Inside Esterbrook: a conversation about the past, the decisions we don’t see and the future of writing

We interviewed Ryan Sirignano, Chief Commercial Officer at Esterbrook, to find out what happens behind the scenes at a historic brand: the designs that never see the light of day, the decisions that shape its collections, and his vision for the future of writing.

What happens to the fountain pens that never make it into production? Can a collection's success limit a brand's creativity? And what are people really looking for when they buy a fountain pen?

Some brands tell their story through their products. Others are best understood by listening to the people who work behind them.

Esterbrook has more than 160 years of history, but the brand we know today isn't content just to preserve its legacy. It has built a new chapter around experimentation, personalization, collaborations, and an international community of writing enthusiasts.

On the occasion of Pen Week 2026 · The Writing Lab, for which Esterbrook is the main sponsor, we wanted to get to know a less visible side of the brand.

Not just its collections or its innovations, but also the decisions that never make it to stores, the needs they discover among their customers, and the questions they ask themselves when they imagine the future.

To do so, we spoke with Ryan Sirignano, Chief Commercial Officer at Esterbrook, whose career in the industry lets him look at writing from a perspective that combines product, creativity, and customer experience.

01. THE PAST AS A STARTING POINT

Iguana — Esterbrook has more than 160 years of history, and yet today's brand is very different from the one previous generations knew. What part of the original Esterbrook do you think would be impossible to bring back today? And what would be a mistake to lose?

Ryan — At Esterbrook, we don't believe anything is impossible. The fact that a brand with such a long history has managed to reinvent itself again and again shows its staying power.

However, there's one aspect of our industry that's hard to bring back, and it's not unique to Esterbrook: the everyday, widespread presence of fountain pens. That popularity was precisely one of the factors that made Esterbrook a household name.

As for the second part of the question, it would be a mistake to lose sight of our heritage and the foundations on which Esterbrook's long history has been built.

Iguana — When you revive a brand with so much history, there's a temptation to lean on nostalgia. How do you tell the difference between respecting your legacy and simply repeating the past?

Ryan — That's a great question. We don't want to make products by always following the same formula or reproducing the same thing over and over. That would be the biggest mistake and would mean giving up the innovation that has always been associated with Esterbrook.

For us, respecting our heritage means bringing Esterbrook into the 21st century and continuing to develop the vision Richard Esterbrook had when he founded the company in the 19th century, even if our current products may be quite different.

Iguana — If Richard Esterbrook walked into a store today and saw your collection, which product do you think he would immediately recognize as his own? And which would surprise him the most?

Ryan — I think he would recognize our commitment to a wide variety of nibs as a continuation of the great diversity of nibs Esterbrook offered during its most successful early years.

And I think he'd be pleasantly surprised to see how far we've expanded our range of products and materials under the Esterbrook name.

02. THE DECISIONS CUSTOMERS NEVER SEE

Iguana — From the outside, launching a new fountain pen looks like a creative decision. From the inside, it also means taking on commercial risk. When you decide to launch a product, what matters more: what you'd like to create or what you know the market is waiting for?

Ryan — We always keep a dialogue going between the two. I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

When we know the market is looking for something specific, we use our team's talent to create a product that lives up to and meets those expectations.

And sometimes, we also keep a surprise or two up our sleeve.

Iguana — I'm especially interested in the products that never make it to stores. Can you tell us about an idea, design, or product that generated excitement within the company but that you ultimately decided not to launch? What happened?

Ryan — Often it's not a question of whether a product can sell or be manufactured at a larger scale, but of finding the right product for the right moment and the right customer.

We have many fountain pen prototypes with color combinations that never made it to market. Sometimes it's due to production costs, difficulties during manufacturing, or simply because the finish didn't win over the whole team.

Fortunately, these pieces get a second life as prototypes. Some of them may have been seen at pen shows or, every now and then, online in extremely limited releases.

Iguana — The Estie has become one of Esterbrook's most recognizable products. But when something is that successful, it can also become a limitation. Are you worried that the Estie's success could end up restricting your ability to innovate?

Ryan — No, never.

The Estie is like a blank canvas because it has a very classic shape.

We love being able to reinterpret its design in surprising ways, using new materials and through the vision of our collaborators.

Iguana — Esterbrook has explored different offerings, from the Estie to more compact formats like the Niblet. What have you learned about your customers by introducing products that move away from your most recognizable formula?

Ryan — I think it has helped us better understand Esterbrook's place in the market.

Products like the Niblet or the JR are designed to offer something the Estie can't necessarily deliver in the same way, such as portability.

By diversifying our offering, we can find out in real time which products resonate most with customers. And that information helps us make better decisions for future launches.

03. WHAT CUSTOMERS DON'T ALWAYS KNOW THEY WANT

Iguana — As Chief Commercial Officer, you have a privileged view of what happens in stores. What's the biggest difference between what customers say they're looking for in a fountain pen and what they actually end up buying?

Ryan — You might be surprised to learn that the two often match.

I think that's partly because we've brought onto our team professionals who were already part of the fountain pen industry.

And also because I've spent most of my professional life perfecting the ability to offer our customers what they really want.

It's a skill I've been developing for almost two decades.

Iguana — Is there a feature of Esterbrook fountain pens that you consider especially valuable but that's hard to convey until someone holds the pen and writes with it?

Ryan — I think the tactile feel of our fountain pens is hard to convey through photos alone.

