Silmo Istanbul, which was held for the tenth time this year, has grown very professionally, innovatively and in step with the times. We are very happy to be a part of it.

Hello Ms. Gülçin & Ms. Ayşenur… Could you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about how you decided to enter the optical sector?
Hello. I am Gülçin Ündemir, I graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics and my first introduction to the sector was when I applied to ic! berlin’s job advertisement during my higher education in Germany. I got a part-time job at the company during my studies and when I decided to return to Turkey, the company offered me a job. In 2014, after 6 months of preparation, we opened the Turkish office of the German company and until 2020, we established our sales network in Turkey as a limited liability company with foreign capital and introduced the ic! berlin brand to Turkish Opticians and end consumers. Despite the difficult economic and political atmosphere of the country, we have achieved success with a gradually increasing sales curve and the support of our dear customers who trust us and our product.
With which aims and objectives did you decide to establish your company?
Together with my sister Ayşenur Ündemir, we established our own company Ündemir Optik in 2021 and continued our activities as the distributor of the brand from where we left off. There was no major change for us because we were already a very independent office as the German company’s representatives in Turkey. All the responsibility was on us and the management belonged to us. So there were no changes during the transition period except for some official arrangements and applications. We quickly decided to establish the company upon the suggestion of Germany because our relationship with the brand for 12 years and our increasing sales graph was enough to motivate us. We spent a lot of effort to introduce the brand in our country and achieve success, and we achieved our goal. Moreover, since we were now distributors, we had the freedom to incorporate new brands. However, thanks to our belief in the brand, we decided that it would be better to spend maximum effort on a single brand during the transition period. After three years, we have signed agreements with new brands and we are ready to expand our product portfolio with new, high-end European brands that fit our vision and working principles.

As we all know, you have been the distributor of ic! berlin brand in Turkey for a long time. Could you give us detailed information about the brand?
Founded in Germany in 1996, ic! berlin is the inventor of the screwless temple system, as readers may know. The glasses are handmade in Berlin from flexible, screwless, impact-resistant, stainless German steel and other materials such as durable natural rubber and carbon. It is a lifestyle brand and even a pioneer among lifestyle brands. The eponymous city of Berlin is in its Dna. It’s not just a brand name. As someone who lived in Berlin for 3 years and spends certain times of the year there, I am a witness to how the brand parallels the design language of the city of Berlin. Berlin is a constantly evolving, transforming, multi-layered European metropolis and we can see all these qualities that make the city attractive in the ic! berlin brand. It has always been very enjoyable for me to watch the development and transformation of the brand. Because it has always grown for the better and forward-looking. From my point of view, the fact that Germans do not compromise on robustness and technology, which is also part of their culture, their design approach that always prioritizes function and quality, and the fact that they do not give up their own line while following the trends is a strategy worthy of appreciation.
You introduced ic! berlin’s 2024 collection at Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair. How was the feedback?
The feedback was extremely positive. The collection is always getting better and this is reflected in our sales. New alternative models have been added to some of our best-selling models. One of the advantages of my close relationship with the brand and the company and having worked under their roof for a long time is that I am in dialog from the Production Manager to the designers. In this way, my feedback on the needs of my market is taken into account. Some new models that were found successful only in our market were added to the collection and the results of this were the good reactions we received at the fair.

