We continue our journey into the world of women working in the optical/eyewear industries which we started last November, with an analysis of three European markets: France, Italy and England. The fil rouge throughout these countries is the entrepreneuralism of women, often linked to creativity and strategic skill in the field of communication.
France
The world of women working in the industry in France is closely linked to that of their cousins beyond the Alps: the Italians. And the most obvious liaison is that of industry giant EssilorLuxottica where Virginie Mercier Pitre - current VP Commercial Europe of Essilor and President of the Valoptec Association - has been elected to theBoard of Directors of EssilorLuxottica. The appointment will be approved by shareholders at the Group’s next annual Meeting, scheduled for 25 May 2022. Ms. Mercier Pitre will also become a member of the Committee for Corporate Social Responsibility.
The company Morel (operating for over one hundred years) also followed this policy in 2021 when it implemented a very important structural move, choosing to create a true branch in Piacenza, led by an Italian Country Manager, Stefania Maso.
Obviously, the female business world includes home-grown figures who have cleverly matched business know-how with creativity. Sabine Bégault-Vagner, for example: after working as an optician for 33 years, in 2014 she created her own brand, Sabine Be. Today, her products are sold in over 1,000 stores across the five continents.
Still on the topic of creativity and cutting edge design, another important figure is Nathalie Blanc, who founded her company Maison Nathalie Blancaround six years ago; her frames (for women and for men) are popular with French celebrities from the world of cinema, music and art.
When talking about French creativity, it’s impossible to leave out the name of Caroline Abram, who is the heart and soul of her own eponymous brand. Having trained as an optician in her mother’s store, Ms. Abram dedicated herself at the end of the 90s to designing accessories for eyewear (lorgnettes, magnifying glasses, chains, etc.), before moving on in 2008 to create her own eyewear collection and, in 2014, to launch the children’s range Têtes à Lunettes.
Italy
In Italy too, there are many admirable examples and not just in the glasses industry.
We begin with Coopervision where, a few months ago, Simona Fonelli was appointed Key Account Manager. Ms. Fonelli has had a glittering career in the optical industry and since 1996 has worked in increasingly transversal and key roles also at an international level.
In the lenses industry, Alessandra Barzaghi has had a successful career since 2013 when she entered Essilor Italia Spa | Essilor Group as Marketing Director Italy. In 2019 she took on the position of Corporate Transitions Director, a role she still holds today, alongside Corporate Social Responsibility Director Essilor Italy.
Among the ranks of top managers in eyewear can be found Susi Tabacchi, General Manager of Immagine98, the iconic local company that produces eyewear collections under its own brand name, and which recently launched a brand dedicated to men. Ms. Tabacchi has always been the business linchpin of the company, being responsible also for marketing and strategic communication aspects.
Another notable example in Italy is Alessandra Girardi, who has been with Vanni for 15 years. As well as being a shareholder in the company, she has various roles in business development and communication. Since 2008, she has also followed the company’s projects in the world of contemporary art and, since last year (when Vanni initiated its own transformation into a benefit corporation) has been the spokesperson on new policies of environmental and social sustainability.
The female business world would not be complete without some excellent examples from Cadore, the cradle par excellence of eyewear. We are talking about Lorraine Berton, Chairwoman of Arlecchino Srl and Two B Srl, and her sister Elena Berton - CEO of Arlecchino Srl and board member of Two B Srl. In 2007, after an impressive professional career in Arlecchino, the Berton sisters displayed their strong belief in the potential of the company by acquiring the entire capital stock. In 2010, they founded the company Two B Srl, managing the administrative body and transforming Arlecchino into an established company in the eyewear industry and the field of prescription and sunglasses.
Lorraine ralso fills two highly prestigious institutional roles: she is Chairperson of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti and Vice Chair of ANFAO (the Italian Association of Optical Item Manufacturers).
Also in the Florence countryside, an area that is home to footwear and yarn companies, the eyewear industry counts a woman amongst its key players: here in 1998 Sabrina Rege Turro founded Key Optical Europe, a dynamic company with brands based on craftsmanship (both owned and licensed brands).
We finish our overview of Italy with architect Daniela Verazzo who, in 2019, designed and created the brand ARU Eyewear where, in addition to twenty years of entrepreneurial and design experience, she has offered passion, taste and the concept that good design can improve the lives of people, on condition that this design be linked to practical use.
England
London is a thriving city, full of ideas, the crossroads for all the latest trends. And it is here in the English capital that Karen Kirk produces Kirk&Kirk glasses, in a company managed by her husband Jason. Karen is inspired by the work of the late Italian glasswork designer, Flavio Poli: the influence of his work can be seen in many of her frames.
When talking about English creativity, we can hardly fail to mention Oliver Goldsmith, founder back in 1926 of Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses. His iconic glasses have been worn by celebrities including Audrey Hepburn, Michael Caine, Lady Gaga and Elton John. In 2010 his granddaughter Claire Goldsmith took over the company and returned to the magnificent archive of glasses to bring back some of the most popular models. From that moment, Claire began to “tell” the story of her family’s eyewear company with a project focused on creativity.
In the next few weeks, we will offer some other prime examples of businesswomen who are playing a key role in the history of the eyewear industry with their entrepreneurial know-how. Stay tuned!