WMIDO

Danor copes with new market requirements

Written by MIDO | 05/24/2020

To cope with the COVID-19 emergency Danor, the historic company located in the province of Varese and specialised in the production of injection-moulded sunglasses and eyeglass frames, has partially converted its manufacturing process to the production of protective eyewear and face shields. Angela Morosi, co-owner of Danor, describes exclusively to WMIDO how her company has been able to propose fashionable PPE.

Tell us about the evolution of Danor, a historic company of the Varese district.

We are a 100% Italian company that was established in 1966 at Monvalle on the banks of Lake Maggiore. The company was founded thanks to the initiative and farsightedness of Giuseppe Morosi, who had been making eyewear since 1956.From the very beginning he specialised in injection-moulded sunglasses frames and the company’s know-how is now acknowledged at international level.Currently the firm is managed by the second generation. Our strength has been cohesion and the ability to preserve the passion and artisanal origins that we have combined with leading-edge technological research. All these elements have enabled us to offer products that are entirely made in Italy to the highest technical standards, a complete service with regard to the manufacture of private moulds and the availability of open moulds, and dedicated customer care.

What is your strong point?

Our strong point is the flexibility that allows us to manufacture collections for the most important international brands, and to work with small start-up companies that are trying to establish themselves. In addition, we have never ceased to pursue a precise objective: test new materials through new projects and always propose new finishes for product customisation.

Whatare your reference markets?

We export 98% of our production abroad.

You mentioned flexibility as one of your distinctive features. How can it contribute to meet new market requirements?

To cope with the COVID-19 emergency we have partially converted our manufacturing process to the production of protective eyewear and face shields. Those products were manufactured in our mould workshop and thanks to this project we have been able to shoot ahead in terms of timescale. We have the advantage of in-house manufacturing which means we can achieve very satisfactory results in terms of speed also in mould making.

Who are they for?

They are certified PPE category 2. But we wanted to add a splash of colour: so, the classic PPE kit is also dedicated to anyone who wants protection with a frivolous touch!

At present PPE is a top product for many companies, but what can we expect for the future?
 
As I said, our masks have an additional element, colour, and come in four shades. Therefore, they guarantee protection, a frivolous touch and the positive benefits of colour that can be helpful at times like these. Let me explain: red prepares the body in terms of energy when related to athletic activities, green conveys relaxation, blue conjures up water, the sky and the sea andgives you a feeling of freshness, while yellow helps you to focus more on your ideas.
 
In addition to opticians are you targeting other channels?
 
Yes, pharmacies, shops selling non-prescription drugs and fashion stores that have shown interest.
 
What direction will Danor take in the future?
 
As I said, our company has seen two generations involved, its founders, and now my brother Davide and I. Our aim for the future is to expand our father’s project even more. Our main mission is to manufacture third-partycollections quickly while fully complying with privacy standards thanks to production processes that are entirely in-house.
 
Do you have any other projects underway?
 
Regenerated material is the guiding thread that will lead Danor towards growth and development in all the new collections; in the future we will explore how to reuse plastic items.We have established a partnership with Aquafil, a multinational that produces nylon yarn for the textile industry and has developed a product in granules that is ideal for injection. Over the past two years we have carried out numerous tests with the Aquafil team and we have developed a regenerated-nylon product that can be painted with water-based colours and lacquers. We are also making a series of products with regenerated and recycled materials combined with other plastic materials that we were going to present for the first time at MIDO this year.
 
MIDO 2021: will you be there?
 
Absolutely.