The appeal of "DAN," a timeless cutlery that celebrates its 25th anniversary
Thanks to your support, DAN, the cutlery brand developed by Blanche Associe Co., Ltd., has reached its 25th anniversary.
We will introduce the untold history of the DAN series, which has been adding color to dining tables for a quarter of a century, and the profound attention to detail that goes into its sophisticated design.
The story behind the birth of DAN: A fusion of Nordic and Japanese aesthetics
DAN was born on October 10, 2000. Its origins lie in the strong desire of Kazuya Endo of Blanche Associés to create cutlery that combines the soft curves of Scandinavian furniture and lighting fixtures with the linear elements of traditional Japanese beauty.
Resonating with Endo's design aspirations, the design was commissioned to Fumitaka Hara.
The brand name "DAN" was chosen by Mr. Endo as a tribute to Northern Europe, taking its name from Denmark.
Shortly after its release, the completed DAN design was honored to be adopted by the Conran Shop Shinjuku, which was at the forefront of cutting-edge design at the time.
It is worth noting that DAN is the only Japanese-made cutlery sold at the Conran Shop, which was established by Lord Conran of France to introduce the finest European products to Japan.
This is proof that DAN's design and quality have earned a high reputation that is on par with European brands.
Featured in numerous design magazines, DAN quickly gained attention. Since its release on November 7, 2000, by May 31, 2024, sales had reached an astonishing 585,870 units.
Even now, a quarter of a century later, DAN remains timeless and is loved by many people.
DAN's aesthetics: Universality created by straight lines and curves
DAN's greatest focus is on the exquisite balance between straight lines and curves that characterize its designs.
Inspired by Scandinavian furniture design, the surface of the handle is flat, while the underside, which is the surface facing downwards when placed on a table, is rounded to fit comfortably in the hand.
Furthermore, while the connection from the plate to the handle of ordinary cutlery is often expressed with a smooth curve, DAN, in pursuit of a sharp design, deliberately expresses the connection with a clear straight line, highlighting the modern and sophisticated impression.
These sharp lines are an essential element when talking about DAN design.
Craftsmanship in the details: knives, forks and spoons
- Knives: Combining Nordic tradition with Japanese craftsmanship
DAN knives feature traditional Nordic knife blades.
It features a short, wide blade, which allows it to firmly grip ingredients and makes it easy to apply force.
Knives with a protrusion between the blade and handle, known as a "chin," which was common about 30 years ago, are gradually disappearing from today's mass-produced knives due to reasons such as a shortage of craftsmen, but DAN respects the basic design and still retains the chin.
Another unique feature of DAN knives is that the front and back sides have different shapes.
The joint between the blade and handle is designed to appear straight from the front and curved from the back.
This is proof that the craftsmen take great care when polishing, considering the direction and strength of the force they apply, so as not to damage the beautiful shape of each piece.
Craftsmen with many years of experience carefully polish each knife by hand without changing the shape of the blade.
- Fork: A traditional Nordic pot-shaped fork that pursues functional beauty
The fork has a traditional Nordic "urn" shape.
In Nordic food culture, forks are not only used to skewer food, but are also often used to place food on them like plates, so the plate of DAN's forks is rounded like a spoon.
This traditional pot-shaped fork is very easy to use for Japanese people who eat a variety of foods, and has the advantage of being easy to scoop.
A typical fork has four blades, but DAN's forks are shaped so that all four blades are perfectly aligned when they are raised in three dimensions. DAN's forks, in particular, need to be shaped to follow the beautiful curves of the vase, demonstrating the skill of a seasoned craftsman.
Each craftsman uses their many years of experience to fine-tune the force of the flexion press, applying the optimum amount of force to create those beautiful curves.
- Spoons: Delicately designed for Japanese people
The spoon has been carefully designed with Japanese users in mind, and is shaped with a sharper curve than usual, with the tip of the spoon pointing slightly upwards, so that it feels completely natural when held in the hand or brought to the mouth.
This delicate design also creates the effect of making the angle of the jawline look beautiful when the spoon is brought to the mouth.
While many overseas spoons are wide, DAN spoons are slightly narrower to fit the size of Japanese mouths.
However, narrowing the width increases the difficulty of mechanical polishing.
This is where the skills of the craftsmen of Tsubame, a city famous for metal processing, come into play.
We solve this problem by first carefully polishing the fine details that cannot be polished by machine polishing alone by hand.
DAN'S BRIGHTNESS: GOLD AND SILVER
The DAN series is available in two lineups that make the most of the beauty of the materials.
DAN GOLD , as its name suggests, is a gold color that gives a glamorous and elegant impression.
| dinner knife |
￥2750 |
| dinner fork |
￥1430 |
| dinner spoon |
￥1430 |
| cake fork |
￥990 |
| teaspoon |
￥990 |
| Moccha spoon |
￥880 |
| butter spreader |
￥1210 |
| Mini spoon |
￥880 |
| Mini Fork |
￥880 |
| Cutlery Rest Mini |
￥1650 |
| Cutlery rest |
￥1760 |
DAN SILVER is a silver color that gives off a sophisticated and cool shine.
| dinner knife | ￥2750 |
| dinner fork | ￥1430 |
| dinner spoon | ￥1430 |
| cake fork | ￥990 |
| teaspoon | ￥990 |
| Moccha spoon | ￥880 |
| butter spreader | ￥1210 |
| Mini spoon | ￥880 |
| Mini Fork | ￥880 |
| Mini spoon and mini fork set | ￥2200 |
| Cutlery Rest Mini | ￥1650 |
| Cutlery rest | ￥1760 |
A gift for someone special: DAN GIFT
DAN offers cutlery sets that make perfect gifts.
| Cutlery set 6P SV | (2 dinner knives, 2 dinner forks, 2 dinner spoons) | ￥13,200 |
| Cutlery set 6P GD | (2 dinner knives, 2 dinner forks, 2 dinner spoons) | ￥19800 |
| Cutlery set 4P SV | (2 cake forks/2 teaspoons) | ￥4950 |
| Cutlery set 4P GD | (2 cake forks/2 teaspoons) | ￥6820 |
| Mini SV Gift Set | (Mini spoon/mini fork) | ￥2640 |
| Mini GD Gift Set | (Mini spoon/mini fork) | ￥3300 |
| Teaspoon & Cake Fork 4-Piece Set (Silver) | (2 teaspoons/2 cake forks) | ￥4400 |
| Teaspoon & Cake Fork 4-Piece Set GD | (2 teaspoons/2 cake forks) | ￥6600 |
| Dinner Spoon & Fork 4-Piece Set (Silver) | (2 dinner spoons/2 dinner forks) | ￥6050 |
| Dinner spoon & fork 4-piece set GD | (2 dinner spoons/2 dinner forks) | ￥11,000 |
DAN's beautiful cutlery is sure to be a welcome gift for special occasions or an item to enrich your everyday dining table.
Universal Value: Why DAN Will Continue to Be Loved
25 years since its birth.
The DAN series continues to be loved by many people to this day thanks to its timeless design and the skills of artisans who do not compromise on even the smallest details.
DAN cutlery, which combines the functional beauty of Scandinavia with the delicate aesthetic sense of Japan, will continue to enrich the dining table and be a part of the lives of those who use it.