Stefano Guindani

1

Is it possible to effectively communicate products without ever showing them, just by interpreting the brand’s values, as it was required in WEB EYEWEAR’s Framing Light project?

«The real challenge but also the opportunity posed by this project was to try to interpret these three concepts – transparency, style and quiet luxury – without ever showing the eyewear itself. And to do so without being didactic. But in general that’s how I work, I always try to photograph fashion products without losing sight of their poetic value, to create something artistic that makes people dream: when this happens, it’s the perfect shot, conveying elegance that is never loud or flashy».

 

2

What inspired you in interpreting concepts such as transparency, style and quiet luxury?

«For style or “taste”, a term that can be associated with food but also with the aesthetic sense, I wished to evoke the quintessential Italian taste for beauty and art, manual skills and the ability to create something, like the dirty hands of a sculptor at work. The Marsala salt pans, instead, where water is tinged with pink due to a certain algae, and at sunset turns almost fluorescent in color, were the perfect location to talk about transparency in nature, like in the shot that captures herons flying over the water. For luxury, I decided to photograph a girl sitting outdoors, engrossed in a book, to stress the fact that true luxury today is having time for yourself, to read a book or meditate».

3

What was the most challenging shot?

«The most challenging photos were the ones shot in the salt pans because I wasn’t sure if I would have found the right light, the perfect atmosphere to evoke the concept of transparency, because it mostly depended on the weather. We had to wait a few days, but in the end we got the perfect light».

Marcolin Germany Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

A Journey That Began In 1985

First in Lörrach, then in Ludwigsburg – charming towns in Baden-Württemberg – and finally in Cologne: these are the key locations that have marked Marcolin’s progression in Germany. It all started in 1985, exactly 40 years ago, with a small office and a handful of young employees. In 2017, the company arrived in the heart of the economic, historical and cultural capital of the Rhineland as Marcolin Deutschland GmbH, establishing itself as a thriving organization with strong local ties. Today, it boasts more than 50 employees, many of whom have been with the company for over 25 years, led by North EMEA manager Stephan Hinkerode.

The Link with German Brands

The 40th anniversary is a milestone and an opportunity not only to look back on memories, but also to highlight the key role the German office has played in Marcolin’s expansion across the EMEA region. This success has gone hand in hand with strengthening ties to three iconic German sportswear and luxury brands in the Longarone Group’s portfolio: adidas (with its Sport and Originals lines), MCM, and more recently, the house brand ic! berlin.

The Employees’ Perspective

The testimonies of Marcolin Deutschland employees confirm the success of a project that began in the 1980s and has stayed true to its vision of being an innovative, international and ever-evolving company, supporting the continuous growth of its employees. This is echoed by Lydia Müller and Manuela Becker, both sales managers at Marcolin since 1999, and by Frank Riethmüller, who joined eighteen years ago to manage budgets and collections and is now a sales analyst and planner. “At Marcolin, we’ve learned a lot and had the freedom to expand our skills. It’s a pleasure to be part of this team and this great Group.”

Marcolin Germany Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

A Journey that Began In 1985

First in Lörrach, then in Ludwigsburg – charming towns in Baden-Württemberg – and finally in Cologne: these are the key locations that have marked Marcolin’s progression in Germany. It all started in 1985, exactly 40 years ago, with a small office and a handful of young employees. In 2017, the company arrived in the heart of the economic, historical and cultural capital of the Rhineland as Marcolin Deutschland GmbH, establishing itself as a thriving organization with strong local ties. Today, it boasts more than 50 employees, many of whom have been with the company for over 25 years, led by North EMEA manager Stephan Hinkerode.

The Link with German Brands

The 40th anniversary is a milestone and an opportunity not only to look back on memories, but also to highlight the key role the German office has played in Marcolin’s expansion across the EMEA region. This success has gone hand in hand with strengthening ties to three iconic German sportswear and luxury brands in the Longarone Group’s portfolio: adidas (with its Sport and Originals lines), MCM, and more recently, the house brand ic! berlin.

