Safilo Group and Amazon.com have announced the launch of new Carrera Smart Glasses with Alexa, blending Safilo’s design with Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. This is the first collaboration between Safilo and Amazon. The launch consists of two styles: the Carrera Cruiser and the Carrera Sprinter. In addition to the two Carrera frames, Amazon is also launching five of its own new Echo frame styles: modern rectangle, rectangle, round, square and cat eye. Angelo Trocchia, Ceo of Safilo Group, said, “Safilo has always looked to the future with an innovative approach, and this is why we are very proud to collaborate with Amazon on this innovative project, offering our Italian design and the unique style of Carrera Eyewear. Furthermore, we are proud to combine our well-established traditional wholesale distribution model—which encompasses eyecare retailers, chains, department stores, specialized retailers and boutiques—with Amazon’s incredible online distribution.”

October 2023

Kaleos presents its brand new collection Evolutionary Shapes. The collection reflects shapes reaching unprecedented heights with unwavering enthusiasm. Kaleos’ contemporary signature, combined with its well-known and distinctive emphasis on structure, translates into an innovative series that expands the boundaries of eyewear design. As the brand matures and evolves, so do the frames they introduce. The collection consists of 35 new frames in total. Evolutionary Shapes pays homage to Kaleos’ commitment to shape and its ongoing evolution. The Evolutionary Shapes collection features the rectangular Eddy, the cat-eye aesthetic faithful Swenson, the confident square Thayer, the timelessly appealing round Macguff and the impactful oversized Lynn. Kaleos makes meticulous choices on colors and materials as well as shapes in the new collection. With a strong presence of acetate frames, the collection offers a symphony of color that harmoniously balances laminated color combinations and striking mono colors for those who love sophisticated touches.

October 2023

Klenze & Baum, the German brand that pioneered the establishment of translucent, vegetable oil-based 3D printing, has gone one step further and introduced a 3D printed acetate-like material. This makes possible glasses that both tactilely and optically resemble traditional acetate and take advantage of the benefits of 3D printing. The German brand is expanding its product range, offering a new look with a matte finish for all frames in the Sleek collection. Another special feature of the material is the through-colouring, which means that the colour not only affects the top layer of the glasses, but is an integral part of the material itself. This results in incomparable colour brilliance and durability.The new production process not only enables faster manufacturing than previous 3D printing technologies, but also saves significant energy, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint.

October 2023

Mykita received the prestigious ‘Responsible Company’ award at the Silmo Paris, the world’s largest optical industry event. This recognition was bestowed upon them for their notable efforts in promoting social and environmental responsibility. An independent panel of CSR experts evaluated all participants, emphasizing a holistic approach that considered 17 different criteria, encompassing environmental and social aspects. Moritz Krueger, Founder & Creative Director Mykita said: “Mykita is committed to generating positive change and meaningful innovation for the wellbeing of people, protecting the planet, with eyes set on a bright future for generations to come. To receive this prize is a tremendous validation of our path, and strong encouragement to heighten our efforts and continue to push further on social and environmental responsibility.”

October 2023

Thélios has announced its acquisition from Neo Investment Partners of Vuarnet, a renowned French high-end outdoor sunglass brand with over 60 years of history. This is Thélios’ first brand acquisition and its first proprietary brand, which marks an important milestone in the development of the LVMH eyewear company. This acquisition will grant Vuarnet access to Thélios’ extensive resources, including research and development capabilities, technical expertise and global reach. Alessandro Zanardo, Ceo of Thélios, said, “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Vuarnet, becoming Thélios’ first proprietary brand. Vuarnet is a legendary brand, with a unique history that deserves to be preserved and perpetuated. Its iconic design, its unique know-how on mineral lenses and its strong brand values, are a perfect match with our ethos and positioning.”

October 2023

The Philipp Plein Group and the De Rigo Group have signed e licensing agreement for the creation, production and distribution on a global scale of both Plein Sport-branded sunglasses and prescription frames. Michele Aracri, managing director of De Rigo Vision, said, “We’re delighted to be expanding our partnership with the Philipp Plein Group. Plein Sport is an innovative and new-generation activewear brand, which represents a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the men’s segment in our portfolio. This new license agreement is great news for us and confirms both the significant success that we are achieving alongside Philipp Plein and the relationship of mutual trust we are building together. Our collaboration is proving very successful indeed and has great potential for growth.” Philipp Plein, Ceo of the Philipp Plein Group, said, “I’m both proud of and satisfied with this collaboration with De Rigo, an international group, which—thanks to their expertise and knowledge of this product category—has perfectly translated and conveyed the essence of all our brands. Plein Sport is an extremely ambitious project and, from a technical and design perspective, the product is wholly consistent with the requirements of both the brand and market.”

October 2023

Essilor, the leading brand in prescription lenses worldwide, has announced legendary cricketer and global sports icon Virat Kohli as its India brand ambassador. This strategic partnership signifies a powerful alliance with both entities having remarkable legacies. Essilor will roll out a multi-media campaign, featuring Virat Kohli, which will bring to life the value proposition of Essilor’s brands. The campaign showcases a strong portfolio of innovative brands – Stellest, Eyezen and Varilux being lenses which meet all vision correction needs across age groups and Crizal being the famous invisible shield protecting the lenses. Essilor is a world leader in the Ophthalmic Industry, with over 170 years of technological innovations and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, meeting consumer needs across age groups around the world. Virat Kohli, a living legend, and a role model to millions, has been at the top of the cricketing world with exceptional performance standards and work ethics, right from when he led the India Under-19 team to a World Cup victory in 2008.

October 2023

For the campaign of his Fall Winter 2023 eyewear line, David Beckham takes us on a journey to the desert: as location, a beautiful campsite setting, where David Beckham wears his latest creations while enjoying the picturesque sunset, was chosen. The glowing campfire invites us to dream and play with the warm lightening and the magic colours of the the setting sun and the glittering ocean. The campaign images were shot by Matthew Brookes in the golden desert. They embody the spirit of a modern traveler that is always curious to discover more of the beauty the numerous places of the earth have to offer. In the meantime he allows himself to enjoy each moment of his life and admires the beauty of the endless horizon. Being significant for this line is its wide range of sunglasses and optical frames that stand out due to their magnificent craftsmanship, highest quality materials, subtle masculine approaches, plus exclusive design details. What stays in mind as well is the simply sophisticated colour choice. They take their inspiration from the warm nuances of the desert, including graceful tones of sand, brown, beige, as well as natural colours of havana.

October 2023

California-based eyewear brand Salt, known for its eco-friendly products, presented its collection for the Fall/Winter 2023 season at Silmo Paris, the world-famous optical fair held between September 29 and October 2, 2023. The US brand worked in collaboration with Japanese production facilities while preparing unique and personalized acetate glasses that reflect its unique design style and language in its highly acclaimed new collection. All the shades featured in the collection are inspired by the natural world, and Salt uses imagery from nature as a reference to produce these shades. Salt’s newly developed proprietary color palette has been added to the brand’s other collections for the Fall season. Thus, it has added a new dimension to some of Salt’s already best-selling designs.

October 2023

Morel, the France-based eyewear brand with a heritage spanning over one hundred and forty years and a significant position in the global eyewear industry, has announced a new exclusive distribution agreement under the name Morel Finland in collaboration with Neonsun Oy. Neonsun Oy brings over 20 years of independent expertise in the Finnish market, a value shared by the French company, which has been solely operated by the family for four generations. The goal of this partnership is to enhance local visibility and recognition for Morel, providing customers with a nearby service and aligning with the brand’s ambition to be recognized as the preferred French eyewear brand worldwide.

October 2023