Yes, our fountain pens are very well made, and we work with highly talented professionals from all over the world.

But there's that slight spring in the cap closure, the way the nib glides across the paper, or the pleasant sense of weight when you hold the pen in your hand.

All of those qualities need to be experienced.

Iguana — For years, the nib has been one of the main selling points of a fountain pen. Today, however, we see customers paying a great deal of attention to design, colors, and special editions. Is our idea of what makes a fountain pen truly good changing?

Ryan — Not necessarily.

And especially in Esterbrook's case, at every stage of the brand, the nib and our writing capabilities have always been one of the pillars of the business, even when we've made interesting design decisions for the instrument itself.

We pioneered nib customization programs with specialists like Gena Salorino and Kirk Speer.

And we've expanded our standard range to include flex nibs, gold nibs, and a wide variety of options for our customers.

Iguana — Esterbrook offers a wide variety of nibs, including several specialty options. Do you think the future lies in making increasingly customizable fountain pens or in creating instruments that work well for as many people as possible?

Ryan — That's exactly the beauty of the Estie.

Its interchangeable nibs mean we don't have to choose between one or the other.

We can meet the needs of a very broad audience while also offering customization options.

04. AN INDUSTRY IN TRANSFORMATION

Iguana — For many people, handwriting is no longer an everyday necessity. Interestingly, that seems to have made it even more special. Do you think the industry sells writing instruments or a different way of experiencing and connecting with our time?

Ryan — What we've seen as we've grown is that everything is very community-driven.

Owning an Esterbrook fountain pen instantly makes you part of a global community of like-minded people.

There are dozens of options when someone wants to buy a fountain pen, but people come to Esterbrook for the experience we offer and the warm welcome we give our customers.

Iguana — Social media has transformed the way people discover fountain pens. Some products generate huge buzz before anyone has even tried them. To what extent are Instagram and online communities influencing brands' design decisions?

Ryan — As in every creative industry, Instagram and social media have allowed us to broaden our sources of inspiration.

They also give us the opportunity to have a real-time dialogue with our customers and with potential collaborators.

That helps us expand what Esterbrook is today and, even more importantly, what it can become.

Iguana — From your commercial experience, is there a market where customer preferences are changing especially quickly? What differences do you see between European, American, and Asian consumers?

Ryan — We've seen customer growth on a global scale.

But Asia continues to surprise us in particular, both with the growth of its customer base and with the importance it places on brand loyalty.

Iguana — What do you think writing instrument brands are getting wrong when they try to attract younger customers?

Ryan — I think some brands talk down to younger customers instead of inviting them into this world.

There should be an open-door policy toward fountain pens.

It shouldn't be something reserved for just a few.

05. ESTERBROOK: PRESENT AND FUTURE

Iguana — We've seen Esterbrook experiment with new formats, filling systems, and design approaches. Which of these areas of innovation do you think has the greatest potential in the coming years?

Ryan — Each one has its own potential for the wide variety of customers we serve.

But we're especially excited to keep developing new designs and collaborations in the years ahead.

Iguana — Looking five years ahead, do you think Esterbrook's growth will come mainly from expanding existing collections or from exploring entirely new product categories?

Ryan — I'd say both.

But we're very mindful of our roots and the core products that have made Esterbrook what it is today.

Iguana — Is there a need or frustration among fountain pen users that you feel Esterbrook hasn't fully solved yet, but that you're actively working on?

Ryan — I think offering a solid, reliable, and beautiful fountain pen solves virtually every problem or frustration for anyone interested in this hobby.

I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel.

It's more about continuing to create products that connect with people.

Iguana — Without asking you to reveal any trade secrets, what can we expect from Esterbrook in 2027? New materials, different writing experiences, unexpected collaborations, or perhaps something we haven't seen yet?

Ryan — We think you're going to love the lineup of collaborations, events, and some surprising products we have planned for 2027.

Iguana — And finally, let's imagine we sit down again for another interview ten years from now. What would you like to be able to tell us Esterbrook has managed to change in the world of writing?

Ryan — My hope is that, ten years from now, Esterbrook will have kept inviting new people into the world of writing.

And that it will have inspired many thousands more people to pause for a moment, slow down, and enjoy a few minutes with a good fountain pen.

AN INVITATION TO DISCOVER YOUR OWN WAY OF WRITING

There's one idea that runs throughout our conversation with Ryan Sirignano: the future of fountain pens doesn't depend solely on developing new products. It also depends on getting more people to discover the pleasure of using them.

The prototypes that never made it to stores, the versatility of the Estie, the interchangeable nibs, and the new collaborations show us a brand that wants to keep exploring new possibilities without losing sight of its history.

But perhaps one of the most interesting reflections has to do with something we can't discover through a photo: the sensations we experience when we hold a fountain pen and start to write.

And that's exactly the philosophy we share with Esterbrook during Pen Week 2026 · The Writing Lab.

As the main sponsor of this edition, Esterbrook joins us for a week dedicated to exploring the details that make each writing instrument different and, above all, to discovering which ones best suit our preferences.

Through our Writing Tests, you can experiment with six aspects: the nib, materials, design, filling system, ink, and balance.

Not to find a universal answer, but to discover your own way of writing.

Because perhaps the best way to honor a tradition of more than 160 years is to keep inviting new people to discover it.

If you need help, contact us and we'll be happy to help.