The Employees’ Perspective

The testimonies of Marcolin Deutschland employees confirm the success of a project that began in the 1980s and has stayed true to its vision of being an innovative, international and ever-evolving company, supporting the continuous growth of its employees. This is echoed by Lydia Müller and Manuela Becker, both sales managers at Marcolin since 1999, and by Frank Riethmüller, who joined eight years ago to manage budgets and collections and is now a sales analyst and planner. “At Marcolin, we’ve learned a lot and had the freedom to expand our skills. It’s a pleasure to be part of this team and this great Group.”

Marcolin Talk Back In Milan

From Introspection To Products

«I’m delighted to participate in this event because this project is full of creativity and food for thought» said Andrea Batilla as soon as he stepped on stage to meet the five photographers in the exhibition (Stefano Guindani, Camilla Ferrari, Giulia Mantovani, Niccolò Parsenziani and Gaia Bonanomi), advertising writer, creative director and founder of the Civic Brands Observatory Paolo Iabichino and Marcolin Group Style & Product Development Director Lara Marogna. The latter explained how Framing Light is the result of a dematerialization process of the WEB EYEWEAR brand, whose history dates back to the 1930s. «Initially, we focused on the customer, reflecting on its personality, interests and habits. Then, following this introspective inquiry, we came up with the three values that were interpreted by the five Italian photographers in the exhibition: style, transparency and quiet luxury».

The Value of Transparency

The talk focused on the value of transparency in particular. Because it has a double meaning, in the sense of the transparency of materials but also as a virtue. «To transpose its value into something practical like eyewear, we designed a collection that plays with a subtle, concealed transparency effect, that can be perceived just at the right moment, like a photographer who has to wait for the right light conditions before shooting» commented Lara Marogna. Paolo Iabichino resumed the discussion talking about the importance of photography today. «I’ve always considered photography, even advertising photography, as an artistic thing. And I believe that today it can still be of importance if it is freed from the “clutches” of advertising, if its semantic codes are respected, as was the case in this exhibition».

Choosing Glasses

«It has to be said that fashion has already paved the way on these topics, thanks to its commitment to creating content and cultural projects that try to bridge the attention deficit caused by the Internet» concluded Paolo Iabichino. And if, fortunately, influencer marketing doesn’t work anymore, how can a brand capture customer attention?  «By being a brand that enters people’s lives and resonates with them, being a brand that people choose rather than purchase. This is the only way for people to really choose a pair of glasses: because wearing them means expressing yourself to the world».

Marcolin at MIDO

1200 Exhibitors

Seven pavilions, eight exhibition areas for 1200 exhibitors from 50 different countries and more than 40,000 visitors expected from 160 countries. These are the numbers of the 53rd edition of MIDO Eyewear Show, which will be held in Milan between February 8 and 10. The spotlight will shine on the entire production chain of the world of eyewear: lenses, frames, cases, accessories but also tech news, start-ups, workshops and meetings with professionals. The perfect opportunity to discover new trends and, above all, the latest news in luxury, which – as the most recent Altagamma research confirms – is one of the fastest-growing sectors in eyewear.

MIDO 2025

Hot News: Louboutin

The show is also the ideal location for the eyewear debut of one of the most iconic luxury footwear and accessories brands: Christian Louboutin. A brand that, in Marcolin’s elegant booth, will showcase «Miss Z». An oval frame with a sophisticated design conveying subtle retro elegance and an acetate front embellished with small metal elements reproducing the brand’s iconic red soles, a delicate palmette motif on the metal bridge, and temples clearly nodding to Art Deco. Details designed by Marcolin to enhance the brand’s unique, artistic and refined style.

MIDO 2025

New Trends

Many trends, however, will be presented by Marcolin at Mido 2025. Like the geometric lines of the latest K-Way frame, featuring layers of color on the front and the iconic K on the temples. And then Pucci, with frames that transpose into acetate the colors and lines made famous by his garments; the oversize frames with sophisticated profiles of the Max Mara aesthetic, featuring a combination of acetate and metal; and then Zegna eyewear, which stands out with the Orizzonte sunglasses, and the elegance of TOM FORD, captured in strictly oversize frames.

MIDO 2025