THESE FRENCH HAD EVERYTHING - AND FASHIONABLE CLOTHING, AND LUXURY SHOES, AND STYLISH ACCESSORIES. NOT ENOUGH Trivia. POINTS! YES YES, SUNGLASSES, WITHOUT ANY IMAGE, LET EVEN THE MOST FASHIONABLE, LOOKS LIKE AN UNFINISHED. AND IN "LANVIN" DECIDED THAT THE BEST PARTNER FOR RELEASE OF OWN OPTICS, THAN ITALIANS FROM "DE RIGO", DO NOT FIND THEM.
How this cooperation began and ended, we asked Michel Aracri, CEO of the Italian manufacturer of luxury optics De Rigo, who arrived in Dubai to present the first collection of glasses in the history of Lanvin House.
Michel, please tell us a little about the activities of your company and how the creative alliance between Lanvin and De Rigo developed?
If we talk about the ongoing international development of De Rigo, then just recently we opened nine boutiques only in Moscow, so I can safely say that Russia is for De Rigo the second largest market after the Middle East. This applies to both sunglasses and conventional optics. Our portfolio includes well-known brands such as Louis Vuitton, Zegna, Chopard, Givenchy, Escada, Police and so on. Today, our other partner is Lanvin.
We started cooperation in November last year, and now we can say that the profit from sales of Lanvin sun-protection optics has doubled.
How does De Rigo manage to convey the individuality of each of them in glasses with different designer brands?
We have a separate team of designers and marketers working with each individual brand so that when developing optics, it is extremely accurate to focus not only on the preferences of a particular market segment, but also on the transfer of the main qualities of the brand. So, for example, while working on the Chopard collection, we worked very closely with the company's representative office in Geneva to create glasses that would ideally fit the image of the brand. When working on optics, we always take into account the style of accessories existing in fashion houses, such as watches or jewelry. This is the only way we can design the "right" product. For example, the characteristic pattern on the strap or dial is transferred to the frame elements to create the effect of the kit.
Every season you need to create new collections of optics. How difficult is it not to repeat and stay innovative?
Every year for each brand we develop two collections: one in the spring, the second in the autumn. But for us to remain creative and innovative is to be successful. It is difficult but necessary. After all, if the buyer does not see the difference, he will never spend money on a new product.
What requirements or difficulties do you face in working with the Lanvin team?
The main person at Lanvin is Albert Elbaz, director of the Fashion House. He controls literally everything at Lanvin, but we are very pleased that he himself is a big fan of sunglasses. He personally participated in the design of the first collection of branded glasses with us, so we have no problems with this team. In everything that Alber does, there is passion and love for his own brand.
Today it is obvious! Just take a look at the new sunglasses collection at Lanvin Boutique in Dubai. In addition to beautiful frames, glasses and their quality remain a very important factor when choosing a sun-protection optics.
What do you do to ensure that the quality of glasses from de Rigo is always on top?
The quality of all elements of our products is one of the most important and capacious parts of our work. In our company there are a lot of quality criteria for both frames and glasses. And, as in the issue of marketing optics De Rigo, for each material we are responsible for people who monitor compliance with all standards of quality and hygiene. Our main task is to be the best in the field of optics, not theoretically, but practically.
Michel, why did you personally decide to build your career in the optical industry? Are you a fan of quality glasses too?
I came to the optical industry 32 years ago, and have never regretted it. When we started, there were only 10 people in De Rigo, and today there are already more than 5000 of them in the company! To be honest, for me, my work has never been just a business. I believe that glasses are a sharp fashion accessory, so my business is high fashion. Anyway!
