Safilo Announces Vision Expo East Programming

The show runs March 31-April 2..

(Press Release) PARSIPPANY – – Italian eyewear company Safilo will be present at Vision Expo East, the largest and most prestigious eyewear trade show in the U.S., from March 31 to April 2 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City with its direction-setting booth, #2749, located on the main show floor.

Show attendees are encouraged to sign up for booth tours at the Safilo reception desk where they can learn about Safilo’s industry-leading capabilities in the areas of trendsetting design, superior craftsmanship and powerful brand building – illustrated by its own core brands highlighted by Polaroid, Carrera, Safilo, Elasta, Emozioni and Smith – in addition to new launch collections, manufactured under license, for Havaianas and Fendi Mens.

The company will host some powerful experiences that celebrate the independent eyewear powerhouse’s leading edge innovations in the wearable field with SAFILOX smart eyewear and celebrate the company’s historical savoir-faire with the U.S. unveiling of its new digital eyewear museum.

Safilo will also reaffirm its leadership in corporate responsibility which is focused on the development of future eyewear talent and female leadership development in the industry by hosting students from The New School’s Parsons School of Design in its booth as well as hosting some of the optical industry’s most influential female leaders in its Fifth Avenue showroom.

“This year’s Vision Expo East booth, in addition to our overall programming for VEE, positions Safilo as the favored independent player and preferred customer partner of the optical industry in North America. Our leading-edge capabilities in the areas of trendsetting design, superior craftsmanship, powerful brand building and technological innovation, coupled with our commitment to nurture and develop future eyewear talent, is just the tip of the iceberg for us and the world-class capabilities we offer our customers. We look forward to a very exciting Vision Expo weekend,” says Henri Blomqvist, CEO of Safilo North America.

POLAROID: INSTANT DISCOVERY

Booth visitors are invited to a live cinematic Instant Experience of Polaroid’s polarized lenses visualized through a special monitor allowing the viewer to enjoy the bright colors of life instantly – with no glare and distortion-free vision. Polaroid, the inventor of polarization technology, allows wearers to enjoy bright colors with unique benefits: glare-free vision, clear contrasts, perception of natural colors, reduced eye fatigue and 100% UV protection. Additionally, Polaroid optical frames provide affordable design-led eyewear for everyone at unbeatable value for the price. The brand will be hard to miss at VEE with Polaroid appearing on the cover of the show directory and with a very visible presence in the common areas of the show.

CARRERA: CELEBRATING THE LEGEND

Carrera has always been in pole position with its innovative and daring spirit, since 1956. The new advertising campaign, featuring Academy Award Winning actor and recording artist Jared Leto sporting the season’s most directional optical frames and sunglasses yet, will be on display along with a behind the scenes video. In addition to highlighting an exciting new collection of SS17 optical frames which has already been seen on famous faces such as model Bella Hadid, the newest sunglasses feature the exclusive new RED HD Lenses. These special lenses provide enhanced polarization benefits as well as boast a high-contrast and anti-reflective treatment that allows colors to be seen much more vividly, filtering out the blue light thus providing eye relaxation which ultimately prevents eye aging.

SMITH: PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY BEYOND WALLS

The newest SS17 SMITH optical styles and sunwear offerings – incorporating Chromapop technology for optimized performance and clean styling to fuel fun beyond walls – will be on full display in the booth.
Smith seeks to power thrilling experiences in snow, surf, bike, fish and peak performance outdoor adventures with a comprehensive collection that exudes modern style and vibrant personality. Chromapop lenses filter light at two specific wavelengths to eliminate color confusion to the brain while providing a sharper, easier and faster visual experience.

SAFILOX SMART EYEWEAR

Following the resounding success at CES 2017, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, SAFILOX will be showcased at VEE. SAFILO has used its legendary product savoir-faire to combine an iconic high quality sunglass product with leading brain wave sensing technology that integrates Interaxon’s Muse brain-sensing technology into the popular and stylish Smith Lowdown sunglasses. It delivers cognitive training technology via seamlessly integrated and beautifully designed eyewear that can be worn every day. (By invitation only.)

SAFILO: A VISION BEYOND FRAMES

In a dedicated area within the booth, the eponymous Safilo branded eyewear collection, relaunching Fall 2017, will be unveiled to visitors through a unique virtual reality experience that combines the emotional and technological aspects of the brand and celebrates the superior design, functional innovation, and “Made-in- Italy” know-how for which the brand is globally recognized.
The new Safilo optical frames are distinguished by a new and iconic hinge, a noteworthy new example of the company’s state-of- art technology. This distinctive and functional element is interpreted with a titanium body and an innovative system of double springs, providing a 15-year durability. This new hinge, which is extremely strong and flexible and guarantees perfect fit and maximum comfort, is part of a new and innovative modular design inserted onto the temples of most styles in the collection.

