Mondial 1908, a producer of premium-quality wet shaving products, is excited to announce its expansion into the United States! Founded in 1908 by Attilio Bagnoli, Mondial 1908 has a long history of producing high-quality brushes and other wet shaving products. The Bagnoli family has been making shave brushes for over four generations and is committed to producing only the finest shaving gear.
History
Attilio Bagnoli founded the “Attilio Bagnoli & Co. Brush Factory” just outside of Florence in 1908. Production began with blending bristles for the manufacture of industrial brushes. A few years later Bagnoli, in his small artisan workshop, started to produce shaving brushes as well, made entirely by hand with great skill and precision, increasingly refining his technique.
In 1936, the “fabbrica pennelli” moved from the outskirts of town to the heart of the city in the area of Porta Romana not far from the city gate from the 13th century. Production continued to grow with a staff of around 30 under the management of the Bagnoli’s second generation, brothers Renzo and Riccardo.
The arrival of the third generation, brothers Franco and Leopoldo Bagnoli, in the early 1950’s the business got a big boost and their presence in the domestic market in Italy increased significantly. Their shaving brushes are loved by local barbers, who also order them for their wealthy customers.
The addition of razors with precious wood handles and high-end shaving sets became available on a “commission” basis in the 1970’s. Fine shaving brushes for the domestic market continued but are also available as an “OEM” (original equipment manufacturer) for leading European grooming brands. If you are a long-time wet shaving enthusiast, there is a good chance you’ve used a brush produced by Mondial.
As the fourth generation of family leadership took over, the ‘Mondial’ brand name was acquired in the year 2000, a brand for whom large scale production was provided for in the past. The “Mondial 1908” brand was born!
In the 2010’s the Mondial 1908 brand range was expanded with new collections of fragrances, razors, and brushes becoming a benchmark for shaving and grooming products.
One of the new items introduced was ‘Florence’ Colonia Suprema, based on a fragrance created specifically for the founder by a renowned French perfumer and family friend. For years this aromatic cologne was kept a closely guarded secret until deciding to share it with the world.
The company’s long tradition of creating sought-after wet shaving sets continued with the introduction of the ‘Sphaera’ in 2016.
This piece of true Italian artistic design features a hand-cut stand from a single piece of precious wood with a voided center to allow for the suspension of a shaving brush with a conical base. Sphaera was recognized that year with the ‘Best Luxury Shaving Set Design’ award at the Male Grooming Design awards in Sweden.
Mondial Gentlemen’s Barber opened in 2018, just a few steps from Ponte Vecchio in Florence in the romantic atmosphere of Borgo San Jacopo overlooking the River Arno.
Designed as a space where one can rediscover the pleasure of traditional shaving, it is also a space where vision and concepts for the Mondial brand and the future of men’s grooming are built on our unique understanding of its past.
The Present
As Mondial 1908 looks ahead to their fifth generation of family ownership, the brand continues to expand to new markets, including the United States.
Brushes
As you might expect from reading the history above, shave brushes may be considered Mondial’s “raison d’être” and they have a stunning variety. There is a great array of brushes available in boar, four grades of badger, and synthetic fibers. There are also an impressive variety of handle options, including resin (plain or faux marble, horn, and tortoise shell), woods including the rich chocolate colored wengé wood, the classic Italian olive wood and ‘radica’ briar wood, and a crystal-like clear, polished resin.
While some of the brushes are classic-looking, others follow their own path.
Mondial sent me a couple of their brushes–one with badger and one with its unique EcoSilvertip synthetic badger–in preparation for their North American launch.
I have 50+ brushes in my shave den so I’ve gotten pretty jaded on brush looks and performance. The Mondial brushes are works of art in my opinion: solid, hefty (but not too heavy) and really good looking. Similar to what I’ve said about some “rose gold” wet shaving products in the past, the images of these products on a computer just don’t do them justice.
As for performance…well…it’s equally impressive. The badger hair brush I tried is listed as “only” super badger, their third level of grading behind “high mountain” and silvertip. But in use (and I’ve used a lot of badger hair shave brushes over the years) I find it feels and performs more like other brand’s silvertip brushes.
The EcoSilvertip synthetic brush is equally impressive in its lather-building ability. If you are new to synthetics or looking for a better performing one, these are definitely worth considering.
Synthetic Fiber Info
“EcoSilvertip Synthetic Badger is a proprietary Krex synthetic hair specifically created for Mondial and designed for the sustainable production of shaving brushes. It is very similar in color to the silver badger. Its structure is very flexible and soft with a velvet effect on the top so that it is able to easily create a dense and soft shaving foam.”
Razors
Razors are available with Fusion, Mach3, and double edge heads. Of course the differentiating factor here is handle material and design. My review of the double edge head coming soon! A line of precious wood and horn-handled straight razors with top-quality blades from Solingen, Germany will be arriving in the US soon as well.
Shave Cream/Soap
Mondial refers to their lathering products as “cream” but it’s really a soap in my opinion.
Mondial offers several different shave soap scents:
Mondial’s shaving cream soaps are made from a traditional formulation using highly selective ingredients of vegetable origin and do not contain dyes or preservatives.
The creams come in a wood lathering bowl (which can be refilled or left empty and used as a lathering bowl).
I have the Mandarin And Spices version and I like it a lot. Lathering is easy, even in my “hard” water, and I get a voluminous, thick consistency without any trouble. Performance is excellent. Click/tap here for my previously posted full review!
Fragrances
Mondial’s men’s fragrance collections are inspired by Mondial’s home of Firenze its celebrated history and future.
Florence
The Florence collection is connected to Mondial’s home and also to their family traditions.
Gentlemen’s Barber
Mondial’s Gentlemen’s Barber collection is inspired by the energy that surrounds their luxury grooming barbershop and concept store overlooking the River Arno near Ponte Vecchio.
No. 908 Homme
The No. 908 Homme Collection is built around an intense, persistent and classy fragrance of fresh and citrusy top notes, leaving room for delicate floral notes, and then merging into a skillful blend of woods and musks.
Barber Shop
Mondial’s upscale boutique barbershop in Florence was designed as a space where one can rediscover the pleasure of traditional shaving. It is also a space where Mondial displays their vision and concepts for the brand.
Summing Up
In conclusion,the arrival of Mondial 1908 shaving and grooming products in the United States is an exciting development for those who are interested in high-quality, stylish men’s shaving and grooming items. With a wide range of products available, there is sure to be something for everyone. So why not give them a try? You may just find your new favorite brand.
Thanks for your article on Mondial. I didn’t know very much about them before reading it.