About Lamy
Lamy began with C. Josef Lamy who worked as an export and branch manager for an american writing instrument manufacturer before staring Orthos Füllfederhalter-Fabrik in Heidelberg in 1930.
By 1939, 200,000 ORTHOS and ARTUS brand fountain pens were being produced annually.
It was the debut of the Lamy 27 fountain pen in 1952 that symbolized the birth of the Lamy writing instrument brand. Lamy's first ballpoint pen, the Exact, established the brand as a manufacturer of superior ballpoint pens.
The release of the 2000 marked the beginning of Lamy's adherence to the Barhaus principle, "form follows function." Unlike other, ismilar, pens, the 2000 was free of material surplus and design gadgets.
In 1973, Dr. Manfred Lamy took over as sole Managing Director of C. Josef Lamy GmbH. And, not long after, Lamy's communications approach was completely revised. Their new ad campaign became on of the most highly awarded in Germany and shaped the character of the brand until the 90s.
After intensive research, Lamy released the Safari in 1980, successfully infiltrating the 10- to 15-year-old demographic. The ergonomic design and sturdy workmanship was perfectly tailored to schoolchildren, but quickly won many adult fans as well.
In 1985, Lamy opened its injection molding hall, enabling them to manufacture fountain pens, refills, and ink cartridges in-house, and, by 1989, Lamy started producing their own ink.
In 2000, Lamy unveiled the Scribble, designed with the ergonomic balance to sit perfectly in a user's hand.
2012 saw the introduction of the Scala with its strong contrasts and pure, functional design. The following year brought the stainless steel version of the iconic, and much beloved, 2000.
For its 50th anniversary, Lamy debuted a new slogan, "not just a pen," and opened its first flagship store in Heidelberg. Additional stores soon followed, including one in New York in May 2018.
Lamy's continued commitment to design has earned them many awards over the years, including, but not limited to:
- 1988 Design Award of the European Union
- Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany
- German Standards Brand Award
- PlusXAward for Ergonomics
- iF Industrie Forum Design Product Design Award
- Good Design Award