What is the main message of your campaign and how do you convey this message in your campaign?
With our campaign 100 Seasons, it was our greatest wish to celebrate our birthday not just on a single day, but throughout the whole year 2023. In this twenty-five-year journey, we wanted to convey the message of how valuable our employees are to us. For this reason, we shot the 100 Seasons campaign in our own factory using our employees who have been with us for many years as models. We selected the most original ones among eight hundred almost unretouched photographs. Our campaign images will continue to be featured as black and white portraits on our website, social media, trade fair stands and PoS materials throughout the year.

Let’s take a quick look at the twenty-five-year history of your company. What do you think are your biggest milestones?
I would say that we have indeed reached many major milestones over the years. First of all, arguably one of the most important events in Markus T’s history was the ‘birth’ in 1998 with the development of Design Classic, a collection that is still in our portfolio today. Our collections, customer base, patents, design awards and headcount have grown steadily to the point where we need more space. This coincides with our move to the glass factory in Gütersloh-Isselhorst, which made 2016 another important milestone. It was a very bumpy and emotional project, often pushing the boundaries of what was feasible. Looking back, it was a very exciting time and the result is something we are very proud of.

Which materials and technologies do you think best represent Markus T?
At Markus T we rely heavily on the highest quality titanium and our proprietary lightweight plastic TMi. We have proven our expertise in both materials, from raw materials to the forming process and coloring. We perfect every step in the production process until it works exactly as we want it to. This is how we developed the patented titanium coloring process MSC in 2014, for example – a highly complex process that is still surprising us and our customers years later. MSC is the process of coating the metal with a protective oxide layer.

You create a remarkable impact in the sector with your designs. And how do you achieve this?
Yes, this is true. We want people to be able to recognize our glasses as soon as they see them, even if there is no label on the frame showing the brand. By focusing on this basic goal, we take care to use the design language that we have created uniquely for ourselves. Obviously, our frames show themselves to the users in a very ideal way. Happily, we often hear from people around us and at trade fairs that Markus T users recognize each other. I would also say that one of the reasons we stand out is that we are actively working to bring the technology to the forefront rather than hiding it.

With your new 100 Seasons campaign, we also see that you have moved away from the classic Markus T style. What are the things that have changed at Markus T?
In our twenty-fifth year, we consciously want to experiment with designs outside of what is typical for Markus T. Take for example our anniversary collection, which we raffled off at trade fairs as part of a social media campaign. As I mentioned before, we were inspired by the four seasons for our anniversary slogan. You can see the new titanium frames in the collection, carefully laser-cut. In the collection, for example, we added floral details for the spring frame. We will continue such creative experimentation throughout the year and will also include spontaneous ideas that we did not plan in advance.

So you are not fundamentally renewing your brand identity?
No, our innovative approach to these creative experiments that we have done and will do does not mean that we are turning our backs on who we are. Markus T is always open to new ideas. And this year we have chosen to be bolder and more experimental, deliberately avoiding the ‘ifs and buts’. With twenty-five years of experience, we believe it is natural to focus on innovation without changing our brand identity. ‘Achieving excellence by reducing excess’ still represents the first of our guiding principles. As Markus T, we are aware that a brand should act in accordance with its Dna even when changing direction. The genes of our Dna consist of three basic characteristics: Simple. Beautiful. Intelligent.

Could you tell us about the current state of Markus T and where it is heading?
First of all, we would like to re-emphasize that we are always changing and this is part of our Dna. This change does not mean that we blindly follow every trend. On the contrary, it means that we respond to the needs of opticians. This kind of flexibility is only possible because we manufacture our own products here in Gütersloh-Isselhorst in Germany. As a result, we have direct control over the quality of our products.

What are your favorite models from your highly acclaimed Dot Mono collection and what are their features?
What makes our popular Dot Mono collection really special is the unique hinge technology. I would like to mention three of our standout models from the collection. Although they are part of the Dot Mono collection, they also stand on their own in a way. I think the two-dimensional design of the fronts looks very cool in their simple profile. So cool that I use them myself. The shade of the rose gold 24-carat PVD coating really highlights the design and gives the frames a kind of special and elegant golden shimmer. This golden shimmer impression is inspired by the warm days we are already starting to miss. The subtle rose gold color of the satin titanium surface gives the normally technical Dot bezel a softer character and evokes summer.

What other surprises await us this year?
As a matter of fact, you may ask what you will surprise yourself with this year. Because, as I mentioned, this year is not based on our rigid planning and we will be guided by our very special and innovative ideas. We act in a spontaneous, creative and flexible way. Aware of what our strengths are, we move forward confidently and comfortably with new designs. That’s why we are as excited as you are.

Source: Favrspecs

October 2023