC in some notebooks, all items are now PVC-free.

Since August 2010, all new Moleskine products offered to retailers in California and throughout the world are Prop 65 compliant.

Projects & Events

Moleskine is involved in numerous cultural and artistic activities through commissioning, curating and supporting the global creative community of Moleskine users. One of the main projects is Detour, an archive of creating thinking in the making consisting of notebooks that have been altered or adorned by celebrated creative thinkers. All notebooks are donated by their authors to the nonprofit foundation lettera27. The ever-evolving project currently comprises a travelling exhibition, talks and a book.

External links

• Moleskine - Legendary notebooks
• Write and Exact an interview with Moleskine CEO