Opinel has been making knives in the French Alps since 1890, and for most of that time its product strategy has been to change almost nothing. The limited-edition No.08 “The Swordfisherman” is the exception that proves the rule: a collaboration with San Francisco artist Jeremy Fish that ties the company's most recognizable knife to a skatepark sculpture built in its hometown.
From Skatepark to Pocket
The story starts in the Maurienne Valley, where Opinel was founded and where the Versus Skatepark opened in 2017. Its centerpiece is a nearly 20-foot sculpture of an Opinel knife, known locally as the Opinel Volcano, which has served as a canvas for artists ever since. Chufy painted it in 2019, Lucas Beaufort followed in 2023, and for 2026 Opinel handed the installation to Fish, whose work sits at the intersection of skate culture, street art and hand-drawn illustration.
The knife that resulted carries the “Espadon” — swordfish — motif across the handle. The choice is not arbitrary: the swordfish shape echoes the fishtail profile of the classic Opinel handle and the curve of its Yatagan blade. Fish also drew on family history, with artwork informed by two grandfathers, one a traveling knife salesman and the other a woodworker, hunter, fisherman and collector.
What Changes, What Stays
Opinel has made three meaningful changes to the standard No.08. The first is the handle wood: hornbeam replaces the usual beech, giving a denser, finer-grained surface that takes print more cleanly. The second is the finish, applied across the entire handle using all-over sublimation printing rather than a small laser-etched logo. The third is the blade, which is engraved on both sides rather than left plain.
The dimensions shift slightly as well. The stainless steel blade measures 3.25 inches with an overall length of 7.5 inches, a touch different from the standard No.08. The knife keeps the familiar rotating collar lock, the same blade shape and the same century-old silhouette that has made the No.08 one of the most widely sold pocket knives in the world.
Blade: 3.25-inch stainless steel, engraved on both sides
Handle: Hornbeam wood with all-over sublimation print
Overall length: 7.5 inches
Run size: 700 units, each with special packaging and a leaflet
Price: Not disclosed
Why This Collaboration Makes Sense
Opinel has spent the past decade trying to stay relevant to a younger audience without abandoning the product that built the company. It has released colorways, outdoor-oriented variants and designer editions, but most of those efforts were cosmetic. Tying a limited knife to a public art installation in its own hometown is a more coherent move, because it gives the object a story that is specific to the brand rather than borrowed from a trend.
Fish's involvement also fits the way knife collecting has shifted. The audience that buys a $40 Opinel and the audience that follows skate photography overlap more than the traditional outdoor market does, and a 700-unit run priced as a collectible is a low-risk way to reach them. The print-on-hornbeam approach keeps unit costs manageable, which is why Opinel can afford a small run without moving into custom-knife pricing.
The Verdict
The No.08 Swordfisherman is a decorative object first and a cutting tool second, and Opinel is not pretending otherwise. A printed handle will wear at the corners with heavy pocket carry, and the engraved blade adds nothing to performance. What buyers get is a genuinely limited piece of cross-cultural design with a story rooted in the brand's own backyard.
That is a reasonable proposition for collectors who already own a plain No.08 and want a variant with some meaning behind it. Anyone shopping for a working knife should buy the standard version instead. Opinel has not announced pricing or a release date for the 700-unit run, so interested buyers should watch the company's own channels rather than resale listings.