Mes: enero 2024

Stefano Galuzzi

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Celebrated fashion photographer Stefano Galuzzi – whose images over the past years have graced the pages of illustrious magazines of the caliber of Vogue Mexico & Ukraine, 10 Magazine, Porter, The Edit, Vanity Fair, Italian GQ and L’Express Styles – also shot the latest WEB Eyewear campaign, Marcolin’s house brand that is globally appreciated for its design and style. Let’s meet him to learn more about the philosophy and “behind the scenes” of his job.

1

What pushed you to take a Master’s Degree in Photography after your Literature Degree and how did you make your debut in the fashion industry with a prestigious magazine like Vogue?

It was just by chance. During my Modern Literature studies, I ran into a former high school classmate of mine who, every week, used to photograph young actors from a theater company and who asked me to help him.  The darkroom really enraptured me: I was immediately intrigued by photo shooting.  The director of the theater company, who recognized my talent, let me attend an advanced photography course at Superstudio in Milan. After that, I started working as an assistant for two big names, Giampaolo Barbieri and Mauro Balletti, who was Mina’s photographer. Then, together with my future wife and muse, stylist Tanya Jones, I started creating a portfolio of street photos, shot in my favorite places around Milan, my hometown. During this job, I met Piero Piazzi, who at the time ran a prestigious modeling agency in Milan. He was so impressed by my work that he phoned Franca Sozzani at once: I met her the following day and she immediately offered me 20 pages for Vogue Italia.

 

«when I’m shooting, it all comes out naturally, without looking for any specific reference»
2

Your fashion shoots stand out for their unique shots, which seem to follow a sort of cinematic approach: can you tell us how you prepare for a new project?

I can tell you that I prepare myself every day, with books, magazines, movies and life itself. A mix of ideas, images and hints that I take in and that pervade my imagination. Then, when I’m shooting, it all comes out naturally, without looking for any specific reference, and this allows me to be creative and never ordinary.

3

Talking about the WEB Eyewear campaign that you shot recently, what elements guided you in this job?

Well, I love places where architecture, rather than just creating a space, tells a story. In this specific case, we’re talking about Gio Ponti, who was not just an architect, he was a visionary poet who created architecture where people can feel like the undisputed stars of a poetic and magic dimension. Marcolin has chosen this space very well: a rare example of Italian culture that we tried to bring to life with the WEB campaign shots.

How to combine lenses and acetates?

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Choosing Colors

Acetate frames and colored lenses: a duo that offers countless opportunities but that, surprisingly, also follows very specific rules. We asked to Silvia De Col, who works at Marcolin’s Style & Design Department, to reveal some of them. «First, there are styling rules which are associated with the history, image and personality of every single brand in Marcolin’s portfolio: every brand has its own iconic and representative colour palette. These are the must-have that any collection just can’t do without. There’s room to play with all the possible variations, but our job is to keep an eye on the latest fashion trends, both those linked to the world of accessories and eyewear and the general ones linked to the season and the historical moment we face.The project itself is also important, what we want to tell with the eyewear we are creating. Full lenses, cosmetics with neutral tones combined with Havana frames for a project, for example, linked to the world of natural colours. Mirrored lenses and brighter colored frames for a sportive mood. At this point, starting from our archive, we start to select to arrive at pairing proposals to be shared with the licenses».

Every frame has its challenge

Flat or spherical? Single- or two-lens? Also, the geometries of lenses or masks affect the final colour choice. «Together with the designer and based on the requests and DNA of the brand, a study taking into account the most suitable geometries for the creation of the new eyewear is carried out. For example, if you want to create a sportier look we will work with more enveloping lenses and masks. If you are working on a more fashionable project, you can also indulge in flatter lenses and masks.

«The geometries of lenses or masks affect the final colour choice»

Trends for the next season

If it’s true that color combinations do not only depend on a brand’s DNA but also on fashion trends, let’s look at the eyewear trends for the next spring-summer collection. «I can only give you a little hint and anticipate that there will be “no in-between”: monotonal colors will prevail among the lenses even in cosmetic nuances with natural references, darker shades will also coexist to create dark or total black looks. For those who love mirrors, they will also be present this season, especially for the active and casual world. What about jewel-like inserts? They will be bolder and more eye-catching than before, the fruit of many different techniques and processes».

