Auteur/autrice : Newsroom

Giuliana Matarrese

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1

There is a lot of talk about special workmanship, unique pieces in fashion and accessories. Marcolin itself produces unique pieces for fashion shows. does it make sense today to still talk about high fashion?

«Haute couture makes sense for not one, not two, but three reasons: firstly because, of course, it’s an experimentation lab where the various brands showcase all their savoir-faire, and so they show their achievements. Secondly, because if there is a market with people who can afford to buy these clothes, obviously Fashion Houses sink their teeth into it. And thirdly because, couture has a reputational allure that enables brands to be perceived as so high-end by consumers that all the others, i.e. 99% of the world’s population who cannot afford to buy couture clothes, will, however, feel privileged all the same to buy a House’s lipstick or clutch bag. Similarly, it therefore makes sense that the eyewear category also creates a series of products that perhaps are not even meant for the market. Unique, precious products that showcase the level reached by a House with its technical skills and savoir-faire».

 

2

Which are the latest cutting-edge haute couture techniques seen in haute couture that struck you the most?

«The one that strikes the eye, the one that has become most popular lately and that really pushed the boundaries for the work team, is certainly the one by House Margiela Artisanal, developed by John Galliano. For example, he invented silicone treatments that were brushed onto garments to give them a rain-drenched look, even though they hadn’t been rained on. Then there was another one called Rétrécirage, if I’m not wrong, which is a technique for treating wool crêpe with a special glue after boiling it, which created very peculiar volumes, especially for blazers, giving them coquettish, sweetheart-like shapes, right? These are just some of the latest, let’s say, techniques introduced by haute couture that turn a garment into a precious object, into a true work of art».

« Unique, precious products that showcase the level reached by a House with its savoir-faire »
3

Why did you choose this place for the interview?

«I chose this place, 10 Corso Como, because it represents a bridge to the future. Just like fashion, or eyewear. A bridge that connects apparently different worlds that aren’t so different after all. Fashion, design; fashion, art. That’s why I thought it was the perfect place for this short interview».

Marcolin Clients EMEA

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Top 5 Strengths

What are the keywords used to describe a company like Marcolin? There are basically five: reliability, passion, service quality, creativity and innovation skills. This is the most representative overview of the opinions collected from our customers in person during the latest Summer Buying Days, that this year were held in late June against the breathtaking backdrop of the Palazzo Varignana Resort, in the Bologna hills.

The Importance of Dialogue

Like every year, the event was more than just an occasion to introduce to EMEA customers (Europe, Middle East and Africa) the latest novelties in terms of partnerships, projects and collections to be launched next fall. It was a priceless moment for direct and engaging dialogue. The right place to collect our stakeholders’ perceptions and ideas about an ever-evolving and growing sector like the eyewear industry.

 

Reliability

Topics like trust and the importance of human relations were very much appreciated. On the one hand, many highlighted the fact that at Marcolin they feel “at home”. On the other hand, from a more professional standpoint, the Longarone-based company was also appreciated for its foresight and flexibility, intended as reactivity to challenge, innovation and change. They are all values to cultivate and strengths to improve upon because, in the end, that’s what – according to our customers – really makes it a pleasure to work with Marcolin.

June 27: World Sunglasses Day

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Ancient history

You can say that the need to shield the eyes from the sunlight is as old as humanity itself: bone or walrus ivory masks crafted by the Inuit people in prehistoric times with thin slits to protect the eyes from the sun reflected off ice are a testament to this need. And so are the emerald lenses Roman Emperor Nero was said to have worn when watching endless gladiator fights.  For the first real pair of sunnies, though, we have to wait until the 1700s and the creations of the glassmakers from Murano (where prescription lenses had already been invented): “Goldoni” or “gondola glasses” were elegant glasses with green lenses and side bands used to protect the eyes of the ladies from the air, wind and splashes of water during gondola rides.

The turning point of the 1900s

The golden age of sunglasses is undoubtedly the Twentieth Century.  It all started in the 1920s, when US Army Air Corps Lieutenant John Macready – who had returned from a balloon flight complaining that the sun had permanently damaged his eyes – commissioned an American company to design sunglasses for air force pilots. The first “aviator” designs were born: they soon enjoyed such great success that, in the 1930s, they were no longer produced only for the armed forces, they were donned by the public at large; it’s the beginning of the history of a useful accessory that turned into a glamorous fashion icon. They say, in fact, that since the 1930s, sunglasses became so popular that they replaced what hats had represented until then: a must-have fashion accessory.

