De Rigo wins the Silmo d’Or 2024 in the “Brands & Labels” optical frames category with a model created for the Maison Nina Ricci. The Italian luxury eyewear licensee is one of thirteen winners to have received awards for creativity and innovation in the thirty years of the Silmo d’Or ceremony, the high point of the Mondial de l’optique.
Recognizing international eyewear licensees, key partners in the design, production and distribution of eyewear for the world’s leading luxury brands, the “Brands & Labels” category awarded De Rigo for an optical model and Grosfilley France for a sunglasses model.
EssilorLuxottica, unsurprisingly, took the prize for connected frames with its new-generation Ray-Ban Meta, whose partnership is set to be extended over the long term.
The triumph of vintage design
At a time when theappeal of the Sixties is in full swing in fashion, the Silmo d’Or saluted a Nina Ricci optical frame in the “Brands & Labels” category inspired by this pop decade, signed by Italian designer De Rigo. The Parisian fashion house, founded in 1932 and owned by Spanish giant Puig, signed a five-year licensing agreement in 2015, covering the design, production and distribution of eyewear.
These are oversize acetate frames with a rounded front. The SNR403 model in color 7G6 features the emblematic grosgrain pattern visible on the inside, and the Nina Ricci logo in letters adorns the left temple. The frame design is inspired by Nina Ricci’s flagship model, worn by Jacqueline Kennedy.
Nina Ricci is part of De Rigo’s brand portfolio alongside Chopard, Roberto Cavalli, Lanvin Collection, Philipp Plein, Porsche Design and Blumarine. The luxury eyewear licensee from Longarone, in the Belluno region of Italy, has 27 subsidiaries and around 100 independent distributors and four retail divisions in 100 countries. In addition to its luxury brand licenses, De Rigo also owns its own brands: Police, Lozza and Sting.
The 60s also inspired the second “Brands & Labels” winner for its sunglasses frames, Grosfilley France for the Parisian luxury ready-to-wear brand, Zilli.
In the spirit of Colin Firth, imperial in the film “A Single Man”, the Zilli frame is adorned with grained leather inserts on the bridge and temples, highlighted by gold titanium. For exceptional softness and lightness, these vintage-inspired sunglasses feature integrated flex hinges for perfect adaptability. This is the fourth time in four years that the Silmo d’Or has featured Grosfilley France’s creations for Zilli. The French eyewear manufacturer, proud of its expertise in Oyonnax, also boasts a portfolio of prestigious brands including Azzaro, Lancel, Charriol and Chantal Thomass. Grosfilley France supplies nearly 3,000 opticians in France and exports its creations to nearly 70 countries.
Eyewear in the “Eyewear Designer” category for optics and sunglasses also embraces the retro trend, but sets its sights ten years later. Pro Design ‘s Censur sunglasses, in metal with a double bridge, are a strong nod to the 1970s, as is Pierre Eyewear with its “Lady” acetate butterfly frame for men.
But just because you’re vintage doesn’t mean you can’t be technological. So, just as the extension of its partnership with Meta was announced, EssilorLuxottica picked up a quasi-surprise prize, that of connected eyewear in the Technological Innovation in Eyewear category.
Ray-Ban made its mark at the 31st Silmo d’Or awards ceremony with the new generation of smart glasses, the result of its partnership with Meta. These glasses enable users to capture moments and consume digital content, while offering correction and visual protection in the iconic Ray-Ban style. With its artificial intelligence-boosted functionalities, scheduled for October 2024, it will be possible to identify what users see and assist them on a daily basis.
A welcome circularity
The winner of the jury’s special prize, Parasite Design with “ MORPH Alpha ”, illustrated the growing importance of the circular economy and reuse. The “MORPH alpha – Clara Besnard”, which looks like a cross between an octopus and a jellyfish, is a frame made entirely from spare parts and old stock from the workshops of futuristic brand Parasite and vintage optical store Bidules.
Artist and designer Clara Besnard handcrafted MORPH1 as a tentacular system, with its main roots made from a Parasite MORPH V01 (2003) and secondary roots made from branches and acetate faces from the 1970s-80s.
Skans and Vanni shared the CSR prize.
As its press release points out, Skans was “chosen for its minimalist approach, which aims to slow down the consumption of eyewear: timeless frames with launch only if new to reduce the need for renewal, timeless packaging (often without printing) to limit the need for redesigns, the availability of identical spare parts for all models, or on-demand production to avoid overstocking…. “The company also stood out for its careful approach to the entire life cycle of its frames, favoring single-material production – in this case 100% stainless steel, including nose pads – to maximize recycling.
Another player to be rewarded for its commitment, Vanni made news in 2021, becoming the first Italian company in the eyewear industry to become a “Società Benefit”, the transalpine equivalent of a Company with a Mission. Vanni has set up a series ofinitiatives involving all its stakeholders, and in particular its employees. They are responsible for rating the company’s performance through a survey, while the entire workforce has taken part in training modules on sustainable development (between 5 and 22h hours of training per employee).
In 2023-2024, the company carried out an internal reorganization, guided by an organizational psychologist, in order to define each person’s roles and responsibilities more clearly and thus better respond to employees’ needs. Particularly rooted in its local area, Vanni supports numerous local organizations in Turin and Piedmont.
Reminder of the Silmo d’Or 2024 prize list
Sport: Out Of with “Acuity
Children’s: Lafont Paris with “Roudoudou
Technological innovation in eyewear: OOMADE with “OOmade SAV 3D”.
Technological innovation in eyewear – Connected Products: EssilorLuxottica with “Ray-Ban Meta with AI
“Designer Eyewear” optical frames: Pierre Eyewear with “Lady
“Designer Eyewear” sunglasses: Design Eyewear Group with ‘Censur’.
“Brands & Labels” optical frames: Nina Ricci with “SNR403 color 7G6” De Rigo
“Brands & Labels” Sunglasses: ZILLI with “ZI65109 C01” GROSFILLEY FRANCE
Jury’s Special Prize: Parasite Design with “MORPH Alpha
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Read also > EssilorLuxottica prepares new generations of smart glasses with Meta