Could you share with us the main features of your brands, their interaction groups and their position in the sector?
We define ic! berlin as a technological design brand. It is a light, functional, durable, user-friendly product. The collection is extremely wide and has a very good distribution within itself. Thus, it appeals to a consumer group in the premium segment that can have different styles. There is a product group called Core Collection, which has timeless and classic designs; a product group with more innovative and extraordinary designs, a product group that is more on the pulse of fashion; a product group that includes our collaborations with Mercedes Benz and AMG, which includes our partnerships with famous designers and brands; a product group with engineering marvel designs that include different materials and innovations, such as our newly launched patented carboflex collection made of carbon. All these different product groups are united by one common point: superior quality and being from Berlin. Our brand primarily appeals to the end consumer who knows the answer to the question “What is good design?”, who is eager and open to learn even if they do not know the answer, and naturally to the optical stores that are curious, love their business and are open to development. We are eager to improve ourselves and contribute to expanding the vision of the sector. I think we have an idealistic attitude in this regard and we are glad that this is the case.
What is your strategy for expanding your distribution and sales network?
We participate in national and international fairs. These participations are effective in establishing the first contact with our new potential customers. We make store visits in most regions of Turkey. We take our customers who have been loving our brand for a certain period of time on a factory tour and let them get to know the story of the product more closely, and this is usually very effective and reflects positively on sales. Since this is a lifestyle product, the person selling the product needs to know it very well and, moreover, love it. For this reason, we do not have an overly expansionist sales policy. We have not suffered any damage from this policy so far. Telling the story of the brand and educating the staff is our favorite and the thing we emphasize the most. We are open and moderate to serve and support opticians all over Turkey who are open to this, who agree with us to adopt a common strategy, and who look at working with us as a cooperation.
Do you follow international fairs and what are your thoughts on this subject?
Of course we do, we participate in all fairs in Europe. We find it necessary and enjoyable to keep the pulse of the sector. Because I think these world-renowned fairs are very important for following global trends and creating business opportunities.
As an exhibitor, how would you evaluate the Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which was held for the 10th time with its new and larger service area?
Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, organized for the tenth time this year, has shown a very professional, innovative and contemporary growth. Silmo Istanbul, continuing its journey on its own with its Parisian partners, has managed to prove its strength to the professionals of the sector. We are watching this growth and development story with love and pride.
Thank you very much for this valuable interview. Finally, could we learn your views on the evolution of our magazine 4 your eyes into digital publishing?
It is pleasing to see your magazine keeping up with the times and this inspires us. The news and interviews in the magazine are always up-to-date and prepared with great effort. We thank you very much for the devoted effort you provide to the sector.

February 2024

Silmo Istanbul has become the locomotive of the Turkish optical sector in this ten-year development process and we are very happy and proud of this development as a company in the sector.

Hello Mr. Tankut, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you personally crossed paths with the optical industry?
Hello, I was born in Antakya in 1970. After completing my primary, secondary and high school education at Private Işık High School, I started my higher education at Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Chemical Engineering. Since I was raised knowing that university education is necessary but not sufficient for business life, I started business life in the first year of my university education in order to gain experience in business life. After completing my chemical engineering career, I completed my second university by completing my Economics education, which I believe contributed a lot to my business life. Our paths crossed with my partner at a time when I felt it was time to bring a different perspective to the sector. My partner is also a graduate of Marmara University Fine Arts and has worked in senior management positions on design in various brands for years. We set out with a shared vision and the belief that we were ready to take on a mission.

Although you are one of the young companies, you are drawing a successful graphic with your vision. How and when did you decide to establish Prm Mağazacılık?
We established Prm Mağazacılık Hizmetleri Ticaret A.Ş. in 2010 with the aim of bringing different brands to the Turkish market. While establishing our company, our primary goal was to position the brands in the right place and with the right strategies while ensuring that the brands we brought from abroad could fill certain gaps in the domestic market. In this way, we have met many new brands and products and as a result of the efforts we have made with our experienced team and focus groups consisting of consumers to bring them to the Turkish market, Meller was the eyewear brand that introduced us to the optical sector as well as many clothing and accessories brands that we have brought to the Turkish market.

Let’s talk a little bit about your brands. Could you share with us the main features of your brands, their interaction groups and their position in the sector?
Meller is a very young and dynamic brand established in Barcelona, Spain in 2010. Our Meller brand started to find its place in the Turkish market as of 2018 and as of today, we can say that it is a well-known and sought-after brand. It is one of the fashion brands that use social media most effectively. It is a fast dynamic brand that is preferred by new generations and follows the fashion of the day very quickly. Meller offers both quality and affordable products to consumers with a wide range of models and colors. Freesbee, our other brand, is our second optical eyewear brand that we have brought after the success of Meller and is an American California brand. With the same goals, Freesbee is produced in 100 percent acetate with high quality and accessible prices. Although it entered the sector in 2022, it has become a highly acclaimed and popular brand. With our special agreement with U.S, we have decided to make Turkey a regional supply center and we have made an agreement to carry out sub-distributorships abroad, especially in Europe, Arab countries and Russia, which are in our close geography, through Turkey.