Hollywood’s contribution

But the greatest contribution came from eccentric figures, such as Peggy Guggenheim (with her celebrated golden frame recalling the shape of butterfly wings), and Hollywood celebrities.  Like Audrey Hepburn who, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, turned the Manhattan frame into an icon of style, while Stanley Kubrick – also thanks to the shots of the great fashion photographer Bert Stern – added a mischievous and seductive allure to the heart-shaped sunglasses donned by his Lolita.  But what about men?  Sunglasses have been a men’s wardrobe staple since 1953, like the design worn in 1980 by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers.  The 1990s, instead, marked a turning point in style with the minimalist version worn by Keanu Reeves in Matrix: but, at this point, sunglasses had already taken on a new significance.

Summer Buying Days 2024

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An annual event

A few kilometers from Bologna, nestled in the lush, rolling Bologna hills, stands the Palazzo di Varignana resort, a majestic villa dating back to the 1700s that was turned into a Hotel de Charme and a true oasis of peace and relaxation. Against this welcoming backdrop, between June 16-21, Marcolin greeted its customers and buyers for the EMEA Summer Days. This is the annual event during which they can meet, discuss the brand’s values, and discover the new collections of the various license and house brands part of the company’s portfolio.

An opportunity for debate

Five pleasant and intense days in which the sales team also presented in detail the features and goals of the two house brands: ic! berlin e WEB EYEWEAR. Great attention was paid to customer needs and to the margin for improvement of the products and services implemented by Marcolin over the past year. An important event but not the only one: on the same days, Marcolin organized a number of key sales events worldwide, such as the US Summer Buying Days in Santa Barbara (California), the APAC Summer Buying Days in China, Singapore and Australia and those in the Middle East in Phuket (Thailand).

« An important event but not the only one: on the same days, Marcolin organized a number of key sales events worldwide »

The new Corporate Video

Many different topics were discussed, such as the renewal of key licenses, from GCDS to ZEGNA, up to MAX&Co. and Skechers, as well as the new exclusive agreements signed with Christian Louboutin and K-Way in early 2024. But the highlight of the event was the premiere of the new corporate video, #BoundlessVision: a journey through the territory where the Company was born and still continues to grow thanks to its special mix of craftsmanship and innovation. Continuing down its growth path, one step at a time, day after day.

The limited Rolling Stones x ic! berlin Collector’s Edition

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You can’t always get what you want … But, if you try sometimes, well, you just might find – you get what you need. Even Mick Jagger had to admit in the song back in 1964 that you can’t always have what you want. But in this case, you absolutely can. The Rolling Stones and the leading eyewear brand ic! berlin have collaborated to make a dream come true for all fans of the rock legends. The limited Collector’s Edition captures the unmistakable rock ‘n’ roll spirit of the icons uniquely combining it with the innovative design approach of the eyewear brand. Four stunning sunglasses models have been designed to reflect the beloved style of the Stones over generations, giving wearers an effortlessly cool look.

I can’t get no… The model “Satisfaction RS.” With the aviator style, an impressive homage to the music era of the 60s has been crafted.

Pleased to meet you … The model “Sympathy RS.” is inspired by the dark temptation and the blatant allure of the song.

She comes in colours everywhere … The model “Rainbow RS.” celebrates the vivid essence of the lyrics with its multi-colored lens. The shield frame captures the psychedelic rock style of the melody.

But it’s alright, I’m Jumpin’ Jack … The model “Flash RS.” symbolizes the dynamic riffs and explosive character of the unforgettable « Jumpin’ Jack Flash. »

Each model features the iconic Rolling Stones logo engraved on the temples. The colors black and gun metal dominate the collection, accentuated by special lenses and the iconic Red Lips on the temples – a nod to the band’s famous red logo. With a Collector’s Box that appropriately celebrates the collaboration, this limited edition is a collection for connoisseurs and lovers of true rock ‘n’ roll. The Rolling Stones x ic! berlin Collector’s Edition is more than just a tribute to one of the world’s most legendary bands. It is a daily wearable statement for those who want to see and experience the world with the same passion as the music icons.

Transforming futures

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A Meeting with Sustainability

The event dedicated to sustainability organized by PAI Partners, a leading private equity firm that once a year brings together the largest companies in which it is a shareholder – including Marcolin – for a two-day event dedicated to sustainability, has just concluded in Aranjuez, the elegant and verdant resort near Madrid. An event that once again this year alternated between talks by industry experts and occasions for debate and intense group sessions. Indeed, Sustainability Club is the cornerstone of PAI’s commitment to these issues and, together with the Sustainability Academy, promotes ad hoc training courses.

