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Issue # 20June 24th 2015

From the Eyeglass Museum to MilanUntil 24 July, some pieces will be displayed at Auction House Pandolfini in Milan.

Carrara celebrates marble

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Global retail trends and innovations in design experience for the next five years.

Retail Industry 2020

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For its 40th anniversary, Grottini Retail Environments organized a convention dedicated to design thinking and the human touch.

In what way will consumers change over the next five years? What will they need and what will be the challenges for retail? These are just a few of the subjects discussed during the “Retail Industry 2020” convention.

The human touch. With the growth of e-commerce and new consumption habits, visits to stores that do not use the Internet as a means of distribution have dropped drastically (from almost 40 billion visits in 2010 to below 20 billion in 2013). The big challenge for retail today is no longer economic growth or technology, but the creation of human relationships in a comfortable environment. 85% of consumers spend more if they are assisted by an extremely expert sales team.

Technology isn’t the message. It is a delicate but important step because recent years have seen the birth of stores that focus on in-store technological tools. Technology should never be a substitute for customer service, but simply a support, because innovation is not technology, it is what it enables consumers to do. So the best of online must be brought to offline, investment must be in omnichannels and mobile applications. But the challenge will be to find the right balance between physical and digital. In fact, according to retail design journalist John Ryan, one of the speakers at the convention, retailers who are more efficient at digital management often do not seem to have this connotation.

Retail Industry 2020

| Issue #20 | June 24th 2015

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Rethinking fitting room. The future of retail lies in comfort and the fitting room is an important part of sales that is frequently underestimated. The more you try, the more you buy. Fitting rooms must be much bigger, with better lighting and surface materials. They should have intelligent mirrors and digital devices that encourage selfies and social connectivity.

Design thinking. Design is a process not a formula and it has an economic value. It is no longer enough to design a store, you must design an experience with all the power of innovative storytelling. “In 10 years” – said retail design guru James Damian – “the investment in design-centric companies has yielded 228% more than the same investment in companies with the S&P index”. The design process starts with knowing who you are designing for and with whom you must identify. In other words, the store shouldn’t be designed with yourself in mind: the right idea comes only from knowing what people need.

Retail analytics. According to research by EHI Retail Institute, the third-largest investment in Europe in the next two years will be in “big data”. We must ask ourselves if our windows are sufficiently attractive, if displays work, what consumers look at, what they buy or don’t buy, what they touch, where they head for when they go into a store.

GDO versus discounter. This is the future of European distribution according to Daniele Tirelli, president of Popai Italia: large areas will feel the competition from discounters or club warehouses (such as Costco, which arrived in Europe last year and in March 2015 had 672 outlets throughout the world) and are in danger of losing certain product sectors like personal care, apparel, consumer electronics, books and newspapers. Grand Frais, a fruit and vegetable “wholesaler” in France, will soon be opening its 200th store, making it a formidable competitor for Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan. Its strong points will be Chronodrive (online buying and home delivery), but these formats will cannibalize supermarkets.

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| Issue #20 | June 24th 2015

Despite an unfavorable economic situation, according to Euromonitor data in 2014 Mexicans continued to buy luxury products and three brands in particular: Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Swarovski. Top of the list is Ralph Lauren, with a turnover of 282.88 million dollars and a 6.6% share of the country’s market. Second is Louis Vuitton with sales of 145.73 million dollars and 3.4%. With market penetration of 3.3% and a turnover of around 141.44 million dollars, Swarovski is in third place. In Mexico sales of apparel and footwear totaled about 720.8 million dollars and this year the luxury segment is expected to increase by 6-8%, even higher than in Brazil (4%).

Mexico and luxury

In the first three months of 2015, consolidated billings by Italia Independent Group SpA increased by 21.7% compared to the first three months of 2014 to a total of 10.0 billion euros, thanks primarily to the growth of the eyewear sector in Italy and abroad. Compared to the first three months of 2014, EBITDA increased by 2.9% to 1.6 million euros, equal to 15.7% of billings. This was due to greater cost concentration in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same period last year. Net indebtedness stood at -14.7 million euros against -10.3 million at December 31, 2014, due to the financial burden of foreign subsidiaries, the opening of new stores, and the increased supply of goods associated with the growth in billings.

Paris Couture Spring, Swarovsky

Ray-Ban communication campaign Mykita First for children

With names inspired by the individual characters of the animal kingdom – Panda, Sparrow or Jaguar – Mykita First is a stainless steel collection designed for children from eight years old. Covering all the classic eyewear shapes, including rounded, panto, cat-eye, pilot and rectangular models, the collection includes four optical and three sunglass frames; seven unisex models available in shiny silver, lilac, fluo red, night blue or black. Mykita First meets the ergonomic needs of young faces and the frames are adjustable, sturdy yet ultimately light. All models are fitted with tinted Zeiss lenses and sealed with a rubber coating, providing a robust and scratch-resistant surface. All glasses come in a durable slim-line cover in a matte dove grey, with a powder blue accent that keeps glasses safe from harm and offers easy accessibility via a magnetic clasp.

Ray-Ban Never Hide #Campaign4change includes eight exclusive images shot by photographer and director Cheryl Dunn. The aim is to express the iconoclastic essence of the Never Hide spirit that permeates the brand, with models inspired by the pioneers and rebellious temperaments that have the courage to challenge life’s conventions in everyday life. The campaign is also at the center of a consumer activation initiative: users are invited to visit ray-ban.com, and join the Never Hide Order, Ray-Ban’s “secret society”, and suggest changes (#campaign4change). The winning proposals will be praised at an exclusive Ray-Ban party to be held in October in New York City and projected the same day in Times Square.

