Nino Marino – fountain pen’s Renaissance Man in an exclusive tête-à-tête with Inked Happiness bares his heart!

Nino Marino – an Inked Happiness Exclusive

 

Inked Happiness: From the pyre of Delta, Maiora has come out purer – like gold. How has the journey been so far?

Nino Marino: Maiora was founded on January 28, 2018, after the closing of my beloved Delta, which took place on August 2017.

I don’t know how many people would have had the strength and the courage to rise again after what I experienced – the end of a 36-year amazing story.

I have to thank all the people who have been close to me and who encouraged me, filling my life with positive energy. Special thanks are due to Oksana Kit that is my life partner, and Gianfranco Raimo, my technical manager partner.

At the start, Maiora (the name that I have chosen comes from the ancient Latin exclamation “Ad Maiora” which means “wish for greater achievements”), I wanted to reserve my attention and all my experience to the Nettuno 1911 brand, the Italian oldest one (born in the year 1911), because, in my opinion it deserves to be brought to new glories.

But at the same time, older visions have also sparked in me the desire to express the concepts of Italian style and beauty by adding the new Maiora’s collections.

Quickly things have evolved, and from all over the world, enthusiasts and collectors have asked me to create special writing instruments branded with my name (“Nino Marino”), which compelled me to rename the “Signature Collection”. The style and the touch of Delta, it’s DNA, is inevitably perceived in all the collections. So, as of today, the neo founded Maiora Pen Company works on three brands: Nettuno 1911, Maiora and Nino Marino.

Along the first activity period, exactly two years after the foundation of the Maiora company, I met young people able to support me, thrilled and excited about the idea of contributing to the development of the company. The management team was formed and is now able to progress seamlessly.

So many important investments had to be made: in machinery, equipment and highly skilled human resources… it has been a hectic, yet a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Inked Happiness: Combining legacy craftsmanship and Italian design aesthetics have been your trademark style. What else can the connoisseurs of fine crafted fountain pens look out for in your creations?

Nino Marino: The peculiarities of our pens lie in the design and the technique, accompanied by a meticulous care of details. We consider ourselves “perfectionists”: to the precision mechanics and high-qualified workmanship, colour is added, the fundamental element being based on the accurate selection of materials to use. What else? Well, in my opinion, the human relationship, availability to others, are very important principles for me and highly appreciated. All this takes time to devote, they call for many sacrifices and huge commitment, which you can offer only on one condition: that your job isn’t a mere job, but is your passion. Simple passion.

Inked Happiness: Maiora currently has an offer the Impronte (fingerprint) and Vesuvio collections. Why are they so called? What are the high, key points of the respective lines?

Nino Marino: Impronte: the meaning is not exactly “fingerprint” (the literal translation of fingerprint in Italian is: Impronte digitali). The word Impronte, in Italian, has many meanings, the most profound is like “to leave your indelible mark, your DNA, on the product, recognizable for everyone. The collection develops in many different versions and variations which are named Capri, Posillipo, Terre di Mare, to then add the most prestigious version named Vesuvio, a limited edition of only 888 fountain pens worldwide.

There’s also a great piece of news that I would like to share with your readers:

The “Signature Collection”, branded Nino Marino, is the expression of the tradition of excellence made eternal in ancient Italian arts. Magma, Astrum and Luna Blu are special fountain pens, conceptualised and totally handmade (but I prefer to say “Handcrafted from the Heart”), in extraordinary ebonite, precious metal, piston mechanism and 18k gold nib.

Names are the expressions of our feelings and of what we perceive from the natural beauties of our native land: the yellow-orange shade of the sun, the blue of our sea, our charming and beautiful landscapes, the green of our hills, the starry sky in the night with the moon that is reflected on the sea…. and, how can we forget our Vesuvio?

The peculiarities of our pens lie in the design and the technique, accompanied by a meticulous care of details. We consider ourselves “perfectionists”: to the precision mechanics and high-qualified workmanship, colour is added, fundamental element which is based on the accurate selection of materials to use. My favourite is certainly the “Impronte” model, thanks to the chromatic combination of black and orange; it is the perfect embodiment of living joy and deeper feelings of expression. It makes me feel happy and peaceful at the same time.

Inked Happiness: How has the pandemic affected your work? It was from the black plague that the Renaissance had sparked off – is there hope for such a “reawakening” yet? Will Nino Marino do a Leonardo da Vinci , or a Raphael or a Michelangelo?

Nino Marino: As has happened all over the world, even here in Italy the pandemic has created disasters, both from a psychological point of view due to fear, and from an economic point of view. Actually, at our factory, we are all in good health and that is essential. Our business turnover is growing year by year even with the pandemic induced hardships.

In my plan, a beautiful fountain pen, like a tribute to Michelangelo will be made very soon.

Inked Happiness: Do you see more people, especially the young taking up the fountain pen and writing? Is there a resurgence of sorts? Or are things restricted to a handful of us, collectors?

Nino Marino: The use of the fountain pen has become very popular….. and I must say with great pleasure that it is spreading even among the youngest. By young I mean at least over 30. It is now one of the objects owned and used by many. I’m sure this is a phenomenon associated with the desire of many to “appear”, as happens for a nice wristwatch, a nice tie or a nice dress. However, the most expensive and prestigious fountain pens are still desired and purchased by a more mature audience, made up of collectors and enthusiasts.

Inked Happiness: What are your plans for India? Do you propose to make your fountain pens available in these parts of world in the near future?

Nino Marino: I would like very much to be able to make our creations available in your Country. Actually, I tried to get in touch with some distributors offering the exclusivity, but I haven’t had positive feedback yet.

I hope it will happen very soon.

Inked Happiness: Anything that you would like to communicate to our readers.

Nino Marino: To the fountain pen users, enthusiasts and collectors of India:

I am Nino Marino, and I have been working in the fountain pen industry for over 40 years. I live and work in Naples, Italy, and my passion for fountain pens originated in 1978, when I was only 20 years old and was studying engineering.

In 1982, I founded DELTA, a fountain pen brand well known and appreciated worldwide for its quality and style. I headed Delta for 36 years, until its closure in 2017.

In January 2018, I founded the Maiora Pen Company to continue producing beautiful fountain pens.

Also, since the beginning, my Maiora Pen Company acquired the oldest Italian fountain pen brand, Nettuno 1911, a brand already registered in the year 1911.

Today, Maiora and Nettuno 1911 are available in many Countries in the world, and have been well received by enthusiasts and collectors of fine fountain pens.

The Maiora pen Company is a team with specialized skills, which has made its own indelible imprint on the luxury writing instrument industry with over 40 years of experience.

I like to say “each our fountain pen is Handcrafted with Heart”.

Dear all, thank you for taking time to read my message. I invite you to discover our brands and choose your pen, with which you may write your own story.

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