Autor: Newsroom

Twenty-thousand visitors for 100 laboratories, companies, manufacturers and ateliers located across the country. These are the figures for ApritiModa, an event that, now at its seventh run, was held last weekend, between October 21-22. Created by journalist Cinzia Sasso and sponsored by the Ministry for Business and Made in Italy, the Town of Milan, Fai Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano and the Altagamma Foundation, Apriti Moda is an event that, since 2017, has offered the audience a sneak peek of the behind-the-scenes of the world of Italian fashion and luxury. A world that is usually reserved to insiders only. Marcolin, for the third year in a row, participated in the initiative by welcoming visitors at its Longarone headquarters.

«Three years ago, when we have been invited to attend ApritiModa, we joined with enthusiasm and today the idea of opening the doors to the public continues to excite us. Glasses are thought to be simple, easy products, but this is not the case» said Sabrina Paulon, Marcolin Group HR Director. «A frame, instead, is the result of a long process that includes 50 to 67 phases, and opening the doors also means transferring the craftsmanship behind a product. Some manufacturing steps have been automated but the savoir faire and experience still matter a lot for us. The human value at Marcolin is crucial». About fifty visitors, including students, curious viewers and enthusiasts, had the chance to step into the Design and Style department, a place that is at the heart of Marcolin’s creativity, where every new frame is conceived from the very beginning; they had the opportunity to personally touch the materials in the lab where prototypes are made and to see firsthand a part of the eyewear manufacturing and finishing process.

Manufacturing steps that, from the design to the final product phase, require 18 to 24 months of work. Combining tradition with innovation is key, without forgetting the indications provided by the designers of the fashion brand whose frame are being created. «Every frame is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece, so nothing is left to chance» concluded Sabrina Paulon. Before hitting the market, every frame manufactured daily at Marcolin must undergo rigorous quality controls and gain official certification. That’s something to remember every time you wear your glasses.

Tod’s pays homage to craftsmanship, to Italian savoir-faire, with a project and an exhibition that are traveling the world and that stem from the collaboration with a fashion photographer of the caliber of Tim Walker. We are talking about The Art of Craftsmanship, A project by Tim Walker: a gallery of photos depicting, with a hint of irony and great imagination, the manufacturing process of Tod’s iconic products.

This project wishes to speak of the evolution of objects through the tools used to manufacture them and the skilled hands that shape and assemble the different materials together, to highlight the fact that the most valuable asset and what really makes a difference in the creation process of objects such as the iconic Di Bag and Gommino is craftsmanship itself.

These are the values on which the collaboration between Marcolin and Tod’s is built, a collaboration that today gives life to a new collection made instantly recognizable by its unique elements, such as the unmistakable leather braid on the temples or the metal chain detail inspired by the exclusive Kate collection. Signature details that don’t go unnoticed, reflecting a contemporary vision of Italian excellence.

To do this, the vision of Tim Walker was crucial, a man who can turn a setting into a dream full of magic, while always staying true to Irving Penn’s famous motto: “I always thought we were selling dreams, not clothes”. On the setting, Walker thus plays with the double meaning of the objects crafted and of the tools used during the key manufacturing phases: leather cutting, sewing, brushing. A celebration of the Italian lifestyle and craftsmanship quality – key values for Tod’s – using an ironic and free-spirited language.

Maintaining a good work-life balance; constantly facing change and challenges on both fronts; establishing positive relationships with colleagues and superiors. These are all regular topics in every worker’s daily life but, over the past few years, they have also become a source of great stress.  Because something has changed. We talked about it a few days ago during the World Mental Health Day: in Italy, just like in the United States and in other European countries, workers have been experiencing a sense of discomfort. Why is that? Because the stress levels are too high.

According to the latest data, 56% of Italians are under stress, an 8% increase versus last year (source: the International Workforce and Wellbeing Mindset Study and the Axa-Ipsos Survey). A pretty significant number if you consider that almost 80% of them think that their general well-being is strongly connected with workplace well-being. On the other hand, 92% of workers, including both men and women, deem it important that companies actively take care of employee psychological well-being. In light of all this, Marcolin decided to embrace the good practices implemented by some international companies and introduced a workplace counseling service for all its employees in Italy.

The service, supported by Odm Consulting (a consulting company specialized in human resources management and enhancement) and in partnership with the Sygmund platform (run by an Institute registered with the National Health Service and supervised by the National Register of Psychologists), is available 24/7 (seven days a week) to all the employees. The counseling service aims to help employees handle personal and work-related problems more effectively, favor self-awareness, promote dialogue and well-being, while of course allowing them to remain anonymous and respecting their privacy. This project is just one of the many initiatives that Marcolin Group has always carried out for its employees, as their well-being and value are considered a top priority. All these projects are part of a vision where welfare, vocational training (thanks to the various Academies operating across the Group) and flexibility are the key assets on which the company’s success is based.