Italia Independent continues to grow

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| Issue #20 | June 24th 2015

Thanks to the contribution of Anfao, until July 24, 2015, some pieces from the Eyeglasses Museum in Pieve di Cadore (Belluno, Veneto), will be displayed at the Pandolfini auction house, part of the Milano Fine Arts route of excellence through art studios and galleries. The Eyeglasses Museum collects more than 4.000 artifacts that narrate the story of this precious accessory antiquity to the present. The wealth of objects and documents are presented to the public in two paths: the first floor you can see curiosities related to the world of the lens and eyewear: pince-nez, face-a-main, cases, fans and walking sticks with glasses hidden inside them, binoculars, monocles, magnifying glasses, most made of stones and precious materials. On the second floor a rich and complete exhibition of documents, photographs, interviews, vintage documentary film and equipment documenting the history of the reading glasses industrial district from the late nineteenth century to the present day.

I. Jeffrey O. Gustafson. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Turn over

Set up in 2014, 450 is an entrepreneurial project that stemmed from the know-how of four visionaries whose culture is deep-rooted in technology. The name indicates the number of kilometers that separate the company’s two bases – in Asti and in Cordignano (Treviso). The Ultra Limited optical and sun eyewear launched on the market in May 2014, is the result of an innovative hi-tech processing system. 196 colors of cellulose acetate are chosen in different shades every 6 months to create three trillion combinations for frames that include from 8 to 12 colors. The processing time for each pair of glasses is 41 days. Slight color variations or irregularities on the decorated surface are the guarantee of a unique, unrepeatable product. In addition, a name or signature can be engraved on the temple.

Tailor-made design for Ultra Limited

David George North America Director of Sales Vision EaseKathy Kweon President Citizens of HumanityStefania Morrone Commercial Director NetcityKate Renwick-Espinosa President VSP Vision CareJerry Warner North America President CooperVisionAmy Williams Ceo Citizens of Humanity

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Following its dedication to contemporary creativity and arts, Retrosuperfuture has developed a new project with one of the greatest icons of electronic dance music: Giorgio Moroder. The silhouette draws upon the timeless style of the artist, transforming his unique aesthetic into a three dimensional piece of eyewear, characterized by an all-lens structure and a sporty, curved frame. The brand’s designers have selected and utilized a unique reflective lens material to create the entire piece: frontal frame and temples. Together with the all-lens structure of the frame, the model presents a sophisticated reflective gradient finishing, subtly shifting from gold to silver from top to bottom of the frame, resulting in a daring and exceptionally rich piece of eyewear.

Eyewear goes “electronic” with Retrosuperfuture & Giorgio Moroder

Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions

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Tommy Hilfiger has opened Tommy Garden, a pop-up space in the heart of Milan. Situated in the courtyard of the store on Piazza Oberdan (Porta Venezia), and open to the public during Expo, it is a pleasant, natural and absolutely unique oasis in the city. With a range of outdoor vintage furnishings and a large variety of plants and flowers, the garden is the recreation of an urban greenhouse built with recycled materials, where visitors can have a multisensory experience surrounded by exotic plants and unique aesthetical details. In collaboration with the brand, the project was curated by Claudio Loria, the founder and creative spirit of Leclettico.

Annarita Pilotti, Chief Executive Officer of Loriblu (Fermo), has been elected by a large majority as the new President of Assocalzaturifici, the association that represents footwear companies in Italy. Class of 1958, she is the first woman to hold the office of President of the Italian footwear manufacturers. Over the next two-year period she will be supported by four new Vice Presidents: Siro Badon (Veneto) - De Robert Calzature, Andrea Brotini (Tuscany) - Pakerson, Giovanna Ceolini (Lombardy) - Parabiago Collezioni - Thierry Rabotin, Luca Silvestri (Marche) - Safe Way and the Executive Council elected by the committee of the private part of the General Meeting.

Design, fashion & lifestyle | Issue #20 | June 24th 2015

From June 18 Carrara (Lucca), the world capital of marble, will host Carrara Marble Weeks, the event that for five years has characterized the summer period in the center of the town. It offers a new different dimension and interpretation of the relationship between the town and all the aspects of marble. Installations, exhibitions and events provide visitors with an opportunity to get to know the town and its culture, and also its ability to relate its centuries-old tradition and relationship with marble to new knowledge and visions of art and design.

Carrara Marble Weeks will open the conversation with the town in various theme areas featuring installations and exhibitions: art area, architecture area, innovation and design area.

A celebration of marble

The first woman at the helm of Assocalzaturifici

Tommy Hilfiger gets green

The collaboration between Tera, a manufacturer of polyethylene vases, Oikos, a company that makes colors and materials for sustainable architecture, and a group of nine internationally-renowned artists and architects (Cinzia Anguissola, Luca Scacchetti, Alessandro Palmarini & LPArchitecture, Bernard Khoury of DW5, Andrea Boschetti of Metrogramma, Luisa Bocchietto, Victor Togliani, SeaCreative and the Coniguim duo), has led to Sketch your City of Hope, an event that animated the Fuorisalone. The results are genuine works of art inspired by the City of Hope concept (an entity that for many years has been committed to research in the pediatric oncology field), the entire proceeds from which will be allocated to the homonymous Foundation. Held on June 18, the auction raised almost 20,000 euros.

Sketch your City of Hope

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