Sport in its DNA
Since 1985, Rudy Project is leading the way on a global scale in sports eyewear exclusively manufactured in Italy. The company researches, develops, manufactures and distributes sunglasses, prescription sunglasses, helmets and googles, with professional athletes donning their brand name. In recent years, Rudy Project has particularly focused on developing products for sportspeople requiring visual correction.
Rudy Project is ready to present its biggest and latest products at MIDO, according to Simone Barbazza speaking to WMIDO, Chief Marketing Officer and joint owner of Rudy Project with his brother Cristiano, the company’s President and CEO.
Where does Rudy Project find itself on the global eyewear scene?
We are suppliers of top-of-the-range sports eyewear, with design and manufacturing processes being entirely carried out in Italy. In recent years, we have specialized in eyewear products for sportspeople requiring visual correction. We have seven different product ranges that meet the needs of sportspeople and professional athletes alike: you need look no further than the number of professional cyclists, such as Giovanni Visconti of Bahrain Merida and Fumiyuki Beppu of Trek Segafredo, who compete and win the biggest races in the world whilst wearing our sports eyewear products.
Why did you decide to come back to MIDO? What gives it the edge over other sector events that you take part in?
We decided to come back to MIDO because we are investing a lot in promoting our sports eyewear products in Italy and internationally. MIDO is without a doubt the leading sector event in Italy, and it is for this reason that we will be back for the 2018 edition.
So what does the fair mean to you?
It is an opportunity to meet with a wide range of opticians, and to present our sports eyewear collection with all the new products for 2018, as well as showcase the various display solutions that best present our products and technologies.
What new products will you present at MIDO?
MIDO is a major showcase for all our sports eyewear products. Our new products in 2018 are the Rydon Readers sports glasses with integrated reading lenses, the new Polar 3FX HDR polarized lens technology, and the Vulcan ophthalmic glasses, a crossover model that is designed to perfection for sport or for everyday use, and that is completely customizable.
In late 2017, you opened your first experience store in Manila: could you tell us about this project?
We have been developing single-brand stores in the Philippines for a few years, and the one opened last November is the latest stage in this project. These stores allow us to test out visual merchandising techniques, as well as solutions and methods to best express our products. These solutions can then be put into practice in other markets as well.
Will you continue to develop this type of store?
Our business strategies vary from country to country. For example, the strategy employed in Italy gives precedence to opticians’ stores, and some of the display solutions adopted abroad are put forward and are especially adapted to the needs of multi-brand opticians.
One of Rudy Project’s characteristics is its sponsorship deals with sports teams: what do you have in store for 2018?
Sponsorship has always been central to both marketing and product development for us. Road cycling has the lion’s share of sponsorship deals, and we are delighted with our partnership with the Bahrain Merida team. Vincenzo Nibali’s feats last year gave us a considerable amount of visibility, and we hope for a similarly successful year in 2018. We are also continuing our partnership with the Trek Segafredo Team, and in 2018 our products will be worn by a third World Tour team that is soon to be unveiled. That said, we also have a presence in other sports too: there are high hopes for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, where we will have dozens of athletes competing, most notably two from the Italian team, flagbearer Arianna Fontana and cross-country skier Federico Pellegrino. We will also be sponsoring top athletes in many other sports such as the triathlon, sailing, golf and motorsports, with the Dakar Rally and particularly the MotoGP.
You recently opened a new headquarters: how is it laid out?
We have restructured a wing of the current headquarters and put the design and R&D offices in the new areas. The offices have been built to improve internal workflow within the company and to upgrade what is the beating heart of our company, where our products and technologies are conceived and developed.
Ph. Simone Barbazza, Chief Marketing Officer
