JOSEPH JOSEPH

Description

Founded by twin brothers in 2003, Joseph Joseph first started with a small business of making cutting boards in glass and has now grown to a kitchenware brand offering as many as three hundred fifty products. In every piece of products, uniqueness in form is combined with function to make cooking easier for cooks of all abilities. The kitchenware company is now expanding its product range from cookware to all kinds of tools that can adequately function in everyday lives.

Publisher’s Note: Joseph Joseph

JOH & Company has recently launched its own bag brand. I mentioned in the first issue of this publication, featuring Freitag, that bags have always fascinated me. Bags are primarily for carrying personal belongings, but they are also part of a fabulous fashion statement. Sometimes people carry bags around as a way to express themselves, even when those bags are not good for carrying much of anything. That’s why people are not satisfied with just one bag. Bags are items that must maintain a clear balance between form and function. And, after a long process of trial and error, we believe that with our own bags we gotten closer to achieving an ideal balance. For some, our bags may seem pricey, but for others, the style might not suit their taste. But we never intended to make a bag that was for everyone. Instead, our bags are meant for only those who can understand their value and appreciate them, even if that is only a small number of people. In a way, our bags are just like B.

This month, B covers Joseph Joseph, a brand that has gotten wide recognition in the global kitchenware market since its beginnings ten years ago. Unlike bags, functionality is crucial for kitchen tools. It’s probably fair to say that the functionality of a kitchen tool always comes before its form. Because of this, a number of brands that set out to offer fancy kitchenware have been shunned by customers. The American cookware brand, Oxo delivers a brand message similar to that of Joseph Joseph. However, in the end, Oxo emphasizes functionality over form by offering a comfortable grip.

The first time I saw their cookware, I thought they looked like toys for playing house. They looked as though they were meant for a gift shop at a design museum, not for a kitchenware store. I was really into cooking and preferred professional kitchen tools, even though they were a bit pricey. Over the years since then, however, many Joseph Joseph products have been collected in my kitchen, both as decorative design objects and as practical tools.

There is good reason I make frequent use of Joseph Joseph products. In fact, for making food at home, I don’t need kitchen tools any more professional than these, and the utensils are so easy to use that I feel like I am interacting with the designers while cooking. There have been many other kitchenware brands that focused on stylish and fashionable designs, and there are still many brands making an attempt to advance into that territory. However, I believe that Joseph Joseph is the first brand to really impress the public with the style and design of its tools. Their popularity in the global market did not happen by chance. But it wouldn’t have been an easy decision to choose to pay attention to customers who appreciate the beauty of the brand’s products over those who dismiss them saying they look more like toys than tools. And it must not be easy for the brand to focus consistently on people who like casual cooking at home, instead of on the professional chefs who disregard their products as too playful to be taken seriously. The philosophy of a good brand is very simple, but maintaining simplicity requires constant effort.

While preparing breakfast using Joseph Joseph tools, I once again remind myself that all my staff members have come together to establish a wonderful brand of our own underneath a consistent brand philosophy. I would like to say that I am grateful to all the members of JOH & Company for working day and night to launch our new bag brand, and I am very pleased to be taking that first, big step together with them.

@SYJ

PublisherSuyoung Joh

http://www.johsuyong.com

An excellent pairing with Magazine B: Breville and Magazine B: Balmuda, as well as the upcoming Magazine F: Tools