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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.

The new eyewear for sports enthusiasts

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Movimento e forza

Dunamis, è la parola che meglio esprime il concetto greco di forza associata al movimento, potenza e capacità individuale: valori perfetti per indicare il nuovo modello adidas Sport Eyewear prodotto da Marcolin. Frutto di un’attenta ricerca sui materiali per rispondere alle esigenze di chi pratica sport outdoor, Dunamis è il compagno di avventura adatto per atleti che hanno bisogno di proteggere gli occhi con un modello dalla montatura leggera e perfettamente stabile, con lenti in grado di garantire una visione ampia e precisa in tutte le condizioni meteo.

“Dunamis è il compagno di avventura adatto per gli atleti”

Un occhiale unico

Creato tramite l’utilizzo di uno stampo Marcolin, Dunamis è il prodotto di scrupolose ricerche e tecniche produttive mirate all’estremizzazione della performance: il risultato è un occhiale sportivo unico nel suo genere dotato di incredibile leggerezza e di una linea perfettamente aerodinamica. Due aspetti decisivi quando si fa sport all’aria aperta.

Design e cura dei dettagli

Il risultato? Un modello dalla linea avvolgente, con lenti dotate di trattamenti antigraffio, antipolvere, e idro-oleofobici, caratterizzate dall’immancabile e iconico adidas Performance logo. Le aste, frutto di un nuovo design sottile e aerodinamico, incrementano notevolmente il comfort e la vestibilità dell’occhiale durante il suo utilizzo. Dunamis è l’occhiale che risponde alla perfezione ai tre bisogni fondamentali di chi pratica regolarmente sport all’aria aperta: schermare gli occhi dai raggi UVA e UVB, proteggerli da traumi o cadute e poter contare su una buona ampiezza del campo visivo.

 

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.

Regina Marques

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Since the 1970s, Marcolin has established relations with Brazil and inaugurated its showroom in São Paulo: a meeting that immediately sparked the interest of the Brazilian public in Italian-made eyewear. You, on the contrary, have brought Brazilian cinema to Italy. Is this the confirmation of a mutual interest at all levels?

«It was 2003 and in Italy there was a lot of talk about Brazil. The world’s attention was on the Amazon, Lula had just been elected and the city of São Paulo (twinned with Milan) was celebrating the 450th anniversary of its foundation, so it was the right opportunity to organize an event with São Paulo films and directors. The success motivated us to continue and, little by little, we turned into a real Festival. With one goal: to go beyond clichés and bring to Italy a selection of contemporary films that is as varied and representative as possible of today’s Brazil. An immense, young country in great cultural, economic and artistic ferment».

Speaking of eyewear, the question must be asked: what is the look that distinguishes Brazilian cinema?

«Brazil is a vast and complex country, and its cinema reflects this complexity. They range from favela movies to docufilms on the 60 years of military dictatorship; from family stories that talk about patriarchy to indigenous and environmental issues, which are extremely felt in my country, to films more related to the themes of music and dance, because bodily expressiveness is a fundamental part of the Brazilian way of looking at reality. In general, I would say that ours is a young, curious, physical and sensitive look to environmental issues».

From your artistic point of view, what points are in common with Europe and especially with Italy?

«Considering the European and Italian origins of many Brazilians, there are many points of contact between our views. Starting from the love for art, design and fashion. And then, after all, there is a special bond that unites Italy to Brazilian cinema. It was an Italian, Vittorio di Maio, who made the first “Lumière-style” films on the streets of Rio at the end of the nineteenth century, offering Brazilians the opportunity to look at themselves with an outside eye. Not a game of mirrors, but of different gazes that are really interested in getting to know each other better».

Timberland Experience

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Direction: Southwest

By day, it offers all possible shades ranging from ocher to purple, and by night, the skies are crowded with extremely bright stars. A red-rock oasis, this Canyon Rim Plateau is just minutes away from the Grand Staircase and Lone Rock Beach. Within a few kilometers of Lake Powell stands a unique luxury-outdoor resort, Under Canvas, the perfect starting point for many excursions on the mesas and long canoe trips on Lake Powell. The ideal place to discover the splendor of the American Southwest.

Green Comfort

The Under Canvas Resort is an elegant, comfortable and, above all, green glamping. 100% solar powered, it is the first in the world to have obtained a DarkSky certification, awarded to structures that combat light pollution to restore the natural nocturnal environment. It is no coincidence that on the occasion of Earth Day, Timberland chose to bring together a selection of outdoor and accessories journalists for three days of activities in the desert and on the lake. It was an opportunity to submerge themselves into nature and these unique outdoor activities to really put to the test Timberland Eyewear’s sunglasses from the latest collection.

