Montegrappa CEO Giuseppe Aquila on developing the remarkable Frankenstein L.E. pen

Giuseppe, thanks for making time. We’re here to talk about your remarkable Universal Monsters: Frankenstein L.E. pen, but first – what makes a brand well-suited to a collaboration with Montegrappa?
It can be a variety of things. Generally, we look for references that let us tell stories about creativity, inventiveness and performance. Those are the red threads that underpin Montegrappa’s savoir faire; which lets us jump between subjects that are ideologically and aesthetically different, like Nicolas Copernicus and Lamborghini. We usually look for some element of X factor – a quirk or point of intrigue that can underpin something valuable or exciting.

What made Frankenstein an exciting brand to work with?
Frankenstein epitomises that idea of invention in a way that is both fun and serious – especially in the current climate of AI and tech overlords. It gave us a way to challenge ourselves and do things that the purists like to push back on. ‘Frankenpens’ are an actual thing in the pen community, so this was a chance to subvert that conversation and shine a light on some the ‘mad scientist’ ideas that we constantly build into our designs.

“It gave us a way to challenge ourselves and do things that the purists like to push back on.”

‘Frankenpens’ – amazing. I’m going to look into that! Now, the development process for this pen spanned more than three years. What did those early design conversations focus on?
Mainly working out the metallurgical aspects and the mechanical complications we wanted to include. Remember, we’re not just trying to achieve things that no-one tries, but to execute them perfectly and at a level that won’t deteriorate over time. Unlike watchmakers, we’re not part of a giant ecosystem – so all the research, testing and prototyping usually falls on us and takes time to get right.

Well, it shows; it’s a stunning creation.
Thank you. It’s nearly half a pound of brass, so it could literally be stunning if you accidentally dropped it!

Ha! A pen that could actually be mightier than a sword! Let’s delve into some of the design details you’re proud of here.
Its size is something we like a lot. Until the 1950s, XL pens were reasonably common for factories like ours to make, but they fell out of fashion. Frankenstein gave us an obvious premise to revisit that tradition, and do it in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way.

The mechanism in the barrel tail is a point of pride. We call it a ‘gyro gizmo’. Its oddly satisfying to operate – and we’re always looking for new ways to include a little fidget factor to our pens. No-one else thinks about kinetics like we do.

Of course, Frankenstein’s lab is what everyone talks about. We’ve made dioramas before but never something so big or interactive… It includes a working plasma ball! It won a gold medal in for merchandising in France’s Shop! Awards.

What was the toughest element to execute?
Getting brass to have the right texture and patina was very new to us. We were going for a kind-of improvised, DIY aesthetic, which turned out to be a very meticulous, hands-on process. It’s the kind of thing that artisanal factories are ideally suited to, but it’s challenging to make something authentically imperfect when you’re used to making shiny and opulent… Sometimes it’s harder to dress down than dress up.

Yes! Getting something to look ‘rough’ in that sense takes a lot of skill! Reminds me of the Dolly Parton line: “It takes a lot of time and money to look this cheap!” Now, this was a collaboration with the folks at Universal. What was the key to making this a successful creative collaboration?
Universal was very supportive at every stage, but the key really was the level of our technical ambition from the outset. I think if an IP owner tried to propose the things we do to a regular partner, they would quickly be shown the door. We demanded a lot from their approval system but, of course, we focus all our energy and ideas into one product; not a whole collection every year.

How does the design team fuel its creativity? What helps you have ideas?
It must be the food and the mountain air. We’re only an hour’s drive from Venice and creative industry has a great tradition here. Having operated out of the same factory since 1912, we’ve got more than a century of tooling at our disposal plus more than 300 limited editions in our archive. There’s a lot of competitiveness – both external and internal – to do something new. Often a new idea comes from a designer, or from me, or something that happened on the factory floor. We employ artisans and we encourage them to be audacious and creative.

Do you feel there’s potential in some of the other Universal Monsters to get the ‘Montegrappa’ treatment?
In luxury as in horror, suspense is everything. You’ll just have to wait and see!

Ha! Very good. Thanks again Giuseppe. Before we wrap up, we’re also lucky enough to speak with Oliver Bartlett, Product Developer for Toys and Hardlines EMEA at Universal Products and Experiences. Oliver, can you talk me through what it was like collaborating with Montegrappa on this project?
Oliver Bartlett: Montegrappa are true masters of their craft, not only highly skilled but also a pleasure to collaborate with on a personal level. What really stands out is their dedication to storytelling, they don’t just create products – they take great care to ensure that every detail contributes to telling the story behind the piece. This, alongside their commitment to quality and their willingness to go the extra mile, made the process feel very special.

“The mechanism in the barrel tail is a point of pride.”

It was an exciting journey, starting with a few sketches and watching the designs evolve into beautifully rendered concepts, and eventually into the final product. Their artwork team is incredible, and combined with their talented engineers, it was amazing to see how far we could push the creative boundaries to bring the Frankenstein story to life through the pen.

A successful creative collaboration! What do you put that down to?
Oliver Bartlett: I feel the key to successful creative collaborations lies in two things: storytelling and respect. It’s about combining the unique strengths of both parties to tell the best story possible through the product while respecting each other’s craft, expertise, and passion.

With the Frankenstein pen, we aimed to capture the essence of this iconic character and scene and translate that into a design that is both engaging and meaningful to fans. If you can achieve that, then I believe you’ve had a successful creative collaboration.

Fantastic. Thanks again guys. And congrats on a brilliant pen!