Knifewear

Specialties

High performance Japanese kitchen knives. Most are handmade and exclusive to Knifewear. Knife sharpening by hand. This is where chefs, foodies and knife nerds shop. Prices for knives $ 60-​$ 4000.

Sharp knives rock.

History

Established in 2007.

Born in the back alley selling Japanese kitchen knives to chefs in Calgary, Knifewear has become a destination for those who love Japanese steel/​are addicted to sharp.

With excellent, knowledgeable, and knife passionate staff you are in good hands. We have sample knives of every line we carry so customers can «test drive» the knives by slicing tomatoes and potatoes. This is the best way to confidently choose a knife.

We strive to make your knife purchases educational, fun, and memorable. We carry many knives not found in any shop outside Japan. Adding a few handmade Swedish axes for good measure.

On top of providing you with awesome knife sales we take care to hand sharpen kitchen knives of every variety.

Recently we have expanded into the sharp and satisfying world of wet shaving. We offer one of Canada’s largest selections of traditional shaving gear, and boy, do we love riffing about this stuff. Stay tuned as we work towards opening our dedicated shave shop, Kent of Inglewood.

Meet the Business Owner

Kevin K.

Business Owner

Kevin Kent’s fascination with Japanese knives began while he was working as sous-​chef for the legendary chef Fergus Henderson at St. John restaurant in London, England. In 2007, he began selling handcrafted Japanese knives out of a backpack on the back of his bicycle, while working as a chef at River Café in Calgary, Canada.

Since then, Knifewear has expanded to include five Canadian stores plus occasional pop-​up stores across the country. Plans are also underway to open a store in Kyoto, Japan.

Kent is just as obsessed with Japanese knives as when he first held one, and a few times a year, he travels to Japan to meet with his blacksmith friends, to drink far too much sake, and to learn more about the ancient art of knife-​making. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, he refuses to confess how many Japanese knives he owns… but he admits the number is rather high.