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                                                        L         iving in Kyoto, Japan, the Industrial Design-

                                                                  er of Slayer Espresso, Chris Flechtner loves
                                                                  “walking down the street and enjoying a
                                                                  Cheese Latte from a great little shop opened
                                                        with the help of Sawada-san from Tokyo/Chicago”, as he
                                                        shared. It doesn’t sound much like a treat, but to Flecht-
                                                        ner, it is indeed. “When not designing, I am designing; I
                                                        can’t turn it off, it’s just part of me,” he confessed. “I also
                                                        enjoy cycling, exploring and eating amazing food.”

                                                        Museum-inspired Aesthetics

                                                            On a weekly basis, Flechtner wandered around Bos-
                                                        ton’s Museum of Fine Arts during his Graphic Design
                                                        studies at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
                                                        If you have the chance to meet him in person, his tattoos
                                                        would reveal his affection for Eastern culture. He was
                                                        drawn to the Asian art wing especially, where he marveled
                                                        at the fine craftsmanship of Japanese samurai swords.
                                                        According to him, it was this fascination that led him to
                                                        an apprenticeship with a local bladesmith, building and
                                                        restoring swords. Still, you might find it hard to connect
                                                        the guy behind Slayer with this Flechtner at school.
                                                            Flechtner studied jewelry-making and metalsmithing
                                                        at first and then switched to MassArt’s Fine Metalsmith-
                                                        ing program as he was invigorated by the chance to work
                                                        with his hands. He also earned an MFA in furniture design
                                                        from the historical Cranbrook Academy of Art. As he
                                                        graduated, Flechtner worked as a furniture and product
                                                        designer in the architectural industry. However, with
                                                        abundant experiences and professional skills in design
                                                        and arts, he had no barista experience, no family lineage,
                                                        nor anything else to suggest a bright future in designing
                                                        espresso machines before joining Slayer Espresso in 2007,
                                                        the exact year that the brand’s revolutionary products
                                                        kicked off, provoking innovation in the design of espres-
                                                        so machines in specialty coffee. “To our Founder, Jason
                                                        Prefontaine, part of the appeal was that Fletchtner came
                                                        with fresh eyes,” shared Jacob Smit, senior content man-
                                                        ager & copywriter with Slayer.
                                                            Flechtner’s commitment to add beauty to the world
                                                        helped him develop a highly utilitarian style with a bal-
                                                        ance. This could already be seen through his works of
                                                        furniture, light fixtures, and motorcycles. For now, the
                                                        selection of natural wood for porta-filters and actuators
                                                        and sandcasting for X’s on the Slayer machines is a re-         Photo / Slayer Espresso
                                                        flection of his thoughts on prizing beauty in transience
                                                        and imperfection. Those inspiring days at the museum
                                                        allowed Flechtner to let the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sa-
                                                        bi inform his palette of materials.



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