Eyesway interviews Look Occhiali Brand Manager

The world crisis continues to take its toll in all sectors and remains the topic of the times on the most important occasions. So following the recent edition of MIDO, it is obviously the first question to ask Luca Ricci, brand manager of Look Occhiali, a well-known manufacturer of eyewear in the Belluno district. What’s your take on the situation of the eyewear sector in light of the global economic crisis?
“We suffered a bit from the drop in demand during the past year, especially on the Italian market, while on foreign markets, 2008 was a positive year overall,” answered Ricci, “We succeeded in softening the blow, considering how dire expectations were at the beginning.”

But one must look ahead, and as far as future Look Occhiali plans are concerned, Ricci explained that “at this time we are focusing on retail markets, both in Italy and in Europe. We are also seeking to expand on new markets where we have yet to establish trade relations.”

What innovations did you present on this occasion?
“We have innovations for all the collections that reflect current fashion and design trends. At MIDO we presented some vintage style models, others in acetate that we have great hopes for, and other glasses in metal.”

One of the new aspects of this edition of the fair was anticipating the opening to March. How did your company deal with this change?
“Changing the date wasn’t easy for us at all because it almost coincided with the Munich fair, but it was only a question of organisation.”

Many companies use high-profile celebrities for their promotional campaigns, but others don’t agree with this approach. Luca Ricci belongs to the latter category. “Our only spokesperson,” he claims, “is the product itself, which is entirely ‘Made in Italy’. At the moment, we don’t believe it is necessary to involve another spokesperson to promote our product.”