Its name is for the oldest instrument, its form is for the holy land of leather

One day, Pan, the god of shepherds, fell madly in love with the beautiful nymph Syrinx he happened to see. Syrinx, unable to reciprocate the feelings of the half-beast god, transformed herself into a reed growing by the river to escape. Pan is said to have cut those reeds, made a flute, and played it to console his heart.
Photo : ©︎Kazuhiro Shiozawa, 2020
Instrument making : Radu Nechifor (Owned by Fumiko Sakuraoka)

Optima, rooted in 500 years ago

The SYRINX logo uses an elegant and dignified font called "Optima".

And Optima is a font with a curious connection to leather.

Optima is the 대표작 (masterpiece) of German typeface designer Hermann Zapf (1918-). In 1950, Zapf was shocked by the inscription on a 15th-century tombstone he found at the Basilica di Santa Croce during a trip to Florence, and he sketched its shape on a 1,000-lira banknote he had with him.

Based on that sketch, the 500-year-old design was given new life and reborn as Optima.

Inscription on a tombstone at the Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence

Connecting sound and leather

Florence is a city known for its artistic leather products and can be called a sacred place for leather craftsmen.
And the Basilica di Santa Croce, which Zapf visited, is a church with a particularly deep connection to leather. Inside the church, there is a famous leather school called "Scuola del Cuoio" where students from all over the world gather, and the Santa Croce church district has developed into a leather goods artisan quarter.

Then, about 40km down the Arno River from this church, you reach a town called Santa Croce. This is said to be the birthplace of vegetable-tanned leather and is one of the largest tanning districts in Europe. Over 250 renowned Italian leather tanneries are concentrated here.

SYRINX began when we searched for soft, heavy leather for sound and encountered vachetta leather tanned in Santa Croce. Currently, most products use leather tanned in Santa Croce.

While Optima was chosen for its beautiful proportions, further investigation revealed a series of mysterious connections that could be called mystical, giving us a sense of destiny.

Its name comes from the oldest instrument, and its form leads to the sacred land of leather.
SYRINX connects sound and leather.