ELASTA AND EMOZIONI: AMERICAN EYES

Safilo is pleased to reintroduce two ophthalmic brands to the U.S. this spring: the Elasta collection for men and the Emozioni collection for women. The Elasta spring hinge introduced innovation to the eyewear industry in 1967 and is widely acclaimed within the industry as being one of Safilo’s greatest inventions. The hinge has been perfected and improved during the past 50 years to reach today’s evolution offered again in the new men’s Elasta collection and the new women’s Emozioni collection. Both brands – which are Made in Italy – have always been favored by opticians and patients alike for their quality as well as their well-designed and timeless styling that is well suited for a broad customer base and the incomparable comfort and innovation offered by each collection’s variety of Elasta hinge offerings.

To celebrate, Safilo has organized an exclusive and compelling photography exhibit called American Eyes shot by Italian artist Gianluca Vassallo who traveled to four U.S. states to meet Elasta and Emozioni customers to discover the joy and care they dedicate to their patients – sustained by the reliability of these two Safilo owned brands – to protect the eyes of America. The exhibition is an homage to American opticians – celebrating the people, optical shops and landscapes they call home.

The product collections will be highlighted in the booth with a teaser of some of the portraits from the American Eyes exhibition running Friday, March 31 st – Sunday, April 2 at the Caelum Gallery in Chelsea located at 508-526 W. 26 th St., Suite 315. Gallery Hours: 12-6pm on Friday and Sunday, 10am-9pm on Saturday. Open to the public. The exhibition can also be found on Safilo’s digital museum www.GalleriaSafilo.com.

HAVAIANAS

Celebrating the spirit of the Brazilian summer, show visitors are invited to experience the Havaianas sunglass launch collection featuring four of the best-selling sunglass shapes in a variety of sizes and countless color combinations. Named after famous Brazilian beach destinations, the sunglasses represent the essence of the brand’s highly successful Havaianas flip flop line, complete with the brand’s comfortable rubber texture and famous rice pattern present on the soles.

FENDI MEN’S

Safilo is pleased to present Fendi’s first men’s eyewear collection: a wide and complete collection of sunglasses and optical frames that celebrate Fendi Men in an innovative way. Elegant and contemporary like the Fendi Man, the eyewear collection plays with classic shapes and materials combining them in a unique and unexpected way. The shapes range from contemporary squared models to round retro-inspired styles, all conveying the FENDI DNA through surprising color and material combinations enhanced by distinctive details such as the iconic triangle element, the stitching details in metal and the colored outlines, shaping the Fendi Eyewear universe in a playful way.

SAFILO X PARSONS DESIGN THESIS COMPETITION: STUDENT PROTOTYPES REVEALED

Join Safilo Group’s CEO Luisa Delgado, Vladimiro Baldin, Chief Design Product Officer and Alessandro Marcer, VP, U.S. Creative Director of Safilo, in the Safilo booth on Friday, March 31 st between 2:30–3:00 p.m., along with students and representatives from The New School’s Parsons School of Design, for the big reveal of the final prototypes in the first Safilo x Parsons Design Thesis Competition. The prototypes will also be available for viewing throughout Vision Expo East, during show hours, in the New Designer Gallery Lounge [#N1258].

A celebration of designers of the next generation, the competition, first announced in November 2016, underscores design and product excellence which echoes Safilo Group’s purpose as a design inspired and brand led eyewear manufacturer with product at the heart of its transformative 2020 corporate strategic plan.

The competition builds not only on the value that Safilo places on eyewear and the company’s ongoing commitment to preserve eyewear craftsmanship but also on Safilo’s commitment to educate younger generations as the company has done with its Safilo Product School which was inaugurated in 2015 as an apprenticeship program.

The six thesis-level BFA student finalists were selected from a number of senior candidates who submitted their designs through Parsons. The winning student will win a cash price of $5,000 and the winning prototype will be displayed during Parson’s end of year benefit in May.

SAFILO DIGITAL MUSEUM

Fresh off its global unveiling at MIDO, Safilo proudly presents GalleriaSafilo.com, the first Digital Museum in the world entirely dedicated to eyewear and to the history, technology and everlasting appeal of the eyewear industry. The digital museum represents an important inspiration for the company’s corporate vision, excellence and long-term values which Safilo wants to share widely. Designed for customers, scholars, researchers, as well as anyone who is curious about the history of eyewear and the industry’s evolution, GalleriaSafilo.com is a Cloud-based digital project that allows visitors to discover, experience and share the wonders of a museum visit from any preferred device, leveraging social networks with intuitive features and language.

WOMEN IN OPTICS

Safilo will host a breakfast event at its Fifth Avenue showroom in New York City on Saturday, April 1st dedicated to the female leaders in the optical industry, bringing together its female partners from across North America in a networking event hosted by its own female leader, Luisa Delgado, Safilo Group CEO, and Nancy Berger, VP, Publisher of Marie Claire USA magazine. Special guest, Shantell Martin, a British born visual artist living in New York, will also be in attendance. She was selected to collaborate with fashion brand Max Mara, Safilo’s licensing partner, on the launch of its limited-edition Prism in Motion collection of sunglasses this month. This reflects SAFILO’s corporate commitment to promoting female development in the eyewear industry. (By invitation only).