Dupont_history

The story begins with a man of exceptional destiny: Simon Tissot-Dupont. At the age of 25, Simon founded a studio for luxury leather goods in Paris in 1872 and gave it his name. The man from Faverges, the hometown of the Tissot-Dupont family in Upper Savoy, made wallets and blotters for diplomats and business people according to his own designs. He became a supplier to the Les Grands Magasins du Louvre in 1884 and rapidly became known as specialist maker of luxury suitcases for the highest social circles.

Soon enough, the fashion-conscious Parisian society fell in love with his leather luggage pieces, and his fame spread throughout the highest social strata. Customers included statesmen and aristocrats: the kings of Siam, Egypt and Denmark; the Persian Empress; the Dukes of Windsor; the Rothschild family; and the Maharaja of Patiala. Even the future Queen Elizabeth II received, as a wedding present from the French President, a set of luggage in lavender blue made exclusively by the Maison.

The S.T. Dupont Industrial Site at Faverges / France

As a producer of such individual pieces, S.T. Dupont possessed the financial means to employ and train selected craftsmen. In the early 1930s, the company brought together at its studio in Faverges goldsmiths, crystal artisans, gilders, skilled bag makers, and later also lacquer experts, as the Maison also became a custodian of the unique production technique of applying Chinese lacquer unto metal surfaces - a skill that is mastered today by only a few artists worldwide.

In 1941, S.T. Dupont owes one of its greatest successes, its first luxury petrol lighter, to the Maharajah of Patiala. This was quickly followed by the iconic Ligne 2, a design harking back to the thirties, adorned with silver, gold, palladium, lacquer and the most precious materials. It has since become a genuine cult item, recognisable all over the world, by the sound it makes: the famous “cling”.

Jackie Kennedy loved her Dupont lighter so much that in 1973 she ordered a pen to match. Another Dupont icon was born: the “Classique”, designed by Jean Malamoud who had studied at the famous École Boulle. Once more, the workshop showed its exceptional craftsmanship. A new product, a new sensation: people went wild for the Classique, not only for its impeccable looks, but also its perfect balance and fluid writing.

Since those early years of the 1970s, S.T. Dupont has launched a large range of pens suitable for many tastes and purses: the Classique II, the Montparnasse, the Olympio, the Fidélio, the Ellipsis, the Élysée, the Line D and the Neo-Classique and Neo-Classique Président. Most of these have been done in precious metals and Chinese lacquer, a technique that S.T. Dupont has perfected over the years and is acknowledged today as a world leader in this ancient tradition.

Amongst these writing instruments, also a number of Special and Limited Editions were launched throughout the years, culminating with the New York 5th Avenue Olympio X-Large edition of only 20 pens made of white gold studded with 125 brilliant cut diamonds.

In 2012, S.T.Dupont celebrated 140 years of prestige and exclusivity, and continues to express its passion — creating exceptional products for exceptional people.

An interview with William Christie, former CEO of S.T. Dupont about the Maison's Writing Instruments