Wearing the right eyewear when exercising outdoors, whether you’re walking, cycling or running, is crucial to your wellbeing and safety. Particularly when running, details such as weight, frame stability, and breadth and sharpness of vision are decisive when it comes to training or competing.

Adidas Sport Eyewear models have been developed specifically to optimise sporting performance. As well as protecting your eyes from the sun and wind, the brand’s latest models, SP0088 and SP0089, feature an adjustable nose piece to ensure the best possible fit and temples with an internal rubber grip to guarantee better stability during physical activity. They also cater for sportsmen and women with eyesight problems who want to be free of contact lenses.

The mechanics of these new models are all inside the frame where, with a simple gesture, the prescription lenses can be inserted and clipped directly onto the nose piece. The result is perfect vision, as confirmed by some of the journalists and athletes who tested them during the latest Adidas Experience, a 20-kilometre run along a scenic route in the Dolomites. “Stable and bounce-free, lightweight and practical: the lenses are easy to attach and remove,” comments British journalist and storyteller Matt Kollat.

“What strikes you about these glasses is the wide, 180-degree vision and the excellent ventilation: the lenses don’t fog up, you don’t have to take them off because you’re sweating,” adds German photographer and outdoor blogger Björn Ahrndt, who wears contact lenses for sports. Test passed, then. The same goes for photochromic lenses, which help you cope with changing weather conditions and see well when switching from total shade to sunlight. Another requirement for anyone wanting to enjoy outdoor sports all year round, whatever the season.

A small pink ribbon, the same one that – since 1992 – has raised awareness about breast cancer prevention and early diagnosis worldwide, personalizes the temple tips of this eyewear. And the signature color pink characterizes the frames and lenses of the two new styles from the latest Guess Eyewear capsule collection.

A very special pair of sunglasses and an optical frame that bring together Guess Eyewear and Marcolin in their commitment c, the American non-profit association that, since 2007, has worked across schools and clinics to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention among women and girls.

A commitment that started eight years ago and that every year turns into a new capsule collection specifically created and dedicated to women in the name of a key chapter in the story of women’s health. A topic that The Get In Touch foundation – founded by Mary Ann Wasil and run by her daughter Betsy after the passing of her mother – addresses by teaching women the importance and effectiveness of Daisy Wheel, a self-exam that can be performed since a very young age. A true lifesaver that enables women to know and check their body’s health.

To carry out its mission, the association collaborates, on a daily basis, with oncologists and gynecologists, organizes focus groups for younger girls and brings breast self-exam education to schools. A great commitment that, of course, needs everybody’s support. And so here come these two new elegant and lightweight frames that, in their dedicated case, will tinge October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – with pink

With very few exceptions, today’s glasses are no longer made from rare, prized materials. But their value goes beyond the tangible nature of this aspect: it’s the creative process that makes the difference. In other words, that invisible, in some ways imperceptible, phase of work in which a thought is transformed into a sketch and then into a design, calling into play experience, hours of work, painstaking attention to detail. Thus begins the journey that will lead to the creation of a new frame, helping offer a precise view of the world. This is the intangible heritage we always find behind the creative process of a new frame, as everyone in the Marcolin Style Department knows. A way of working akin to the high engineering of the world of jewellery.

It is precisely from the world of jewellery, where even the smallest detail – given the premium quality of the materials – must be taken care of with the utmost attention, that inspiration is taken to add value to a pair of glasses. Such as the insertion of small ‘wrong’ marks that can change refraction, create a chiaroscuro effect, break the perfection of a temple. Small interventions that mean an object is no longer characterised as mass produced and give it a very human uniqueness and, therefore, a greater value. Details that are not without significance. Because it is even in the smallest of gestures, such as choosing a pair of glasses, that we reveal how much value we attach to ourselves.

Coming up with a new collection, in fact, means taking a whole host of aspects into account. Starting with the fit, because a pair of glasses must, first and foremost, be comfortable. At the same time, however, it is a special object, which is always chosen following the heart, our most emotional organ. And which, by surrounding our eyes, communicates something about us to the rest of the world. The care that goes into the details in the creative phase is the very ingredient that can touch those senses and emotions, because it conveys the soul, the value of the licences with which a group like Marcolin works. In a nutshell, with each new collection, the challenge is to innovate by touching new sensory and emotional chords, while remaining true to the character of each brand: each model has its own values, a precise history and different inspirational muses. Everyone needs to be well aware of these aspects and follow them very closely.