What is your priority when determining the collections of your brands? What inspires you while designing your products?
For the collection selections, we primarily follow international fairs and combine the trends of the season with our own vision and gustom and make choices in accordance with our own market. Of course, our collection and model selections are also guided by current customer interest and demands. We supplement them with at least four collections and color variants per season. Since Freesbee and Meller have a very wide product and collection structure, we have a design team that works very meticulously to bring the most up-to-date models together with consumers. In addition to closely following the trends in the relevant season, our design team also analyzes customer tastes and behaviors in detail and makes model and color choices accordingly.

What is your strategy for expanding your distribution and sales network?
When expanding our distribution and sales network, we are working on a very careful strategy that we have worked on beforehand. Our roadmap is determined before the brand enters the country. We take great care to make sure that brands meet their consumers at the right points of sale and in the right way, rather than being everywhere and on every corner. In this regard, we go a little out of the ordinary and first create the tastes and consumers of the brands. Then, we establish and develop long-term collaborations with sales points that are in line with the dynamics of the brands. Our aim is to be on the supply and promotion side of a long-term and winning business model rather than selling products. We work with only one point of sale in each city except for big cities. Our primary goal is to create demand for brands. In this direction, I can say that we use social media channels very actively.
As a company investing in the sector, what are your thoughts and expectations about the development of the sector?
Obviously, we think that the Turkish optical sector is still developing compared to abroad and has a long way to go. We think that the cumbersome retailers who are still stuck in the old methods should make more efforts to adapt to the development processes and the current new system retail. We think that companies and brands that can no longer interact with their end customers through social media management and communication will have much more difficulties. We foresee that it will be much more difficult for companies and brands that do not have a message to give to their consumers and are not accessible at any time to survive in the next five to ten years compared to the last five to ten years. We also think that the sector needs more innovative and dynamic young managers and labor force with a vision. In addition, we think that the government’s support and incentives for companies, especially in the areas of exports and digital transformation, will increase their contribution to the free growth of the Turkish optical and retail market, and thus the sector’s place in the market may become more important.
Do you follow international fairs and what are your thoughts on this subject?
We think that fairs are a very important building block in sectoral growth and that it is necessary to follow the right fairs accordingly. Of course, we follow all the important fairs as visitors and exhibitors and I think we get the returns. Silmo Paris carries the banner at the forefront in international fairs in this regard, and we follow it regularly with great appreciation as it opens our vision.
As an exhibitor, how would you evaluate Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which is being held for the 10th time with its new and larger service area?
After following Silmo Istanbul closely as a visitor since the first year it was held, we participated as an exhibitor for the first time this year after the pandemic that intervened. Frankly speaking, before exhibiting in Silmo Istanbul, we did not fully understand how effective the fair was. At Silmo Istanbul, the visitors reflected their trust and appreciation for the fair to us and our brands and we received very positive feedback. We were very pleased with the demands we received, especially in the face of the intense demand of foreign customers. We have started distributorship negotiations with many neighboring countries for Freesbee and we have concluded this process with some of them. Silmo Istanbul has become the locomotive of the Turkish optical sector in this ten-year development process and we are very happy and proud of this development as a company in the sector.
Thank you very much for this valuable interview. Finally, can we learn your views on the evolution of our magazine 4 your eyes into digital publishing?
Frankly speaking, we think that 4 your eyes magazine has filled the sectoral gap very well in the process of the shift of printed publications to digital. We are eagerly waiting for the new episode to be published every month. Endless thanks to you for your meticulous and diligent work.

January 2024

“Silmo Istanbul is a meeting point for us with friends. Every year it progresses by putting more and more on top with beautiful crowds. Especially in terms of both exhibitors and visitors, there is a serious increase in local and foreign visitors.”

