Art World, the third collection of the Zayn x Arnette collaboration, which is creative in every aspect, is presented to the taste with a colorful look. Inspired by the experimental creativity and bright, abstract colors of modern art, Zayn quickly leaps to the next level on his ambitious journey with Arnette. Zayn creates a new street culture approach, which is his most important goal for the collection. The third capsule collection of the Zayn x Arnette collaboration, which manages to create a cheerful, fun and always unexpected look, adds color and character to a classic model. Zayn reinterprets a nostalgic retro square model with unexpected angles, bringing the fun and positive look of his versatile style to frames, while re-popularizing old-fashioned Havanas with the season’s hottest colors. The retro sunglasses model Poll-Ock AN4303, which adopts a new color concept that adapts popular colors to street culture and has never seen before, reinterpreted for modern times, has never gone out of fashion. To fully capture the Zayn x Arnette style, you should definitely try the new custom-made bio-acetate frames, including four colorful new interpretations of classic Havana or trendy crystal frames. In addition, the model is offered with new blue-purple mirrored lenses, as well as yellow and dark tinted lenses.

January 2023

Silmo Istanbul is a newborn child, but it is growing very quickly. Silmo Istanbul, whose momentum is rising with each passing year, has a very important role in the increase of manufacturers.

Hello… First of all, can you introduce yourself a little and talk about how your paths crossed with the optics industry?
My meeting with the optics industry happened by chance in 1989. I had an approach if I should give English lessons at first. Later, when I entered the profession, I started to love this job very much. At the time, I was working with Mr. Muharrem at Şişli Optik. A great person, a doyen of the industry… I worked with another doyen, Mr. Nurhan’s father, Nubar Ütücü. There was a lot of things that I learned from him. I kind of fell in love with the profession. I worked with another doyen Mr. Fahri for about fifteen years. Of course, you learn many aspects of the sector from them. Working with these people was like attending school. I have been working at Reel Optik for the last five or six years. Reel Optik, founded in 1989, is perhaps one of the oldest stores. It is a very special store that tries to catch the fashion, completely boutique in terms of its customer’s perspective. It did not want to branch out, it preferred to continue as a boutique store.

What did Reel Optik contribute to you? What did you contribute to them?
Reel Optik has shown that there are many more accessible points in this business. I have experienced that more boutique works can be done here. I saw that the customer portfolio is much more different. I saw that glasses are used not only as a health element, but also as an accessory.

Can you talk about the establishment and branching process of Reel Optik?
Reel Optik is a company that has never thought of branching out and still does not think of doing it. They want to work as a boutique with their own clients in Nişantaşı. Since they do not want to compromise on their quality of service, they do not consider branching out.

What are your criteria when choosing the brands and products in your store? Is it enough for a product to be a trend?
A brand’s being a trend for that period is not a sufficient criterion for us. We are a store that always aims to go one step further. We have teams. Our friends in our wholesale department are constantly abroad. They have the chance to see the new products coming out in the factories. We are trying to bring it to Turkey and present it to our customers. We call our customers and say that the glasses that are suitable for them have arrived, and to come and check them out. We offer the products to their liking and direct the products we choose according to the demands of our customers. We do not have every trending brand in our store because you have to make a difference. As Reel Optik, we care about the wishes of our customers.

How would you describe the sectoral vision and DNA of Reel Optik?
It is one of the companies that has caught the fashion very well since the day it was opened, and even became a pioneer of fashion. Reel Optik first offered the white-framed glasses, which were released in 1995-1996. Glasses with facet-colored lenses and stones, which were released in the 2000s, were again distributed in the sector after they were first featured here. We are a company that has pioneered the sector very well. The most exclusive collections of brands met with users first at the Reel Optik in Nişantaşı. We are a company that has taken itself one step further every year. Special handmade wooden glasses, horn glasses, and custom-made glasses were also brought together with the sector in our store for the first time.