Eyewear? More than an accessory

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Uniformity or differentiation? It’s the eternal fashion dilemma. That, of course, also regards accessories: they stress the message conveyed by the clothes we wear, becoming (just like perfume) our unique, personal “identifying signature”. And eyewear plays a key role here. «Because it allows us to see – or protect the eyes – but also to be spotted by others right away» remarks Paola Pizza, a fashion psychologist, blogger (psicologiadellamoda.com) and author of several essays, the most recent being “Il colore indossato” (Franco Angeli), co-written with Valeria Viero. «Fierce or sober? Breezy or creative?  Frame shapes and colors help highlight the unique features of our personality and, due to their strategic positioning, become a very powerful identifying tool».

But you have to know what you want. «Some people want to stand out from the crowd with a unique design, a neon color or a precious detail, others want to feel part of a group. But the ensemble must be harmonious: if it’s inconsistent, we send the wrong message and lose our confidence. A classic black sheath dress worn with small, “good girl” style black sunglasses sends a totally different message than the same outfit paired with an eye-catching, colorful frame. It’s more or less like shoes: there’s a huge difference between flats and a pair of gold sandals. Eyewear, just like our hair and make-up (to stay focused on the face) should strike a balance with our whole look.  This is true for shoes, bags or hats, but all the more so for an accessory that is destined to last well beyond a season».

«What tribe do you belong to?»

«In psychology we make a distinction between “high self-monitors”, i.e. individuals who are more aware of how others could judge them and are more likely to follow trends or be inspired by the look of their “role models”, and “low self-monitors”. The latter are more introspective, self-centered and less likely to be influenced by fashion. While the first type will tend to change glasses more often, based on their mood or outfit, the second will stick to a frame of higher quality that is made to last». What tribe do you belong to?

Innovative Style Refined: TOM FORD Eyewear Collection

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Introducing the TOM FORD Eyewear Archive Collection which pays homage to the iconic styles that have defined the brand’s illustrious 20-year history.  TOM FORD Eyewear, renowned for its iconic status, stands tall for its unmatched elegance, top-notch quality, and meticulous attention to detail. In the 2023-2024 collection, one of the most legendary eyewear models in history has been masterfully reimagined: the iconic Whitney model.

Worn by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Charlize Theron, Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss, Keira Knightley. The Whitney eyewear stands out for the unmistakable line of its «Infinity cross», the crossing of the front which gives the look a butterfly effect that winks at the Seventies. In re-visiting The Whitney frame, the TOM FORD Archive Collection, debuts in four models with new shapes and identities, each easily recognizable, without giving up the magnetic element of a design with great visual impact: from the Nicoletta model, in titanium and limited edition, up to the Bettina, Fernanda and Jada models, with semi-transparent lenses and contrasting colored frames.

 

Innovate without betraying your roots. Here to lies the secret of the success of a luxury brand like TOM FORD. Which, not limiting itself to city glasses, on the eve of the ski season proposes Après Ski 2023, a collection of four different ski goggles with photochromic and interchangeable mirror lenses with different designs: from the Rellen model, which revisits the Seventies, up to the most high-tech masks, with magnetic lenses and a practical elastic band. To not give up style even in the snow.

Isabelle Moes

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Isabelle, you were covering a management role for Marcolin Benelux subsidiary when the top management of companies was all male: can you tell us how it went?

So, I’ve never felt any discrimination for being a young woman, since I had just become a young mother, and I worked in a company that was mostly men. Everything was very normal. I didn’t feel any difference between me and my male colleagues. I think that Marcolin has always been a big family, and I felt right at home in the team.

Now that you also find yourself managing a very important and strategic market segment such as that of the central EMEA area (France and Benelux), can you tell us what the next challenges are for eyewear in these markets?

It’s rather unsettling to know what challenges the experts predicted we would face over the next few years, which is that there will increasingly be a certain structure in the market. The market will become more structured. Lots of independent companies are being bought or are merging, which means that as suppliers of frames for independent opticians, we will also need to become more and more professional. We will need to negotiate with them differently than before. Previously, I found the market very easy because our clients were opticians who only had two or three stores. Now, we are looking at a different scale, with opticians who have 100, 150 stores. So, it’s a different structure, a different approach.

«I think that is what is most important for the future: continuing to truly listen to our clients»

After many years in this Company, what are your thoughts on Marcolin’s strengths? And what are the new objectives instead, in a world that evolves so rapidly?

The company’s strength is our close relationship with our clients. This closeness means that people really appreciate the fact that we are by their side, we work closely with them, and they really think of us as a company that is international in scale, but still a small enterprise because we work closely with them. That is important to them because they feel like we really listen. I think that is what is most important for the future: continuing to truly listen to our clients. By being at their side, responding to their needs and doing so quickly, working with them rather than imposing things on them. And that is how we will succeed.