Vision Expo East 2025 has successfully concluded at The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, from February 19 to 22. Organized by The Vision Council and RX, the event was a vibrant showcase of the latest trends and innovations in the eyewear industry. The exhibition floor featured over 400 companies, offering a dynamic display of products and designs, while new highlights such as the return of the Flaunt the Frame Eyewear Trends Show and the Now Trend Showcase kept attendees engaged and inspired. This year’s fair also featured enhanced educational opportunities, an exciting Main Stage lineup of sessions covering key industry topics, and a streamlined experience for attendees. Among the exciting moments of Vision Expo East was the announcement of the winners of the third edition of the Now Trend Showcase Awards. These awards honor outstanding achievements in four dynamic categories: Sensorial Design, Innovation, ‘Memories are Made Of’, and Conscious Design. Some of winners included Caroline Abram for the Best Sunglass Award (Independent), All Saints – Wescan for the Best Sunglass Award (Branded), Morel for the Best Optical Award (Independent), and Tura x Glemaud for the Best Optical Award (Branded).

March 2025

Portuguese eyewear brand Vava has opened an impressive concept store designed by architect Pedro Silva, created with contributions from creative fields outside eyewear. The 300m² concept store, with three different levels, is located on the historic Passos Manuel Street in Porto. Silva describes the store, designed as a spacious and experimental space, more as an art installation. The ground floor has been designed to reflect Vava’s architectural and design preferences, as well as its connection to minimalist concepts. Baby blue details symbolize serenity and innocence, while the red cube seating area pays tribute to Space Odyssey and the red Djinn chair, designed by Olivier Mourgue in 1965. The upper floor showcases Vava products, with the space also dedicated to a lens laboratory. In the basement of the concept store, there is an eye clinic offering full eye exams and contact lens fitting services. This area provides a contemporary and striking environment with its minimal architectural style, welcoming patients as guests and offering them the opportunity to engage in self-care.

March 2025

Vanni Eyewear’s Embrace collection, which is part of the brand’s Artist’s Sunglasses series, has been crowned ‘Women’s Sunglasses Frame of the Year’ at 100% Optical for the prestigious 2025 Love Eyewear Award. This striking collection is the result of a creative collaboration between Vanni and designer Elisa Alberti, featuring two acetate models in two bold color variations: white/black and black/blue. The design plays with contrasting shades that shift with perspective, converging at the front of these embracing sunglasses. Adding to their artistic appeal, the temples are sculpted like a true piece of art, making each pair a statement of craftsmanship and creativity. In the Embrace collection with Vanni, the signature elements of Elisa Alberti’s artistic vision come to life, where the masterful treatment of shapes, the bold use of color, and the tactile richness of the surface unite. The temples of these sunglasses are meticulously crafted with Alberti’s characteristic soft, curved forms, seamlessly flowing from the sides to the front, where the lenses take center stage. This harmonious, sculptural design transforms each pair into a wearable piece of art.

March 2025

Italian brand Ultra Limited has launched Spring/Summer 2025 collection. The collection includes four models for women, two for men and one unisex style, combining bold, statement-making frames with timeless elegance, ingenious colour combinations and premium materials. These latest models capture the brand’s essence, which is a fusion of exotic hues, refined details, innovative production techniques and meticulous craftsmanship. Among the sunglass designs, the Bergeggi model features an hexagonal silhouette, blending premium acetate, sleek metal, vivid striped patterns and metallic accents. Available in white, havana and black, Bergeggi is accompanied by a special case, making it the jewel of the collection. The Giudecca model reimagines the classic cat-eye silhouette, accentuating its boldness with bonded detailing along the brow line. Its opaque front design and the return of the ever-popular bordeaux colour make it a standout. Also presented in black, blue and havana. Among the new optical styles, the unisex optical model Andria is a round frame showcasing Ultra Limited’s layered acetate bonding technique, but with a fresh twist.

March 2025

Safilo Group and Special Olympics have renewed their long-standing partnership through 2027 at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy, on March 8, 2025. This renewal highlights both organizations’ commitment to providing inclusive health and vision care for athletes with intellectual disabilities globally, a collaboration that has lasted over 22 years. Safilo has provided prescription frames and sunglasses to athletes worldwide through the Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Foundation Opening Eyes® program. Safilo employees have also volunteered at these events, offering eye exams, eyewear, and follow-up care. Angelo Trocchia, Ceo of Safilo Group, emphasized, “For over 20 years, our partnership with Special Olympics has allowed us to bring not just eyewear, but dignity, confidence, and opportunity to thousands of athletes worldwide.” Mary Davis, Ceo of Special Olympics, added, “The renewal of our partnership with Safilo demonstrates a shared commitment to health equity for people with intellectual disabilities, ensuring every athlete has access to the vision care they need to succeed.”