Your store is in Nişantaşı, which is the center of fashion. What sets you apart from other stores in this fiercely competitive environment?
Of course, we also sell what everyone else is selling. Our difference is our service. We also sell the services. Our real process starts after the sale. We ask our customers to call and visit us from time to time. We can examine the glasses they use while they are drinking their coffee. With this communication, we ensure that the customer uses the product correctly and beautifully. We also provide product related trainings here. Competition has no end, and instead of competing with it, we try to satisfy our customers with the service we provide. 100% customer satisfaction is very important to us.

 

Do the customers who come to buy glasses come with brand and model awareness? Or are you making the right choice for them? What is the ratio of this?
Where we are located is Nişantaşı. Many models are requested in Nişantaşı, so plenty of people come here with brand and model awareness. I can say that the rate goes up to about 65%. When someone comes here, the glasses they want or the glasses they see in their friend’s eyes may not fit the person’s face. We communicate it by showing it to them. We tell you what should be used, especially if it is optical glasses. It may not fit their face. Their visual focus may not be the nasal cavities. That’s why we show you the glasses we recommend. We do not sell optical glasses that we do not find suitable. There are sometimes customers who want differences in sunglasses. As long as it adapts to your face, it does not cause any discomfort.

Everyone is on a quest to be different. Different designers, different store concepts, even marginal customer base. What are your thoughts on this marketing trend in the fashion world?
This difference is good for all of us. This success can be achieved in stores that we call multi-stores. They can catch this variety and present it to their customers in many stores at the same time. But in boutique stores like ours, we cannot do this. We are trying to serve our customers with our service, decoration and products. The more satisfied our customer is, the more our difference from others emerges.

What do you think will be the trends of this year? Which is your favorite brand?
Designer products are at the forefront this year. Designer branded products are preferred more than fashion brand products. In horn glasses, especially Maybach is a product that we sell a lot. The situation is different for fashion brands. The brand can become a trend that year with a model in its collection. However, this situation does not show continuity for any brand. Sometimes collections repeat themselves. They move too fast, which harms both the brand and us. If a brand’s collection is good this year, it may be bad the next year. Designer brands, which we call boutique brands, take themselves one step further every year because their aim is, above all, to provide comfort and suit the user. In fact, there is no obvious trend situation this year. Turquoise color is in the foreground this year. Mustard colors are the same. Of course, for those who do not give up on the classics, light browns, smoked, slightly less sharp colors will be in the foreground. Naturalness and transparency will be at the forefront. More assertive, more stylish, more slanting glasses that fit into the eye socket will be trending. The trend in sunglasses can change every minute. You see today, there are also collections in the interim periods. Since the use of sunglasses does not have a season, the collections start in March and are renewed in July and August. As my favorite brand in sunglasses, I can put Maybach first. Silhouette and Mykita are among the top selling brands at the moment. Apart from that, Bottega Venetta, Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi and Dior are our brands that are selling very well.

In the recent years, many brands have been investing in recycling. Do you include recycled products or brands in your store?
We also support recycling. We ask our customers for their old glasses and lenses and collect them for recycling. We reserve some for recycling, and we plan to send some to people in need. We clean the product to be used for the second time and make it ready for use. We do all of this for free.

Do you keep up with international fairs held abroad?
I think every person who says they are an optician in Turkey should go to fairs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a wholesaler or not. The way the products are served, the products, the wholesalers and the manufacturers abroad should all be seen. I have been attending fairs for roughly 15 years. I also attend for our wholesale department, but the main focus is for our store. We have to keep up with which models are more dominant. In addition, you have the chance to see all companies together at the fairs, not just a few companies. I think the atmosphere of the fairs is different.

If we compare Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair with international fairs, how would you describe its position?
It’s just a newborn child, but it is growing magnificently. It goes up with a rising momentum every year. It is a fair we like very much. Yes, there are fairs abroad, but we were upset about why we couldn’t do it here. Now we see that Silmo Istanbul is rising a lot thanks to you. Although it is like a newborn child, I believe that it will pass Paris and Milan in a very short time. This is because the Middle East is a completely different place. Such a fair has never been held before. The added value you add to our country cannot be ignored. It is incredible. I think that Silmo Istanbul has a very important role in increasing the number of manufacturers and manufacturing quality in products. For example, we attend the fair with our company in the wholesale section every year. There were points we couldn’t reach. The fair offers the opportunity to reach, meet and mingle with these people and stores. Most importantly, since it is a growing fair every day, foreign visitors come a lot. We can sit and talk and trade with them. We see our shortcomings and surpluses. I believe that foreign visitors will increase and foreign companies will attend the fair more.