Hello Mr. Cem, first of all, thank you for opening the doors of your factory to us and for your nice welcome. Adel Lens company made a big investment this year and started to work with the “Automatic Production” system. Could you inform us about this state-of-the-art production line and what it brings to the sector?
First of all, we are very happy and proud to be the first company to bring the fully automated production line to Turkey. The automatic line we saw in a few companies during our travels abroad always impressed us a lot and we believed that our country should definitely have this line. We are proud to have achieved this. After this investment, we were happy to receive a lot of support and congratulatory phone calls from our sector. This innovation will definitely have an impact on the future vision of the sector, because the trend in the world is no longer walking towards automation, it is almost running. All products will of course be made in an automated system. Delivery times will definitely be shorter, and the impact on quality will be at the highest level, completely independent of human beings and tied to the standard. The price increase will not be different from the realities of the sector.
How many brands do you have? What distinguishes your products from your competitors?
As Adel Lens, we have three brands. Among these, our Cortex brand is our main brand and a brand we have been using since our establishment. It includes single focus, bifocal and progressive product groups. Since we have to constantly update ourselves and our investment, we added our Oppo brand to our organization with the new software in 2019. Oppo also includes single focus and progressive. In 2020, we expanded our product range with the latest software we received. Our latest addition to our Adel Lens family is our Cyber Eye Progressive product. We strive to continuously improve ourselves and bring innovations that will add value to our production and products.

Do you produce lens in all indexes here?
I can easily say that our product range is extremely wide. We produce all indices 1.5-1.56-1.57-1.61-1.61-1.67-1.74 under three different brands of single focus-bifocal (S2-Eline-Aphak Bifocal) – progressive lenses in our production facilities in Istanbul. Twenty-five to thirty percent of our production is exported. From our own sales office in Bulgaria, which has been in operation for eight years, we have serious work with both the Bulgarian market and the Balkan countries. In addition, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are among the countries where we have dealerships. In addition to all these, I would like to point out that our main production site is in Iran. Our production facility in Iran produces both our own brand and the Indo brand. We are both the largest production facility in Iran and the leader in the sector.
What is your annual production capacity? How much do you aim to increase your capacity with the automated production system?
Our annual production capacity was two hundred and sixty thousand pairs. After we switched to a fully automated production system and started using the fully automated production line, we achieved a significant capacity increase of sixty percent and reached the level of producing four hundred fifteen thousand pairs annually.

Why should an optical store prefer Adel Lens Optik brands?
I can count quality, trust, speed, after-sales service, instant problem solving as the main reasons for optical stores to choose Adel Lens brands. Of course, as one of the most important elements, I can not leave out the existence of our regional managers in the Adel Lens family and our team working devotedly alongside them. Because each member of this team is now a real brand name in their own region. When the features I mentioned at the beginning are combined with this magnificent team, it becomes even easier to be the reason for preference.
As a company that has been exhibiting in Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair for many years, how would you interpret the contributions and development process of the fair? As a manufacturer company, what are your expectations from Silmo Istanbul Fair?
Silmo Istanbul Optical fairs are a meeting point for us with friends. Happily, thanks to the kindness of our optician friends, the fair is very crowded and beautiful every year. Especially with our dinner program on the evening of the third day, which we have made a tradition, we reinforce this beautiful meeting. Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair is progressing by putting more and more on it every year. There is a significant increase in both local and foreign exhibitors and visitors. We will continue to do whatever it takes for the fair of such a beautiful city to become even more international. Because this organization, this city really deserves it.

December 2023

“By exhibiting in Silmo Istanbul, we increased our chances of following the developments in the sector and gaining a competitive advantage.”

Hello Mr. Mertcan, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you personally crossed paths with the optical sector?
Hello, I was born Mertcan Özel in Istanbul in 1997. Our Özeller Saat optical store, founded by my father İsmail Özel in 1991, was our first intersection with the optical sector. I have been working in stores since I was little, both finishing my schooling and supporting my father in stores. I graduated from Istanbul University Mechanical Engineering in 2019 with a good degree. Our paths crossed with Hui Huang because we are an old and strong company in the optical industry. Hui Huang is a company that has been producing for different brands since 2015, and we started to produce our own brands with us. With this, we started to get a share in the domestic and foreign markets with our own brands. We produce style products that can keep up with different fashion outside the standard.
Although you are a young company, you are successful with your vision. How and when did you decide to establish Hui Huang?
Hui Huang was established in 2017, taking into account the developments in domestic production and the need for plastic frames in the optical industry. It has set itself the goal of being the face of Turkey opening to the world by realizing many firsts in the sector. The reason why we are different from the market is that we can also make different styles of model molds that will appeal to customers in our own mold shop. This is our most distinctive feature that distinguishes us from our competitors. If we decide to make a model, we have the ability to turn it into a product within 10 days. At this speed and with this quality, we do not know any competitors in Turkey. Since the competitor companies have their molds made in China, the best deadline to receive the sample, receive the mold and start production can be 3-4 months. Our aim is to maximize localization in the optical sector and to make products of top group brand quality.
Could you tell us about your production activities in your factory in Istanbul and the functioning of your facility?
We produce plastic optical frames and sunglasses for our own brands and our customers’ brands from TR-90 raw materials. We have varnished and unvarnished production methods. We produce standard TR-90 products without varnish. We also produce varnished products by using different painting techniques in upper group products. Apart from our own brands, we also have the ability to prepare collections for the brands of our domestic and foreign customers. We produce for many brands in Turkey and abroad with their own models and colors.