The issues on the table

Title of this edition? « Transforming futures » which, alone, goes a long way toward explaining PAI’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and strategic growth as it looks to the future of the companies in its portfolio. All called upon today to improve performance by aiming for decarbonization, fostering biodiversity and, above all, creating value from every point of view: economic, human and environmental. This is a complex and ambitious goal that can no longer be deferred, to be achieved both in established, historical entities and in younger, rapidly growing ones.

Diversity and Inclusion Award

At the conclusion of this two days of work in Spain, the award obtained by Marcolin represents a point of satisfaction and, at the same time, a new opportunity for growth. On one hand, in fact, it is a recognition of Marcolin’s long and serious commitment to gender equality, as evidenced by the third edition of the Leadership Academy dedicated exclusively to future managers and the 40% increase in women in senior leadership roles as well as the 19% increase in women present on Boards of Directors. But, on the other hand, it is also an invitation to stay the course to ensure that diversity and inclusion are never reduced to mere slogans, but rather can create real opportunities for growth and discussion.

Marcolin Talk in Shanghai

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In collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, Marcolin Talk made its debut outside Italy for the first time at the Group’s showroom in Shanghai, in front of an engaged audience of customers, media and industry professionals. Visions was the key theme of the event hosting three illustrious guests: Natsuko Watanabe, General Manager at TOM FORD Beauty, Jerome Bachasson, President of Greater China at ZEGNA; Mauro Maggioni, Board Member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and CEO Asia Pacific at Golden Goose.

Keywords

The event touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the value of Made in Italy on the global markets – specifically the Asian one – to sustainability up to the relationship between territorial culture and women’s empowerment, innovation and the future. The latest luxury spending trends in Asia after the Covid pandemic were also discussed: according to the 2023 China Luxury Report, by 2030 China will account for 40% of luxury spending globally. In China there is an ever-increasing need for creating new connections between brands and consumers, who today are looking for a more immersive and increasingly digital relationship with the world of values represented by the different brands. New concepts are thus entering the scene, such as experiential retail and cross-projects, new ideas that can boost customer experience and that we will be hearing more and more of soon.

New Challenges

Sustainability is another recurring theme that is perfectly exemplified by the amazing story of Ermenegildo Zegna who, over a century ago, devoted his life to safeguarding the land with a great tree planting project that gave life to Oasi Zegna, the largest private natural park in Europe. This unique legacy, along with quality, is what consumers in China are currently looking for. The Made in Italy sector is traditionally known for product quality even though, to stay competitive in such a dynamic market like the Chinese one, you have to reinvent yourself and take cultural diversity into account. A well-known concept to Natsuko Watanabe who, in the early stages of her consulting career, was the only woman in a male-dominated world. A woman who today, at TOM FORD Beauty, is the only expat to guide an all-Chinese team: and this melting pot of different cultures has once again proven to be a winning value. But what about the future? According to Maggioni we will soon move from today’s reputation economy to a temple economy, where consumption will be guided by consumers’ unexpected search for intimacy and spirituality. After the guests’ speeches, Marcolin CEO Fabrizio Curci concluded by highlighting how important it is to the Company to promote a broader discussion that transcends the logic behind the reference industry, providing its community with the tools needed to see through a new ‘frame’, inspiring transformation and promoting social and cultural debate.

Fuoriconcorso 2024

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Motorsport on Lake Como

The 2024 edition of FuoriConcorso, the prestigious event at the end of May dedicated to the automotive culture, was dedicated to the British Automotive Panorama. Created in 2019 by Guglielmo Miani, president of Larusmiani, this is one of the events most long-awaited by collectors and motorsport enthusiasts from all over Europe, attracted by the exhibitions in the gardens of three historic residences overlooking Lake Como: the age-old Villa Grumello, the neoclassical Villa Olmo and the nineteenth-century Villa Sucota. Now in its sixth edition, it is confirmed as the first and most important of the FuoriConcorso series of events, a format that during the year brings car enthusiasts together in some of the most exclusive locations with rallies and car exhibitions, from the Emerald Coast to Palm Springs.

Ic!berlin at Villa Grumello

One of the main partners of this edition is ic!berlin, the innovative eyewear brand born in Berlin. Starting this year it is in the portfolio of Marcolin, which presented its latest capsule collection at Villa Grumello. Created in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and AMG, the collection is closely linked to the automotive world and is characterized by a common passion for craftsmanship and technological excellence. To stay on topic, in its dedicated space ic!berlin also offered visitors the opportunity to test a futuristic virtual driving simulator.

