Allison: agreement with La Martina expanded with “Cuero”

Lozza: "a research and development challenge inspired by the game of polo" "The idea came to La Martina group founder Lando Simonetti when he realized that polo players must protect their eyes and sight with high-tech and high-performance eyewear. At that time there were no sports glasses specifically for polo. Before Allison, producers were not sufficiently interested in offering a dedicated technical product for demanding and very skilled athletes because it is, primarily, a niche market for enthusiasts. After carefully analyzing our sector and the main producers, Simonetti identified in Allison the ideal partner for accepting this research and development challenge". This was how Lucio Lozza, Allison Senior Vice President Marketing, Licensing and Product, explained the start of the agreement with La Martina that began with Competicion and now has a whole collection, Cuero, for a wider public.   - Last year, Competicion was the eyewear that blazed the trail for your technological solutions. Did it come up to your expectations? "We put the best of our research into Competicion by collaborating with our associate Zero Industry through Stefano Fabris, Director of the ZeroRH+ Business Unit, and by combining the best lens (NXT soft by Intercast) with a lighter, stronger, more comfortable and anatomic frame. Glasses that are really ideal for a game that is fast, dangerous, intense, energetic and demands the undivided attention of the player, maximum protection and no visual impediments. The lenses are interchangeable, so they can be adapted to suit various weather conditions, and they come in 3 different colors: smoke, yellow and orange. The latter is called "Copper" and it highlights the ball against the green of the playing field. The frame also has adjustable rubber nose pads and end pieces for a perfect fit, even under a polo helmet.   The glasses and lenses were thoroughly tested with the help of Certottica (Longarone) so that they would amply satisfy the parameters of the various strength and stress tests and demonstrate technical and performance characteristics that were far superior to competitors' products. To give you an idea, the lens will stand up to a steel ball traveling at 700 km an hour! But that's not all! We took the glasses to Argentina where they were worn by some of the best athletes in the world at the Abierto de Polo in Buenos Aires (the most important international polo championship). Fabris took note of the comments and suggestions of these enthusiasts and they helped us to make further improvements before putting the glasses on the market. The challenge that awaits us now is to improve and continue to amaze both Lando Simonetti and the players at the next Abierto and world championships!".   - Competicion was followed by a whole collection like Cuero which has its worldwide launch at Mido 2012. Is this the logical development, to target a wider audience but maintain the link with polo as a symbol? "Competicion is a research and development project, it was the firstborn and had to be joined by a complete vision and sun collection, "Cuero", in the same way that La Martina offers its customers a wide range of leisure apparel and accessories together with technical equipment. The collection is called "Cuero", which means leather, because this natural, noble and durable material best represents the tradition and genuineness of a brand that has always been associated with saddlery, boots and leather. Tradition, genuineness, quality and durability over time are the characteristics that we have given the 8 Cuero sun models for men and women, which we will present at MIDO. Our customers are mature professionals and young athletes who are looking for eyewear that will make them feel at ease but won't go out of date or fail them when peak performance is needed. They all want comfortable, high-quality eyewear irrespective of current trends; eyewear that will be with them in their daily adventures at work or at play; eyewear like "cuero" that will age with them.   - Cuero has models for men and women: what are the most significant differences? The Cuero line – answered Elena De Marzi, La Martina Eyewear Brand Manager – is balanced equally between men and women to allow them to choose from a substantial range of models with elegant, retro shapes. The eyewear in the Cuero line is inspired by iconic elements in the La Martina world. The models for women have a colored detail in leather on the right end piece that recalls the artisan leather products such as bags, jackets and shoes. The end pieces on the models for men have a detail in rubber inspired by the boot protectors and technical knee guards worn by professional players during the most prestigious polo tournaments. In addition to classic black and Havana, the colors in the line for women also include shaded Bordeaux, purple and blue. For men, we have used multi-layers of plastic in bright colors like red, green and light blue. The lenses are mainly shaded for women, but for men there are also polarized lenses. An additional enhancement of all the models is the "La Martina" logo in lacquered metal applied to the right temple.