Let’s talk a little bit about your brands. Could you share with us the main features of your brands, their interaction groups and their position in the sector?
We currently offer services with our three brands. With Pourchet, one of our brands, we offer affordable, quality price performance product frames from standard TR-90. With our Imabari Kinsei brand, we offer products in the middle segment for men and women. Finally, we continue to serve with Louis Barton, our brand for men only.
What is your priority when determining the collections of your brands? What inspires you while designing your products?
Our point of inspiration is “extraordinary”. Acting with this motto, our company has the most different and creative collection in Turkey. With our self-colored injection glasses, which are the world’s first and only self-colored injection glasses, we plan to be the change-maker face of Turkey on international platforms. Understanding the needs and expectations of our customers becomes a priority in the design process. We strive to design comfortable and functional eyewear that suits the style of our customers. We follow the trends in the fashion world and try to offer our customers eyewear in line with the latest trends. The choice of material is an important factor in eyewear design. The quality of the materials can have an impact on the durability and comfort of the eyewear. Therefore, we are meticulous in the choice of materials. Colors can reflect the style and personality of the glasses. Therefore, we are careful in the choice of colors. Our sources of inspiration include the world of fashion, nature, art and architecture. Inspired by these sources, we strive to design unique and creative eyewear.

What is your strategy for expanding your distribution and sales network?
In addition to our existing market, we are planning to expand into new markets, so that we can reach more customers with our products. We conduct market research to discover new markets. We work with distributors to distribute our products in different regions. We use online sales channels to reach a wider audience with our products. These channels include e-commerce sites, social media platforms and online marketplaces. Finally, we use advertising to increase the visibility of our business.
As a company investing in the sector, what are your thoughts and expectations about the development of the sector?
The eyewear industry has shown rapid growth in recent years. According to a study by Grand View Research, the global eyewear market was valued at $169.9 billion in 2022 and is forecast to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between 2023 and 2030. Factors behind this growth include changes in lifestyle, growing interest in luxury accessories, and eyewear manufacturers’ focus on developing attractive and affordable eyewear. Therefore, as an eyewear manufacturing company, we see a very bright future for the industry. In this context, we plan to increase our share in the sector by opening our company to new markets both through fairs and customer visits.
Do you follow international fairs and what are your thoughts on this subject?
Yes, we follow them very closely and we attach great importance to them. International fairs are important platforms for companies to promote their products and services on a global scale, find new customers, follow developments in the sector and establish business contacts. These fairs bring together industry professionals, offer cooperation opportunities and provide participants with up-to-date information on market trends. In addition, international fairs can help companies increase their competitive advantage and establish a presence in the global market.

As an exhibitor, how would you evaluate Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which will be held for the 10th time with its new and larger service area?
Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair is a very important platform for companies in the optical sector. When we participated for the first time, we had the opportunity to network with other companies in the sector, find new customers and introduce our products to a wide audience. By participating in Silmo Istanbul, we increased our chances of following the developments in the sector and gaining a competitive advantage.
Thank you very much for this valuable interview. Finally, could you tell us about the evolution of our magazine 4 your eyes to digital publishing?
We consider your magazine’s transition to digital publishing as a positive step in terms of reaching a wider readership and presenting content interactively. Digital platforms allow for a closer connection with readers by providing fast access, sharing and interaction opportunities. It is also important to offer a remarkable and user-friendly experience in digital compared to traditional print publishing. In this sense, we think that the digital evolution of 4 your eyes magazine will have very good results.

November 2023