Nicolas' thoughts
- 14/10/2020
La Compagnie du Kraft makes notebooks. I usually say that we are the most unproductive manufacturers in the western world. We wanted to produce notebooks like in the 1930s, using the same methods and materials.
Give time back to time
The idea of taking over the company came after a career of fast execution and careless details, and from the desire to give time back to time. Crafting notebooks means taking the time to do things well, make things that will last. And, for things to last, they need time to be designed and made.
We work with a raw material that is very sensual, Kraft paper from the French region of Gascony. It is made from pure virgin fibers, directly from the forest, with no chemical products, so the material can breathe and be. For this, we also make use of products that are modern and respect modern production.
Small is beautiful.
Our workshop isn’t big and can’t grow massively, as it is housed on a small site in the heart of Cité de Saint Louis, in the center of Poissy (near Paris). Although we could be a little more productive and produce a few more notebooks, our production capacity is limited. Small is beautiful.
When I took over the workshop in 2008, the company was stagnating, it no longer knew where it was going. But it had retained some meaning, in particular, the forester notebooks made in the 1930s. The desire to be my own manufacturer gave the workshop a new lease of life and enabled us to manufacture independently once again. Being a manufacturer in the modern world isn’t easy, but it is full of passion, desire and benevolence. A notebook is a space for being very creative, expressing our words and desires, far from prying eyes. It can be shared but remains an intimate universe.
Redefine our relationship with time
Notebooks also enable us to redefine our relationship with time. The notebook stays put, it cannot be deleted or disappear into a virtual world. It is always present at your side. If you lose it, it always turns up somewhere. It doesn’t mind if you cross things out and start again. Writing stays, while words fly away.
The revival of LCK has taken us on a unique journey, we have grown, learned and finetuned. By slowing down, we can do things better, without being agitated or hurried along by the speed of today. As we move from being a purely physical shop to a digital one, we offer our customers higher levels of personalization.
Committed at a people level
La Compagnie du Kraft is committed at a people level. We make a point of ensuring that our customers enjoy using their notebook as much as we enjoy making them every day. For us, it is essential to make every product with benevolence.
LCK’s commitments are the same as in the 1930s. Beyond the eco-responsibility in our DNA, we also believe in explaining that a LCK notebook accompanies you for life, or even several lives, as develop your ideas and projects. Our vision is the opposite of hyper-consumerism. An indestructible notebook to pass down from generation to generation. A product, a life.
In this context, and to celebrate our 90 th anniversary, we have crafted a new product. The Novum Organum (new tool in Latin) is unique, designed by us for us, with a one-of-kind refilling system. It is hydrid and can be a notebook, sketch book or poetry pad. More than a product though, Novum Organum is a life concept and a way of living differently, which we want to implement at LCK, and we will unveil in more detail very soon. Novum Organum is creative tool for generating creativity that isn’t incompatible with modern living, but rather enables us to live better.
To conclude, making notebooks is exalting. At first glance, notebooks might seem to be a standard product. But they are limitless, calling out to our senses and imagination.