For sports souls

April is one of the best times to visit the Southwest region in terms of temperatures (the maximum is around 28°C). It is also one month and one day after the spring equinox, which we celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd) in support for environmental protection of our planet. It is a particularly meaningful day for Timberland as an eco-conscious brand which dedicates many of their efforts in protecting the natural environments and planet. To fully immerse in Timberland’s brand ethos, this experience was only fitting in one of nature’s most beautiful, untouched settings – Grand Staircase – Escalante.

Sabrina Paulon

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1

The European Diversity Month is an opportunity to talk about inclusion within companies and workplace. The general panorama, according to data, still has many critical issues, except for some companies, such as Marcolin which this year obtained the Gender Equality Certification. In summary, what were the corporate initiatives that made possible to achieve this result?

This year we obtained the gender equality certification, a very important acknowledgement for Marcolin, because it rewards the efforts made over the past few years, by introducing a number of initiatives aimed at promoting corporate welfare, supporting parenting and work-life balance and introducing the smart working, even before the pandemic, when smart working was only marginal. In terms of education and training, we introduced the Leadership Academy, which is a course for the leaders of tomorrow, and during the last year we focused on a specific session dedicated to women. Still on the issue of parenting, we introduced Focus Groups, as well as additional paternity leave allowances.

2

What are, in your opinion, the useful practical solutions that a company should implement or strengthen to create a truly inclusive working environment today?

For us “Inclusion” means accepting and embracing diversity, because we believe that every person is unique, and this should be a corporate value. So that it wasn’t an extemporaneous initiative linked to the management of today’s managers, three years ago we wrote the Diversity & Inclusion Charter which we followed up with a whole series of policies aimed at the inclusion of all people who work at Marcolin. In addition to the inclusive policies and tools already implemented in the Company, today we want to create an inclusive culture. And to do so, we want to start from the language, which should be a proper, respectful, and welcoming language that celebrates diversity.

 

3

In addition to inclusion, what are the tools carried out by Marcolin to be able to break down the glass ceiling of managerial positions and to bridge the gender gap which, unfortunately, still exists in terms of salaries?

Gender equality and women’s empowerment also mean equal pay. At Marcolin today, in the January-October period, women accounted for 60% of the total workforce, 40% of whom is manager, and 50% covers executive roles. It is a program that we have implemented over time and that today includes a Gender Equality Committee and a Gender Equality Manager who makes sure that, every year, there is no gender gap within compensation packages and benefits. We are very proud of how far we have come, but we know that we still have a long way to pursue.

ic! berlin and Mercedes-AMG

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Success story

Two young engineers, Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, and a little town, Grossaspach, located in the heart of Baden-Württemberg. These are the names that make up the acronym AMG, the performance and sports car brand of the iconic firm Mercedes-Benz. A story of hard work, passion, and success. The new ic! berlin eyewear collection was conceived with the values of AMG in mind – great attention to detail and a passion for high technology: four new frames designed and produced by the German brand, which was able to combine, once again, design and material research with skillful craftsmanship.

Unexpected Affinity

The collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and ic! berlin has brought together, since 2020, two globally recognized but very different German brands: a performance luxury brand like Mercedes-AMG and a brand that dominates the alternative scene in Berlin like ic! berlin. It could have been a bet, but it was a success: the great attention to design, artistic research, and high craftsmanship that the two brands have in common laid the foundations for three successful collections.

“For spring 2024, ic! berlin and Mercedes-AMG Eyewear introduce four unisex designs”

Unisex Collection

For spring 2024, ic! berlin and Mercedes-AMG Eyewear introduce four unisex designs, including both sunglasses and optical frames and featuring a very strong personality. The merit goes to the unique volumes, colorful details, and accurate selection of materials – from graphite to acetate, laminated steel and titanium.

Loreen Hinz

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1

Your creations are always striking for the strength of the images and a certain Dadaist spirit, which overturns the meaning of things: is this what made you appreciated by magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair?

«First, I have to say I started totally different. I started doing modelling pictures and I had nothing to do with still life or something like that. But then 2020 came and everything changed in the world. This was the best I could imagine because this brought me to still life and I never thought that this would be such a passion. And I explored that I really love working with objects because in my little heart I am an artist and if I would ever have the patience, I would be a painter. Instead of oil colour or pencils, I use my camera and my settings which are built often by my own to create my own paintings. I try to produce the unexpected».

2

How do you manage to combine the love for Renaissance painters, or poetic themes such as the body and its transformations, with the communication of a product?

