Blog

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021

Safilo North America Appoints Janet Unger to Vice President, Brand Management

Safilo North America announces the appointment of Janet Unger to the position of Vice President, Brand Management, effective October 11, 2021.

Unger will oversee brand management for the North American market, reporting directly to Steve Wright, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Safilo North America. In addition, she will also serve on Safilo Group’s Extended Global Leadership Team.

Janet joins Safilo with over 30 years of brand management and marketing experience, having enjoyed senior leadership roles most recently at The Swatch Group, where she served as President of the RADO watch brand, and, prior to that, at VSP/Marchon Eyewear where she was Vice President of Brand Marketing. Janet holds an advanced degree in Business and Marketing from New York University.

“Janet’s unique combination of senior level eyewear industry, combined with her proven track record in brand strategy, marketing and licensing for some of the largest global lifestyle brands, makes her the perfect addition to our senior leadership team,” says Steve Wright, President and CCO of Safilo North America.

Click HERE for the full press release.

November 3, 2021September 28, 2021

Ferragamo’s Responsible Eyewear Collection

The Ferragamo responsible eyewear line makes its debut: new women’s glasses in materials with low environmental impact for both frames and packaging. The SF1023S rectangular sunglasses deliver timeless allure with their oversize silhouette, bold lines and shaded lenses. The Gancini print and classic Ferragamo logo decorate the arms, in enamel-effect metallic gold and rose gold paint. Available in Black, Ivory and tortoiseshell.

Distributed by Marchon: www.marchon.com

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

opti Will Remain opti: Focussing on the Essentials

Munich, as a trade show location, offers security and normality with its infrastructure and well-known facilities. For its part, opti has always been known for its clear hall structure enabling easy orientation and efficient trade show visits. From January 14 to 16, 2022, opti 2022 will be returning to its four-hall concept.

opti will remain opti. This motto also applies and especially so to the new start next January. Halls C1 to C4 will convey the original opti atmosphere and give visitors that “familiar feeling” for the industry event at the start of the year.

“This hall concept and hall layout will make the trade show a great success for the whole industry at this time because, based on the idea of getting back to our roots, we can guarantee the familiar opti atmosphere while the tried and trusted structures and pathways facilitate smooth-running and focussed trade show visits,” explained opti Exhibition Director Bettina Reiter.

“Returning to the tried and tested”
Bettina Reiter is clearly delighted about the return to the four-hall concept for the next opti trade show: “On the one hand, we are going to think new, act new and, above all, start new at the next opti. This is exemplified, for example, in our concept of the opti FORUM XT. But on the other hand, in focusing on the essentials we will be returning to the tried and tested to facilitate actual encounters and business-related networking without making any additional compromises after what has been such a long time for us all. The sector wants to meet up and do business and we are making that possible in January 2022.”

Source: opti

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

Independent Eyewear Blossoms in Barcelona at Springtime

The Specs eyewear fair concept will, together with SILMO, launch a new event dedicated to independent eyewear in Barcelona on May 7-8, 2022.

In line with the recognized positioning of Copenhagen Specs, the only trade fair in Scandinavia that provides opticians and retailers with a great mix of what the independent eyewear scene has to offer, Barcelona Specs will create a new platform for Southern Europe optical stores.

The eyewear fair concept is known for the small booths in a great simple design, focus on the product and a relaxed atmosphere. Barcelona Specs will take place in the heart of Barcelona city in the Italian Pavilion, Fira Montjuic, Plaça d’Espanya.

Morten Gammelmark, Founder/CEO of Barcelona Specs says: “We are very happy to finally launch Barcelona Specs after the long period with Covid. Barcelona is already a key point in the eyewear industry with many eyewear brands and designers, so we are very happy to invite all trendy eyewear brands to showcase their products to Spanish and international visitors we believe, will attend Barcelona Specs.”

Click HERE for the full press release.

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

1971-2021: Blackfin Celebrates 50th Anniversary and Opens Black Shelter

Blackfin celebrates 50 years in business and the inauguration of its new Black Shelter headquarters ‒ a futuristic building that nearly triples the space in the existing Taibon Agordino location, surrounded by the Belluno Dolomite mountains.

This win-win was proudly celebrated by Blackfin during an event with local and regional authorities, its skilled artisans, employees and friends of the company in attendance. In addition to Nicola Del Din, CEO, and Giancarlo Recchia, CFO, also participating in the ceremony was Maria Luisa Pramaor who, in 1971, had the courage to open a small artisan eyewear finishing workshop, setting in motion what today is a firmly established local business with turnover forecast to reach 12 million euro by the end of 2021.

A company whose history exudes consistency, confidence and tenacity, but was not spared hard times, and they peaked in 2007; that’s when Del Din met Giancarlo Recchia, who believed in him and in his entrepreneurial vision.

“Today, we are celebrating madness,” began Del Din, in his words to the guests, “the madness many credited us with for deciding to build our headquarters here, on this spot, and the madness of Giancarlo for deciding to believe in this company that, in the opinion of many, seemed on the brink of financial ruin.”

The new headquarters, named Black Shelter, is a further expansion of the original building, which was renovated in 2016. Today, it houses about 100 employees, between offices and production, where everything is done in-house, more than doubling the production area to cope with growing market demand.The building itself is a true green facility, the first in the Veneto region to be certified as a Casa Clima Work & Life structure, certified to meet the three pillars of sustainability – ecological, economic and socio-cultural – in other words, workplace wellbeing.

Click HERE for the full press release.