Waiting for MIDO 2023: we meet Lapima.
From 4 to 6 February 2023, MIDO is back at Fieramilano Rho. This year will offer an edition that is more than ever focused on internationalism and sustainability, during which all industry stakeholders can firstly strike up business agreements and do some networking, but also have exclusive previews from the entire industry. The role of the Milan event, however, stretches beyond the purely commercial aspect because MIDO represents for everyone an unmissable opportunity for discussion, reflection, education, exchange and sharing of ideas, designed and aimed at opticians from all over the world.
While waiting to meet up in person at the event, we met some of the event’s protagonists. Today we give the floor to Gisela and Gustavo Assis, founder of Lapima.
Would you tell us the history of your brand?
Gustavo and I are married, we have 3 kids and started Lapima in 2016 as an independent and familiar eyewear brand focused on the premium market. Since the beginning, our goal was to bring to the Brazilian and international markets handcrafted sunglasses made with the best materials available in the world and, most of all, a unique, tridimensional design. We had to build an atelier/factory from zero here in Campinas, where there is a specialised workforce, to achieve this purpose, because nobody in Brazil wanted to produce our designs - they used to call us crazy, because to handcraft our designs is a very complex process. The development of a style can take up to six months and once production starts, it takes around 20 days to be completed. There are more than 30 phases in the process, including technology and artisan work.
What are your sources of inspiration?
We always look to nature - which in Brazil is spectacular, with so many different biomes - and at the same time to architecture, we look at the balance between what is natural and what is made by man. Usually, the colours are inspired by nature, for example, by the Atlantic Ocean, the Tropical Forest, the flowers… and the design is inspired by architecture and arts in general. You can see a lot of different angles on the surface of our glasses and we have an avant-garde approach, we always love to dare.
Would you tell us more about the connection with Brazil?
I think we express the colours of the country, always bright, and the idea of happiness, of wearing something with a bold personality. Nothing is boring in both Brazil and Lapima. We love to explore different parts of our country and show them to the world through our collections. It's a way to present our country to the world from our point of view. Brazil is an amazing place to know!
Do you check your creations directly?
All the processes are controlled by me and Gustavo, from the initial design until production and sales.
How is your distribution structured?
Lapima is in more than 250 stores around the globe. Europe, North and South America are our largest territories.
Why did you decide to participate in MIDO 2023?
It's an honour to participate in MIDO for the first time. Since 2017 we have been showing our collections in Paris, in private show rooms. Mido is our first trade fair and our first time in Italy, the country of sunglasses! We think it's a huge opportunity to showcase Lapima, our values and products to the best optical stores in the world that visit the fair.
What will you present?
Our new collection, specially designed for MIDO, is inspired by sail boats that are present in the Northeast of the country, they are called “jangadas”, the sails are handcrafted by fisherman that navigate them in the open seas for days! We were inspired by their sharp shapes and their vibrant colours andwe created 8 new styles, both glasses and sunglasses.