There may not be a more iconic pocket knife than the Swiss Army Knife. Its elongated red handle with its white Swiss cross and chrome implements are unmistakable. But Victorinox, the company behind the Swiss Army, makes the knife in different shapes, with handles of wood and aluminum or even with patterns. Right now, the company is holding an open contest in which fans can submit designs for a chance to have them brought to life.
This marks the tenth time Victorinox has held its Classic Limited Edition Design Contest, and the theme of this tin anniversary is “patterns of the world.” It’s a broad prompt, but you can look at the recently launched winner’s of last year’s competition, which aimed for the theme of “sports of the world,” for inspiration.
The sports patterns are eclectic, graphic and, at times, cheesy and goofy. One calls to mind a Clif Bar wrapper while another plays directly to Victorinox’s nationalistic heart in depicting schwingen, also known as Swiss or alpine wrestling, in which two adversaries try to drop their opponent’s shoulders to the sawdust-covered ground by grabbing onto the handles of a particular pair of shorts called schwingerhosen.
So, if you want to nab one of the €3,000 prizes (that’s roughly $3,260), some research on traditional Swiss patterns might be a good place to start.
