S.T. Dupont Strikes a Chord

From a new product line with Fender Guitars to redesigns of its classics, S.T. Dupont CEO Alain Crevet has overseen a golden age of writing instruments during his nearly 20 years heading up the French maison.

- NICKY PESSAROFF

In 2006, Alain Crevet began his role as CEO of the legendary Parisian luxury accessories brand S.T. Dupont, but his connection to the brand predates that.

“I remember, as a child, watching my mother use a Dupont lighter” for candles and incense. “There was something graceful, almost ceremonial, in the gesture.” At 19, when he began his studies in business at HEC University in Paris, France, Crevet's father gifted him a Dupont lighter of his own, which “marked a turning point—it wasn't just about function, it was about elegance, precision, and a quiet sense of identity.”

As CEO, Crevet has overseen a rejuvenation of the entire line of S.T. Dupont products, but that might be especially true of S.T. Dupont fine writing instruments. In an exclusive interview with PW’s editor-in-chief, Crevet reflects on that rejuvenated writing instruments line and his uniquely long tenure as S.T. Dupont's CEO.

Nicky Pessaroff [NP]: When you became CEO of S.T. Dupont, did you think you would still be there 20 years later?

Alain Crevet [AC]: To be honest, no—but S.T. Dupont has a way of becoming more than just a company. It becomes part of your story. When the opportunity arose in 2006 to lead S.T. Dupont, it felt almost like coming full circle.

From the beginning, my ambition was to revitalize S.T. Dupont by honoring its artisanship while projecting it into the future. This meant protecting the essence—the savoir-faire, the noble materials, the precision—while finding new ways to express it through innovation, collaboration, and a global vision of luxury.