Men's Only

Hi Guys,

I came across this thread and thought I should join in and just mention a few things. Firstly, this is my venture.

Secondly, I really thought I was giving myself some time with that coming soon page - but I think it rather pertinent now to just (hopefully) ease some of the concerns and give you guys some info for the time being. What I wanted to do and what I still will do (closer to launch), is put up a proper announcement thread where I can convey the whole story and the vision I have for Wade & Butcher, with an outline of where I want to go and what I want to do - so perhaps stick around for that closer to launch..

For now though, let me get down all the important points, so as to be upfront/transparent/clear:

I'm Mike My claims to fame such as they are:
Owner/Operator of Zulu Grey;
Designer by profession (I run my own design agency);
Wet Shaver and dedicated straight razor nut (like you) for the last 10 odd years;
oh and I designed the SRP Logo


Some Background:

I have a deep love for the Wade & Butcher brand, and I wanted to pair my love for the brand with my passion to create custom razors and start my own company – and so I set about investigating the possibilities of ‘reviving’ the Wade & Butcher brand. This led me to discover that indeed the actual company, well both companies (the parent W & S Butcher Ltd, and the primary US brand Wade&Butcher, which was incorporated into it's own Sheffield company in 1921) were in fact still ‘alive’ albeit dormant. The current owner, Charles at Durham Duplex in Sheffield (and Chairman of the Made In Sheffield brand), had privately bought out both companies from the family business for his own keeping, to one day 'do something with them', as he told to me.

So, I made contact and many discussions later over the last two years we settled on an agreement/partnership whereby I will bring the brand back to market through my own vision and at my own quality standards. Charles had attempted to investigate the possibility of bringing the brand back to market himself through mass production, but ultimately he agreed that that wasn't the best course for the brand.

To be clear, this will be legitimate Wade & Butcher in the year 2017, by that I mean it is from the original company that was sold to Durham Duplex in 1920 and that has been maintained and kept as a viable company in Sheffield for 95 years, and with it all the associated brand marks, names, razor designs etc. Others may be using the name, casually using versions of the symbols, it may even be registered in the US by another company.. but only the actual original Sheffield company, passed from hand to hand as it has done, can bear the name and the marks rightfully, on any newly created shaving cutlery. And so that is what I have secured. I want to properly and meticulously bring the brand back to market, but it must be done with great care and respect for the heritage of the brand and of course all the provenance must be intact.

So, what do we plan to make then? Well, this will not be mass-manufacture/production, not one bit. Historical W&B did that, it served the time and it made sense then, but as a modern heritage company my sights are set on turning Wade & Butcher into a more boutique, upper-tier brand. It will be custom, handcrafted - dare I say 'luxury' straight razors of truly impeccable quality. In many ways this is a labour of love for me personally, and it really will not be about volume. We'll be crafting new designed razors, as well as bringing back some classic 'heritage' models (with updated materials and small touches). It will be myself and potentially 2 other artisans here in South Africa, with a complete emphasis on small-batch, high-quality.

Our razors will be truly pristine, my aspiration is to far exceed the quality, the fit, the finish - that historical Wade & Butcher ever achieved, ever could achieve. Handcrafting individual razors with the best tools and materials of our day affords us this ability. There will be nothing cheaply or casually done - from the steel selection, to the packaging it will be done properly.

As I say, I just wanted to mention a little bit and get the conversation straight, but in time I will update our social media accounts and the mailing list with new info and more details on everything. Talk is good, but I do wholeheartedly understand that many of you will believe it when you see it - and my intention is to pleasantly surprise you.


Cheers,
- Mike