See you next year

This year as well FuoriConcorso was an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the history, excellence and creativity of the international automotive industry, starting with the models that have made the history of British luxury cars. Alongside the wonderful vintage models, it also allowed visitors to have a look around prototypes and products that look to the future. For cars, for accessories and also for eyewear.

Marzia Viel

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Marcolin has been present in this part of the world for many years now: what are the winning marketing strategies in such an ever-evolving and varied area from a linguistic and cultural standpoint?

«The variety of our brand portfolio requires specific marketing investments: in addition to this very diversified context, and specifically in the case of APAC, the region’s heterogeneous nature plays a key role and is the reason behind its great linguistic and cultural variety. Nonetheless, communication trends are pretty similar and are influenced by three key trends in luxury buying. China, South Korea, and Japan are the countries with the highest luxury spending in Asia: although their growth rates differ, they set the key trends in terms of culture and style. China, in particular, since 2017 has been the country with the highest online spending as percentage of total GDP globally. Especially regarding our luxury brands, such as TOM FORD, ZEGNA, and Max Mara, thanks to our close collaboration with our HQ, and, therefore, to the great synergy that we have built with Fashion Houses, we can integrate our online and offline communication to drive and enhance our customer experience. We increased our above-the-line investments in the digital sector with magazines but also product seeding. If we shine the spotlight on Marcolin APAC, market performances over the past two years in China show how competitive this part of the world is. We are investing and gaining market share here. In 2024, the premium sector is still considered a potential safe harbor by customers in the Far East. Specifically in Southeast Asia, with Singapore and Malaysia in the forefront. The sport category is undoubtedly the most heterogeneous one in a scenario where global players collaborate with famous athletes and sponsor local events».

Who are your target customers and what channels do you use?

Ours is a B2B business, so Marcolin’s marketing strategy mostly focuses on supporting trade customers in order to implement a kind of distribution that enhances the brand equity of all the brands in our portfolio. When we build brand presence across each brand category in the different regions, we look for partners who can represent it in the most effective or unique way, so as to unlock new opportunities. We visit APAC countries on a regular basis to verify existing trends, develop communication and visibility synergy plans, and create training moments, which at Marcolin basically means sharing skills: new brand and product insights on the one hand, and market perception on the other hand. Trade magazines and conventions are certainly key moments to enrich our customer portfolio in markets where our presence needs to grow organically and constantly through branching. To further strengthen the collaboration with our customers, we are also implementing the Marcolin CX system in APAC, which will help us locally to become the “best and preferred partner”.

Lastly, let me ask you to sum up the first six months of the year and share some insights with us: what are the challenges ahead for the next few months?

2024 started on a positive note in APAC, even though there are a few markets in the region that appear to be slowing down or seeing consumers delaying purchases. On the opportunities side, Japan is an absolute certainty in APAC for Marcolin thanks to a growing trend experienced in 2023 due to tourists flocking in the market to take advantage of the weak yen and, of course, to enjoy the legendary Japanese hospitality. The biggest challenge is China, because Chinese consumers are travelling more and more outside China, thus affecting purchasing power in the domestic market.

We are closely monitoring all the potential opportunities in the market, thanks to collaborations that will kick off soon, such as the first MCM Eyewear collection by Marcolin that will be presented in June in Singapore for SEA and in Hainan, China, for North APAC and China.

Of course, talking about relevant opportunities, the development plan for ic! berlin in APAC is also worth mentioning: an ongoing plan that is already giving its first results in 2024.

The new eyewear for sports enthusiasts

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Movement and Strength

Dunamis is the word that best expresses the Greek concept of strength associated with movement, power and individual ability, perfect values to indicate the new adidas Sport Eyewear model produced by Marcolin. The result of thorough research on materials to meet the needs of those who do outdoor sports, Dunamis is the right adventure companion for athletes who need to protect their eyes with a model having a light and perfectly stable frame, with lenses that can guarantee broad and precise vision in all weather conditions.

« Dunamis is the right adventure companion for athletes »

A unique eyewear model

Created using a Marcolin mold, Dunamis is the product of scrupulous research and production techniques aimed at extreme performance. The result is a unique sports eyewear model boasting incredible lightness and a perfectly aerodynamic line. Two decisive aspects when being outdoors.

Design and attention to detail

The result? A model with an enveloping line, with scratchproof, dustproof, and hydro-oleophobic treated lenses, featuring the inevitable and iconic adidas Performance logo. The temples, the result of a new slim and aerodynamic design, greatly increase the comfort and fit of the eyewear during use. Dunamis is the eyewear model that perfectly meets the three basic needs of those who regularly do outdoor sports: shield the eyes from UVA and UVB rays, protect them from trauma or falls and be able to rely on a good breadth of the field of vision.