Sesa

Sesa is the pipe brand carrying the name of Branko Sesa (b. 1962), who works in Turin. Born in Croatia, Sesa settled in Turin in 1994 and began making pipes in 2000. His workshop remains one-man to this day: both new pipes and repair work come from the same hand. This dual mode of working is the main factor that defines the brand's identity.

An Apprenticeship in Turin

Before taking up the bench, his profession was teaching philosophy; woodworking was a leisure pursuit. He learned the finer points of the craft, shortly after starting with pipes, from Italian maker Mauro Gilli. His time with Gilli built his technical foundation; aesthetic decisions, by contrast, were left to Sesa himself. Although he holds both Croatian and Italian citizenship, he considers himself an Italian pipe maker, on the grounds that he learned the craft in that country. To understand the brand's place, see the entry on the short history of the Italian handmade pipe.

Material and Surface

On the body side, Sesa has experimented with briar, olive wood, lemon wood, and morta — oak semi-fossilized after thousands of years in a bog; on the mouthpiece side, with acrylic, ebonite, and amber. The goal was not simply a good-smoking pipe but a style of his own. Morta is today the brand's most recognizable side; part of the pipes he has produced in this wood carry a nautical theme inspired by boat and ship forms.

On the surface, he uses all three of smooth, rustic, and sandblasted treatments; there are examples where he combines them on the same body. For the distinction, see the entry on surface finishes.

Approach to Shape and Production

In the first decade, production consisted mainly of freehand and sculptural pieces; fossil-like carvings in briar date to this period. When the grain of the wood came out especially beautiful, he also turned to plain classic shapes. In the last decade, the emphasis has shifted to classic shapes; freehand production continues but has moved to second place, and he no longer returns to the figurative carvings in briar. Records indicate annual output stayed around fifty pieces for a long time; when he made the work full-time in 2017, that figure roughly doubled. Since the mid-2000s, the maker has also taken part in pipe gatherings in Italy, chief among them the Smoke Style fair held in Bologna and the Cagli Pipe Festival.

Alongside pipes, he also makes mouthpieces (bocchino) for Toscano cigars and small parts called pigini, in which he can be seen combining different materials. Repair work has also served as a separate school for him: taking apart and gathering pipes made by the hands of other makers has given him close familiarity with technical details.

Stamping

Sesa pipes are stamped with the maker's name; stars struck beside the name indicate grade. As the number of stars increases, the pipe moves to a higher tier. Sesa is a member of the Bugianen Pipa Club in Turin; the club chose him to make its 2019 pipe of the year.