Named after the highest mountain in Europe, luxury brand Montblanc is renowned as a symbol of excellence and fine craftsmanship.

Fashion, in its complete sense, is not only a means of style, but also a means of communication. Non-verbally, whatever clothes or accessories one wears will say something about the person and his or her personality.

For luxury brands like Montblanc, the first impression one would get when seeing its product is likely along the lines of “high-end” or “fancy,” but the company says they acquired those stereotypes for a good reason.

“I think in the fashion world, Montblanc stands for quality, executive [craftsmanship] and also discretion. We are purposefully discreet [with] our brand placement in our products, which also refines class,” Montblanc’s Southeast Asia president Matthieu Dupont said in an interview with The Jakarta Post.  

The German luxury goods manufacturer is famous mainly for its line of fountain pens, as well as its array of leather goods and watches, all crafted in select places in Europe, such as Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

Its trademark “Snow Peak” logo has become a notable sight in the high-end accessories market, placing itself rather discreetly on products. The ubiquity of its fountain pens has extended to wallets, wristwatches, jewelry and perfume.

“I was drawn to Montblanc when I was young, when my father gave me a Montblanc pen […] I entered the Montblanc world because it just fits me well. I found the products trendy, high quality, practical and suited for its value. And that’s what I really want our customers to feel as well,” Dupont said.  

Southeast Asia is considered a strong market for Montblanc, especially Indonesia.

To adapt to the evolving and increasingly digital public, Dupont said the company will begin devoting its time to developing online solutions and improve delivery methods, but these developments would take more time due to their complexities.

“It’s about the experience, meaning that we have to deliver the right stock at the right time, and we have to deal with it the right way. The typical [mid-to-high class] Indonesian travels a lot and many of them are well-educated, so we should focus first on generating and maintaining that appeal first,” he elaborated.

A particular approach Montblanc will take in Indonesia is to redesign its current retail outlets to give it a wider look, with emphasis not only on its signature pens but on all its products in an equal way — an approach that has been carried out in Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand as well.

In addition, Montblanc plans to release new lines of sunglasses, glasses and more leather goods in Indonesia later in the year.

Montblanc’s leather goods products, such as wallets and card holders, are its best selling items in Indonesia, with the company recording consistent double-digit growth.

While placing itself in the pantheon of high-end goods, the company has also extended its hand to global charities through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a hope its clientele can help the company fund programs dedicated to improving access to education for children around the world.

The partnership involves Montblanc selling an exclusive line of UNICEF-sponsored items in their catalog, such as pens and leather goods, and selling them priced accordingly.

The UNICEF items are visually decorated and lined with the alphabet, purposefully conceptualizing the Rosetta Stone. The project has so far raised a total of €10.5 million (US$12.66 million) since its beginning in 2004, and the company hopes to raise €1.5 million in 2017. The UNICEF product line was launched in Indonesia in August.

A reason why Montblanc chose to highlight the plight of child literacy and lack of access to education is because it believes they are part of a solution toward slowly narrowing a population’s social disparity level.

Wider social disparity, Dupont explained, would lead to widening inequality and children being unable to get the access to education they need, and therefore, become unable to work in the future.

The partnership with Montblanc also lead UNICEF to diversify its programs in Indonesia to include child literacy development, among its usual Indonesian programs relating to vaccination and clean water access.

“What I can tell you is that it is still unfortunate that this collaboration still exists, because it means we are nowhere near solving the problem. It’s a big aim and a big task, but both Montblanc and UNICEF are striving for positive change, and we can do that by doing what we do best,” Dupont said.  

“We want to make this campaign commercially successful, because we also want to remind everyone of the pleasure of writing. Having the pleasure of receiving something handwritten still remains something special and taken for granted.” 

— Photos courtesy Of Montblanc