Nico-Design: for 25 years the leitmotif has been creativity
Giovanni Vitaloni: "we are Savoys – stubborn and determined" Creativity, experimentation, innovation, the ability to present increasingly better products. These are the guidelines that inspire Nico-Design, as described by Giovanni Vitaloni, the owner of the company based in Piedmont, at Mido 2013. -Design has always been your distinctive feature, so much that you've included it in your brand name. How important is design in today's eyewear sector? We have been making glasses for 25 years and we have always chosen to be recognized by authentic design, the result of the creativity of our in-house style center. These days, designing eyewear means being free to experiment with frames and materials, something big industrial groups would never be able to support. Our products are certainly not mass produced. The implementation of original projects is our mission, the development of a product is a craft, from the prototype to the first series to the end of the process. - Large companies aim for big numbers and smaller companies target specialization. Has this become an irreversible path for the eyewear world? Where are you positioned? It's true, large companies become even bigger, small companies specialize and "bite" by presenting increasingly better products and expanding the market abroad. We are engaged on two fronts every day: one is product research for proposing new materials and avant-garde finishes; on the other hand, we are committed to business globalization and reaching new markets with an increasingly direct distribution strategy. - Nico-design has also chosen alternative types of communication, like the Vanni online magazine. Is it an experiment or the future? It is fully part of our brand philosophy. Creative eyewear is appreciated by people who have particularly original taste, who don't want standardized products. For our communication we decided to photograph ordinary people who work in the world of creativity. We want to tell the story of people who choose VANNI eyewear. It would be easy to show our eyewear on a lovely model, a lovely face: but we selected ordinary people and photographed them while they were at work. The VANNI Magazine comes out every six months and helps us to reach our distribution chain and final consumers by telling something about ourselves in unconventional visuals. The first shoot was at a circus, the second at an international art fair. The next is underway, but we don't to reveal anything more. - About Mido. The inevitable question: what new products will you present? The new VANNI products are the Pixel block acetates and the three-dimensional treatment of metal, for an imitation stone effect, model Mock-Rock. DERAPAGE will propose the development of the new MoleCube concept launched at the end of 2012: it is eyewear with a totally new and patented hinge. - In 2013, Mido will be joined by Out of Mido. I know that you have decided to take part. What are your expectations? For Milan the Salone del Mobile is a colossal event teeming with ideas and innovative projects. For us, being there is a challenge to reach the final consumer directly and to take advantage of a privileged showcase for meeting the general public, sector operators and people who like the Beauty. - A word to describe Nico-Design? We are stubborn and determined. These are features that derive from being Savoys and hardworking.
