Photo:
Tell me a story
Back to storiesabout
ic! berlin: think with your own eyes
Let’s find out together the story of iconic German brand ic! Berlin, a recent addition to Marcolin Group, presented at the last international MIDO Show.
28 years of history
You write it “ic! berlin” but you pronounce it the English way. It’s the innovative eyewear brand created in 1996 by eclectic Ralph Anderl (a designer, singer, photographer and musician) together with a couple of friends in a garage in Berlin. A cult brand in the 2000s (worn by celebrities of the caliber of Madonna, Brad Pitt or Dub Inc), it has grown exponentially ever since and today it has joined the Marcolin family. What’s its secret to success? Its clean-cut design, attention to detail and, most of all, temple material: screwless and weld-free ultra-lightweight spring steel obtained from a carbon-chromium-nickel alloy thanks to an innovative hinge system of which ic! berlin has the exclusivity. In other words, eyewear that is easy to disassemble and reassemble. Lightweight but at the same time very strong.
«What’s its secret to success? Its clean-cut design, attention to detail and, most of all, temple material»
Berlin spirit
Minimalist, elegant and Berlin understatement, ic! berlin eyewear today is exported all over the world (in addition to its headquarters in Berlin, the company has branches in Tokyo and New York City); therefore, products can no longer be manufactured in a small Berlin lab like in the early years. Hence the agreement with a company like Marcolin, which, true to the DNA of ic! berlin, translates the brand’s spirit into an attitude that enables people to express themselves and their style freely, without following trends.
The collections
It is precisely thanks to these strengths that, in addition to several international awards, ic! berlin earned the SILMO d’OR in 2008 and 2011. Today it showcases its collections including Classic, Custom Fit, Pure Elements, Silk and Silk Pure and Flexarbon (which uses aerospace technology) and some more designer capsules. Among them the brand also boasts a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz from 2020. All the frames are very much loved by free and creative spirits, eclectic and curious personalities, who know how to look at things from new perspectives. Just like the actor Daniel Brühl, brand ambassador announced for 2024, among the protagonists of the movie «All Quiet on the Western Front» which won 9 Oscar awards in 2023.