What do you think about 4 your eyes, which started to be published digitally as of 2023?
To be frank, we were very surprised by such a good approach to the sector when the magazine first came out. We attach importance to your growth day by day and to guide the optics industry with each passing day. I’m very glad you switched to digital. Before anything, our trees will no longer be cut down with such a change. We will all have access to the digital broadcast. I believe this will reach a wider audience.

January 2023

If we look at the point Silmo Istanbul has reached, we can see that it has really jumped a few classes in terms of its corporate identity, branding, number and quality of exhibitors, and number of visitors.

Hello Mr. Beri… Could you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us how you decided to enter the optics industry?
Hello… I’m Beri De Taranto. I was born in 1983. I graduated from Yıldız Teknik University, Department of Physics. It was through my wife that I met this sector. My wife and her family have been serving this sector with great pleasure for many years. Frankly, their dedication and pleasant work encouraged me a lot and I started working in the optics industry. Normally my profession was technology consultancy. I suddenly found myself at this table, in this kitchen. Now, together with my wife, we are serving in this sector with the BDT company.

How many years have you been in this industry?
It’s been 7 full years that I don’t understand how it went. I spent it at a very fast pace. I met so many different people. I’ve been to so many different places. I became familiar with all parts of Turkey. In my previous industry, we had small world trips. I got to know every part of Turkey with my venture into the optics industry. Due to international fairs, we see many countries of the world. So, we are constantly developing and renewing.

Let’s talk about your sales and after-sales services…
We frequently visit companies to promote and sell our products. That’s why we are constantly on the go. Our biggest goal is to provide all kinds of satisfaction at all stages from wholesale to retail, from retail to consumer. Our aim is to satisfy the end user. We don’t want the retailer to suffer when a problem arises because they are our business partners. We try to provide perfect products and ensure that they keep customer satisfaction at the highest level. Apart from this, we are also well equipped in the technical service part. In case of any problem, our business partners send us their requests and we try to answer them as soon as possible. We always try to keep customer satisfaction at the highest level.

Which communication tools do you prefer when promoting your brands and products?
As a matter of fact, my preference is social media and field visits. Since the brands we distribute are well-known brands, our customers generally follow these products. Most of the time, I receive customer requests for new collections before I know it. Therefore, social media is a very powerful tool, especially Instagram is very powerful in this regard. We make our new collections and information here. We also participate in fairs. We attended the Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair in 2022. In the following years, we plan to participate in Silmo fairs both in Turkey and abroad. In addition, field trips and customer visits have a very important place in these promotions. Because our customers may not find much time to follow current developments. Their priority is to respond to their customers. We act a bit like their adviser. When you offer the right product at the right price, success follows. We are satisfied and I think our customers are also satisfied.

You said you are attending fairs… what was your expectation from the fair? Did you get what you expected? Let’s get your comments on the development and current process of Silmo Istanbul.
First of all, my purpose of joining Silmo Istanbul is to introduce myself as I am a new company. I have many clients who know me, but there are many more who do not. The fair was the place where I could represent myself best with my company, myself, and my brands, so I chose Silmo Istanbul. I actually got a better result than I expected. All visitors, both domestic and foreign, visited our stand because they knew our brands. We had the opportunity to meet. We had the opportunity to develop business. It was helpful in my business development with those who know our company. Silmo Istanbul was a beneficial process for me and my company. If we look at the point Silmo Istanbul has reached, we can see that it has really jumped a few classes in terms of its corporate identity, branding, number and quality of exhibitors, and number of visitors. For this reason, I think our participation will continue.

