A certain Giuseppe Verdi once remarked: “ Copiare il vero può essere una buona cosa, ma inventare il vero è meglio, molto meglio.” (English: Copying the truth may be good, but inventing the truth is better, much better). With these words, the famous composer of the operas La Traviata and Rigoletto wisely summarized the creation of Italian achievements – and they still hold true today. The country on the Adriatic is world-renowned for good food, timeless fashion, sleek sports cars, and classical music – not to mention its picturesque landscapes and dolce vita.
In Italy, few manufacturers master the art of blade design better than Fox Knives from the traditional knife-making town of Maniago. Founded in 1977 by Orestro Frati, the company continues to deliver a resounding crescendo for knife enthusiasts with every new model. Fox Knives has always stood for innovation, design, and quality, which has earned numerous models coveted prizes and awards, securing the manufacturer a reputation as a pioneering force on the international stage. They consistently employ interesting shapes and material combinations that give Fox knives their distinctive character. The manufacturer frequently succeeds in enlisting renowned designers like Jesper Voxnaes or Denis Simonutti as leading virtuosos for collaborative projects. The most recent example: the intergalactic Fox Saturn, Knife of the Year at the BLADE Show 2021. The combination of a weightless design and an otherworldly opening mechanism sent the expert jury into raptures.
The Fox Group is currently one of the world's leading knife manufacturers, serving a wide range of customer groups with its various brands, from private consumers to NATO. The main brand, Fox Knives, sells high-quality knives for everyday use and collectors, while FKMD (Fox Knives Military Division) and Defcon 5 primarily provide tactical knives and equipment for emergency services such as the military, police, and fire departments. The attractive BlackFox knives are aimed at price-conscious customers, whereas Due Cigni's kitchen knives are very popular with home cooks.
The company is now run by Gabriele Frati and his partner Claudia, representing the second generation. His mother, Valnea, is always by his side, remaining the heart and soul of the business. Above all else, they maintain a high standard of quality, true to the Italian proverb: "Presto e bene non vanno insieme" – quick and good simply don't go together. It is all the more remarkable, then, that Fox Knives consistently manages to strike the perfect balance between quality and the ever-increasing demands of their customers. Gabriele Frati reveals his secret: "The ability to survive and grow in the market is closely linked to a place where talented knifemakers, capable of working at the highest level, continually flourish." Fox Knives finds these ideal conditions in Maniago and incorporates them into every single knife. But most importantly: every step of the process is imbued with a great deal of love.
Fox Knives' success story so far can be seen as an overture. Let's look forward to the next act of the opera "Cotelli fatto in Italia".