Who is the man behind one of the world’s most recognisable brands of pen? 

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One of France’s most successful businessmen – and quite literally a household name – the founder of BIC® Marcel Louis Michel Antoine Bich was actually born in Turin, Italy in 1914. Marcel’s father was French Engineer Aime Mario Bich who had inherited the title of Baron, conferred on his grandfather by Duke Charles Albert of Savoy in 1848. Marcel Bich later inherited the title himself to become Baron Bich. In 1932 the family moved to France and Marcel was naturalized as a French citizen and went on to study Law at the University of Paris.

In 1944, after serving in the French Air Force at the onset of World War II, Marcel Bich got together with Édouard Buffard to buy a disused factory in Clichy, Paris, starting a business manufacturing and selling pen parts and cases. At this time, the choices for handwriting were either the popular but expensive and somewhat messy fountain pen or a far-from reliable ballpoint pen option. Bich soon spotted the potential of the ballpoint pen as an affordable option that could be available to all, purchasing the patent for it from Hungarian-Argentine inventor Lázló Biró who had been manufacturing his own pens in Argentina. Bich worked tirelessly to improve on Birós designs, using precision Swiss watchmaking tools to create a smooth 1mm stainless steel ball that would sit at the tip, making the pens more reliable in their ink delivery. In December 1950, the BIC® Cristal pen was launched.

Over 100 billion BIC® Cristal pens have been sold since its launch, reputedly selling an average of 57 pens every second, making it the best-selling pen in the world. The famous ballpoint has changed little in its lifetime and is such an icon of design that the Museum of Modern Art has one on permanent display. The pen’s hexagonal shape resembles that of a traditional wooden pencil and gives good strength and grip for the writer, while the transparent barrel allows the user to see how much ink remains.

In 1953 Bich and Buffard created the Société BIC® to manufacture and distribute pens under the BIC® name (a catchier version of the name Bich). The company experienced huge success, in part fuelled by its use of innovative advertising campaigns, including participation in the Tour de France publicity caravan.  

As the 1950s progressed, BIC® became a force to be reckoned with throughout the world, with the company’s products on sale in pretty much every region of the globe. 

In 1961, the famous BIC® Boy character was created by Raymond Savignac, a poster designer who had been with the company since the very early years, winning them awards for their advertising. The ballpoint headed character became a permanent fixture, along with a new signature orange colour. 

By the 1970’s, BIC® had launched the pencil case staple 4-Colour pen. BIC® then acquired French lighter company Flaminaire and launched its low-cost pocket lighter to rival that of Gilette, followed in 1975 by its now famous disposable one-piece razor which went on to become hugely successful. Both the lighter and razor now sit alongside the BIC® Cristal pen in the Museum of Modern Art.

The BIC® Cristal hasn’t been without its hiccups. In 2012 the company created the BIC® Cristal for Her, which was supposedly designed specifically for women, was available in pink and purple and was greeted with ridicule and outrage. US TV host Ellen DeGeneres is famously quoted as saying “can you believe this? We’ve been using man pens all these years” – in 2017 it was inducted into the Museum of Failure.

Despite success fundamentally built on a foundation of disposability, BIC® have begun to work on the sustainability and environmental impact of their products. From partnering with TerraCycle in Europe in 2011 to help make BIC® products easier to recycle, to launching the ReVolution range of stationary in 2021, using a minimum of 50% recycled plastic as well as recycled packaging. In 2022, BIC® joined One Percent for the Planet, contributing at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental causes.

Throughout his life Bich was a passionate sailor, spending millions on his pursuit of the America’s Cup, racing it at least four times in a series of 12-metre sloops, but never quite winning the ultimate prize. Such was his contribution to the sport that in 1998 he was inducted posthumously into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame.

Baron Bich was a flamboyant man who valued his personal privacy and that of his family. He was made a Knight of the French legion of Honour in recognition of his achievements. Over the course of his 79-year life he was married three times and father to 11 children, grandfather to 11 and great-grandfather to 3. His son Bruno Bich took over as chairman of the company in 1993, while the title of Baron Bich was inherited by his eldest son Claude. The family’s fortune today is thought to be in excess of $1.5 billion, mostly from its controlling share in the company.