Montegrappa presents a new series of pens: Tulip for Team Fox. A collaboration between Timothy John and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Montegrappa Tulip is a prestige pen that allows users to show solidarity with those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Ten percent of all proceeds from the pen will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to help further their efforts in finding a cure.
Design of the Montegrappa Tulip
Every aspect of the Montegrappa Tulip is a homage to the plight against Parkinson’s. The barrel of the pen is bright orange–the signature livery of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. The cap and clip of the pen are indicative of the red tulip, which is the international symbol of Parkinson’s. With its red color, the cap offsets the clip and its tulip shape, specially designed by Timothy John himself.
The Montegrappa Tulip for Team Fox series is available as a fountain pen, rollerball pen, and ballpoint pen. Fountain pen versions come will the options of nibs in; Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and Stub.
Timothy John
The man behind this collaboration is Timothy John. A fine artist from Adelaide, Australia, John is also a Montegrappa Ambassador. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2017, John sought to design a lasting memento for the cause that wouldn’t be tokenistic. It is this attitude that went into designing the tulip clip for the pens in the series.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 by its namesake, Michael J. Fox. During his career as an actor, Fox received his diagnosis in 1991 at the age of 29. However, Fox did not reveal this until 1998–thirteen years after his appearances in Back to the Future and Teen Wolf, the roles that launched him to stardom.
Since the inauguration of the non-profit, the foundation has funded more than $800 million towards the research of finding a cure for Parkinson’s. The finance and media company Bloomberg described the foundation as, “The fulcrum on which Parkinson’s research pivots”.