Can you talk about the brands within the company, the customer profile and technical features of these brands?
There are four brands within BDT Optik. These are all brands with high-end products that mostly appeal to boutique stores. One of them is Markus T. The owner of the company is a well-known optometrist and designer in Germany. He has designed many hotels and shops. Since he knows his job very well, he designs and offers perfect products to the end user. They try to do their job perfectly. The company manufactures both optical and solar frames with state-of-the-art technologies in western Germany. The most important thing is that the entire collection is produced by hand. The most important added value here comes from the fact that the products are combined by hand in such a regular way and they are made individually. I have visited and seen them in their places. They have one of the top end manufacturing facilities I’ve toured recently. The transactions are carefully planned to serve the consumer for a very long time and as on the first day. Since the owner of the company knows his job very well, he makes products that the workshop or optician can present without fear with special patented systems. For example, the frames in all Markus T products are reverse channel. Normally, in the difficulties of the reverse channel frame, you know that you need to open a channel on the glass. This company has created such a system that we can disassemble and assemble without damaging the glass and frame. However, we take the burden and stress off the workshop. Frames start with designs starting at 1.6 grams. Its heaviest frame weighs 5.30 grams. So, if you are someone who will wear glasses all day, you want to wear something that creates less fatigue on your face. Markus T is a framework for these people. We get very positive feedback from all users. Lafont is a 100-year-old company. They started this business when there was no eyewear production in Europe. One of the pioneers of glasses. The company starts this business as a workshop by making custom glasses and continues to grow over the years with the different designs it makes. Now in its 100th year, Lafont is a well-known brand in Europe and America, which has made hundreds of celebrities wear their colorful glasses. They are usually the most colorful showcases and frames. He always has striking designs. There are 5 retail stores in Paris. There is also one workshop. Let me talk about a tradition that still continues; You can make an appointment online; you go there and choose a model you want. Your face measurements are taken. You can choose any model plus color from the acetate blocks. They produce special glasses for your face, eyes, and nose. They still do this out of respect for their roots. French firm like Lafont in Minima. 30 years old company in Minima. The products you see on the table are children’s frames. It really added a whole different dimension to children’s frames. Much more vibrant than the colors you see on the market. High quality. All titanium and flexible. It does not cover the child’s face. The child cannot tear these glasses. We can say that it is almost indestructible. When it comes to children’s glasses, we don’t look at the sales perception much, but we want them to wear a warm frame in their eyes. I have witnessed the twinkle in children’s eyes many times because they chose this product. There is such a trauma for children. You are young and go to school. Children are not like adults. They can criticize mercilessly. At least, these are the glasses that will ease that transition period. A brand that will put their parents at ease. Since the glasses fit right on the face, they do not slip while on the go. You don’t feel the need to fix it. This is also very important.

Lastly, let’s talk about your Osix brand. So many colours. Almost like a color chart. Could you please tell us about this brand?
Osix is an Italian brand. You are right, this is our color chart. As a matter of fact, this color chart makes up about 20% of the colors they have. Of course, we can’t bring all colors. They make all their products with 3D Acetate. They are specially cut on CNC machines. We also order from their website. We make our customer like the model. It is also possible to customize the handle colors, body colors, glass color if you want sun or optics. You can add a name or a slogan to the handles. All of these are possible, and it has a very good story, actually. You wanted this body and handle, and because you gave life to this plastic, they give you an acetate block along with your glasses. Very enjoyable work. The price range of this brand is more affordable than all the brands we have. It’s a very new brand. We launched it in Silmo Istanbul and received positive feedback.

Our magazine has made another innovation and will continue its publication life digitally. In this way, we will reach much more intense masses and work more effectively and we believe that our interaction will be more. What are your thoughts on the decision of 4 your eyes on this issue? Also, what are your evaluations about the work of 4 your eyes on behalf of the optics industry?
First of all, your transition to digital is the requirement of the age. This is very good. When we look at all the world magazines, maybe they continue in print, but they definitely have digital ones. The number one tool in digital massification. From the moment it is published, the magazine can reach the consumer very quickly. Readers will no longer have to wait for a delivery process with shipping. You will be able to reach your target audience much faster. I was looking at what happened this month when 4 your eyes magazine came on my behalf. After all, the information available to everyone is limited. You do this as a profession. You get information from many different points, and you take care to share them. I can take them like a pill and update myself. I will put an end to the waiting for your magazine every month. It’s very nice. I congratulate you.

January 2023