«I have to say in the former part of my life, I studied economics and marketing, and I worked several years in a big advertising agency here in Germany and in the art buying department and I also worked several times as creative director in my own shooting. So, I know these businesses in all aspects and because I know these marketing hard facts that you must generate attention first, that you have to be unique and that you have to catch the viewer’s eye. So, I always have these in mind and so it makes easier for me to combine these marketing hard facts with my aesthetic point of view. I do not see objects as they are, I treat them like my models».

“I do not see objects as they are, I treat them like my models”
3

It is impossible not to ask an artist who works with the eyes: what is the heart of the aesthetic and spiritual vision that guides your work, and which was also triggered in this project to create these shots for Marcolin?

«The starting point for this project for Marcolin was a discussion about the presentation of the human being and times of augmented reality and AI and how we could ensure the human presentation if even the artificial intelligence can copy a human being so perfectly. And so, I started studying the ideas of Constructivism and also Art Nouveau in the beginning of the 20th century, because these movements were also like an answer on the technical project in that times because we all have this collective memory of forms and pictures. And this was very interesting working with and using the body parts and head and combining them with the glasses».

Born in Oasi Zegna

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Oasi Zegna

Oasi Zegna is a natural reserve that covers an area of 100 km² in the Biella Alps, in Piedmont, Northern Italy. At the beginning of the last century, Ermenegildo Zegna undertook a vast reforestation program in the mountainous area surrounding his wool mill and, for the first time, connected the two sides of the mountain through the construction of the 232 Road. The reforestation and local community development project that gave rise to Oasi Zegna now boasts over 500,000 trees and promotes cohesion and harmony between humans, industry and nature.

ZEGNA’s Founder

The founder’s vision has been nurtured by successive generations, who continue to preserve Oasi Zegna as a unique model of social and environmental awareness. The 232 Road, symbolises the union between the past and the future, is now the distinctive Brand Mark of every Zegna garment, paying tribute to the values and ideas that have guided the brand. Ermenegildo Zegna transformed ideas into a commitment to producing the world’s finest fabrics – creating a forest, road and communities in the process. The Founder always prioritised quality over quantity with this approach present across the brand’s ready-to-wear and runway collections.

Quality Craftsmanship

The brand’s enduring dedication to craftsmanship is strikingly evident in the ZEGNA Eyewear collection, which draws from the brand’s origins in Oasi Zegna. The collection—which features styles like Aurora, meaning ‘sunrise’ and Orizzonte, meaning ‘horizon’—is inspired by the panoramic Alpine views afforded by the brand’s unique natural territory.

Rendered in a carefully curation of lightweight metals and glossy acetates, ZEGNA Eyewear is at once timeless and contemporary, making the selection of sunglasses and opticals ideal for everyday wear. Featuring a variety of stylish silhouettes, the collection is designed to perfectly complement ZEGNA’s luxurious wardrobe offering, which is crafted from sophisticated materials including Oasi Cashmere and Oasi Lino.

Born in Oasi Zegna: the book

ZEGNA is set to launch their new ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ Book at this year’s edition of Milan Design Week. Told over the course of four beautifully printed chapters, Born in Oasi Zegna is a striking homage to the pioneering Founder of the world’s leading luxury menswear brand.

Made in Italy Day on April 15: Save the date!

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A Symbolic Date

Upon request from Altagamma – that Marcolin joined this year – and the National Chamber for Italian Fashion, the first “National Made in Italy Day” will kick off on April 15th, a special occasion to celebrate Italian creativity and excellence. The date was not chosen by chance, it is a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, who was born on April 15th, 1452: a genius, a scientist, an inventor and an artist who embodied the “universal talent” celebrated in the Renaissance, thus becoming a universal symbol of Italian creativity worldwide.

“The perfect occasion to find out the many interesting training and work opportunities”

Attention to Young People

A variety of initiatives will be held on Made in Italy Day: a roundtable, live experiences at companies and networking events with schools and universities.  The perfect occasion for young people to find out the many interesting training and work opportunities offered by the Italian high-end industry, which plays a key role in the country’s economy, employing almost 2 million people and representing a sector of excellence that is admired globally. An industry that, in light of future challenges, looks to the younger generations.

An Ever-Evolving World

The day dedicated to our brand identity will also be an occasion for many to find out that Italy is more than just a breathtaking tourist destination (boasting 51 UNESCO heritage sites), it is also a country with a flourishing manufacturing industry. An industry that, in a variety of different sectors – ranging from food to high-tech and mechanics up to design and home interior – brings together passion, culture of beauty and investment in innovation. Three keywords that characterize Made in Italy products and that have always been a part of Marcolin’s DNA, which is one of the major promoters of Made in Italy Day. No vanity or self-celebration then, just another occasion to introduce our excellent manufacturing heritage to the public at large.