MIDO is back, in person and in complete safety, at the Fiera Milano Rho venue from 12 to 14 February 2022. The event is set to be a must-do for the whole sector, both in terms of its role as a privileged observatory and as an international point of reference in the worlds of design, fashion, culture and business. MIDO is also a hub that reflects an entire industry, for reflection and rethinking about eyewear in all its aspects and details, a showcase for final users. As the next important edition approaches, we have interviewed some of the key players.
Today we give the floor to Tereza Uhrova, founder of Qualimed.
This year, your brand of of coloured contact lenses Desìo celebrates its 10th anniversary: can you tell us what led to the creation of your company Qualimed and your brand?
My desire was to create a brand that celebrates the uniqueness of individuals and the beauty inside each of us. Desìo, a name which recalls the word “desire”, was founded on this basis. Inspired by the world of fashion and becoming itself a source of inspiration for influencers and fashion addicts around the world, it has become a symbol of beauty without boundaries of race, age, culture or gender. It is a brand that also reflects my idea of a company: an international and multi-lingual organisation where people with different stories, expertise and backgrounds can meet up, compare notes and shape ideas.
How will you celebrate this anniversary?
To celebrate our first 10 years of life, we have launched a new item into the market, sure to drive our brand’s fans crazy: the Sale & Pepe 10th Anniversary Set. The box contains two pairs of coloured contact lenses in two new incredible colours: Salty White (monthly, 1-tone) and Pepper Grey (monthly, 2-tone). The boxed set, in white and silver, is available from leading optical stores and from our website, from July 2021. A must-have limited edition set, just waiting to be discovered! And that’s not all. To mark this important anniversary, we have also given ourselves a great “gift”: new headquarters! In 2022, we will be moving to our new headquarters: a large, modern and functional building not far from our current premises.
What are the latest economic results of your company?
Figures recorded last year show the company’s strong position: in 2020, Qualimed closed the financial year with 18% growth, while the first few months of 2021 reveal a growth trend of +30%. This is thanks to a business model centred on selective distribution (the lenses are sold exclusively in selected optical stores and on the official Desio website), on a brand safeguarding policy practised throughout over 150 countries, on the smart use of the digital channel, and on a portfolio of high quality products in continual evolution.
What are your future goals?
Growth, and this is why we have purchased new premises. The investment (of over €3 million) comes from a need to centralise the production process in order to promote the company’s organic growth and development in the international market. The new headquarters will allow us to rationalise our organisational structure and reach the growth goals that we have set ourselves for the next few years.
Our headquarters will be spread over more than 3,000 square metres, 1000 of which will be dedicated to production. The new manufacturing area will have a 70 sq.m. sterile room that allows us to produce and check the contact lenses in a safe environment. And that’s not all. We have also planned the purchase of various machines targeted at industrial automation, in order to optimise the production of packaging in the sterile room and the final stage of packaging.
Large-scale investment in the manufacturing area and monitoring tools to check optical power and lens geometry will allow us to guarantee high-level quality control of the final product. Further investments will be made in R&D for the creation of new lens shapes, new colours and new materials. The company goals are aimed also at achieving certification of all products according to new European MDR regulations by 2023. There really are lots of projects in the pipeline.
Why have you decided to take part in MIDO?
After 2 years of distancing due to the pandemic, we want to meet our loyal customers (Italian and foreign) in person, to let them know that we are here and that we not only managed to “survive” the crisis, but came out of it even stronger and more determined than ever. We can't wait to meet potential new partners as well: looking each other in the eye and shaking hands is the first step to building a solid and long-lasting business relationship.
What will you present?
We have an increasing number of requests for private label products, so we will be presenting a customised collection for companies that desire their own brand collection, while our customers will be offered new colours in daily, monthly and three-monthly versions.