March 2025

Revo, the premium performance eyewear company known for its high-quality sunglasses,  has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Lexus, the iconic luxury automotive brand, to introduce an exclusive collection of premium sunglasses. This collaboration brings together Revo’s cutting-edge NASA-based lens technology and Lexus’ refined design philosophy to deliver a line of eyewear that redefines performance, style, and luxury. The Revo | Lexus collection features four standout styles: Crafted, Spindle, Podium, and Double Stint. Each pair reflects the shared values of both brands, integrating Lexus-inspired design elements, including curated color palettes, carbon fiber inlays, and rubber accents, as well as Revo’s best-in-class polarized lenses. The collection offers two dynamic sport styles developed in partnership with Lexus Racing and two lifestyle designs reflecting the understated luxury Lexus is renowned for. Signature details, such as engraved logos and the unique DayGlow yellow of the Vasser Sullivan Championship Racing Lexus RC F GT3 race cars, add a bespoke touch to each frame.

March 2025

Ray-Ban has appointed the fashion innovator and entrepreneur, A$AP Rocky, as its first-ever Creative Director. Known for his trendsetting influence in both the music and fashion industries, Rocky will bring his distinctive vision to Ray-Ban Studios, guiding creative projects and shaping the future of the brand’s image and design, says the company. He kicks off the appointment with the Blacked Out Collection, a redesign of the Mega Icons with a brand new lens type, expected for release in April 2025. A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, has taken the world by storm since his emergence in 2011. He’s amassed billions of musical streams and multiple award nominations. Now, on the heels of his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, Rocky takes the helm as Creative Director for Ray-Ban Studios, the creative platform that launched in 2016 and which celebrates the power of music and stories of courageous artists. The partnership marks a major step in Ray-Ban’s evolution, blending its rich heritage with contemporary culture infused with Rocky’s signature style. “I’ve always admired Ray-Ban’s ability to stay true to its roots while constantly evolving.I’m excited to be part of the strong heritage and develop the next chapter for an iconic brand like Ray-Ban,” said A$AP Rocky.

March 2025

Actor and producer Zac Efron takes centre stage in the new Police campaign, launching the Spring/Summer 2025 eyewear collection. The campaign features a series of intimate and intensely powerful shots that redefine the concept of masculinity. The portraits have been captured by photographer Brian Bowen Smith who is renowned for his work with some of the most famous stars in cinema and leading fashion designers.The company states that the campaign’s storyline revolves around audacity, a trait already embedded in Police’s Dna and reflected in its refined, iconic designs. This boldness is now interpreted and expressed through the multifaceted personality of Zac Efron. Nurturing an impressive body of work that encompasses both film and television, Efron is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. The actor has taken on a wide range of roles, initially becoming a household name with the launch of the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel phenomenon, High School Musical trilogy.

March 2025

Ovvo Optics expands their award-winning portfolio of frames with all-new styles in the signature Surgical Steel & Titanium line. Available in a menagerie of bold color combinations – from strawberry and salmon to turquoise and apricot – striking splashes of color are contrasted against cool metals like titanium, gold, black matte, and chrome. The result is a new offering of eye-catching frames that possessing technology, innovation, performance and the playful aesthetics of spring. Each style is available in four colors, with two sunglasses offered in the ultra-modern, aviator-esque 6063. Inspired by the very materials they’re constructed from, Ovvo’s patented Surgical Steel & Titanium composite informs the shape of each style. Discover the classic aesthetics of icons like the aviator, navigator, and thick acetate frames reimagined to showcase the incredible strength and thinness of high-performance sheet metal. These all-new styles balance technical materials with sophisticated character and design. Each frame is laser-cut from ultra-durable, ultra-light Surgical Steel & Titanium composite, and assembled by hand in Ovvo’s state-of-the-art facilities for the ultimate precision and craftsmanship. They also utilize Ovvo’s patented screwless hinges for unparalleled durability, flexibility, and style.

March 2025

Nina Mûr has launched its new Galaxy collection, crafted with an innovative natural material called ‘authentic stone.’ This groundbreaking material brings the collection to life through a collaboration with the Austrian company StoneArts, a pioneer in applying natural stone to contemporary design. Inspired by the grandeur of the cosmos and the materiality of planets, the Galaxy collection embraces the organic essence of rock, favoring irregular textures that capture nature’s raw beauty instead of clean lines. The series features three eyewear models: Miriam, with a round shape; Simone, a bold square design; and Stefania, an original silhouette. Each model stands out for its versatility, being suitable for both optical and sun lenses. Every model in the Galaxy is available in five new colors, carefully selected to reflect cosmic elements. The Moon shade features silver tones and ethereal textures, while Saturn evokes the brilliance of the ringed planet with golden reflections. Mars embodies the volcanic essence of the Red Planet with deep, warm red hues. Mercury mirrors the rugged surface of the closest planet to the sun with metallic shades, and Venus captures its mystical atmosphere with soft, silky tones.

March 2025