Cover The open-air swimming pool of the "Le Siranuse" hotel in Positano in Italy (Photo: Getty Images)
The open-air swimming pool of the "Le Siranuse" hotel in Positano in Italy (Photo: Getty Images)
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From the City of Canals to holidays on the Riviera, the world of luxury eyewear has always been seen through Italian lenses
There is no place richer in art, culture, and fashion than Italy. From its 5,000 museums to countless churches and architectural landmarks, and the safekeeping of over 60 per cent of all the world’s artistic assets—the country’s cultural roots run deep. This is underpinned by a quintessentially Italian understanding of and appreciation for beauty. The notion of taking pride in aesthetics isn’t just instilled in the culture, but informs every aspect of life—and eyewear is very much included in that.
Since the beginning of the 14th century, Italy has been perfecting its manufacturing of optical products. Some records say it began with Venetian craftsmen, the producers of luxury colourless glass and the creators of “discs for the eyes”, which went on to be known as lenses. However it might have developed, the country boasts unparalleled expertise and craftsmanship, built alongside the innovation and quality that are so synonymous with Italian fashion and accessories.
Italy has always led the charge for defining fashion statements, and one timeless yet distinctly Italian eyewear style is the oversized frame. It was, for example, a regular fixture on Italian film icon Sophia Loren over several decades—her arsenal of sunglasses spanned angular, round and cat-eye shapes.
Merging timeless style with sustainability, TBD Eyewear was founded by Fabio Attanasio and Andrea Viganò in Milan, and its products are made by the skilful hands of expert Italian artisans
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Effortlessly chic, oversized sunnies is an easily achievable look with help from Italian eyewear brand Vanni’s extra-large High Line creations. Born in Turin and manufactured not far away, Vanni is at the forefront of creative Italian eyewear design, with styles including butterfly, oval, square or panthos (also known as panto or tea cup style). The essence of the Vanni frames is contained in their exclusive materials: acetates in original patterns and metals with refined finishing.
Another style icon who leaned fiercely into statement-making eyewear was American-born, Venice-based art collector Peggy Guggenheim. Throughout the Fifties and Sixties, she famously influenced a bounty of surrealist artists to wear the daring, colourful, instantly recognisable butterfly glasses she herself favoured. For modern-day takes that draw on her artistic roots, look to Aru Eyewear’s Torma creations, which feature technical and statement layers of tonal hues. Created by architect Daniela Verazzo, with a focus on materials, innovation and functional fit, they are entirely designed and produced within Italy.
With four house brands—Cotton Club, Coliseum, Clark and Trevi 1971—Trevi Coliseum has been operating in the optical field for 50 years, bringing Italian beauty to the global market
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Italian-owned 450 Srl presents Ultra Limited, an immediately identifiable brand that offers a thoroughly customisable point of view: each pair of frames is laser-printed with an innovative serial number and can be personalised with a name or signature. These codes of authenticity and uniqueness are fused with Italian craftsmanship, unmatched quality and incredible attention to detail, with up to 12 colourful shades on a single pair of glasses. The result is one-of-a-kind accessories that add a bold, colourful edge to contemporary wardrobes. These dramatic, sculptural sunglasses are regularly spotted on fearless Italian street style favourites and influencer holidaymakers along the Amalfi Coast.
For men’s eyewear, the popular pilot-inspired silhouette was favoured by the late former head of Gucci, Maurizio Gucci, who famously sported an oversized pair throughout the Seventies. A more demure version of the shape, the iconic Persol PO3260S, was championed in The Talented Mr Ripley, a 1999 movie set in the Fifties that was heavily referenced for its covetable Italian flair, and that featured Jude Law sporting the classic aviator design as his character Dickie Greenleaf. The same style was worn by Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, who played Marcello Rubini in Federico Fellini’s Sixties classic La Dolce Vita. It wasn’t Marcello’s only iconic eyewear moment of the decade: the actor was also known for inspiring the trend for thick, angular glasses and sunglasses when he played Guido Anselmi in Fellini’s other masterpiece, 8½.
A pair of glasses with an unmistakable style—be they prescription glasses or sunglasses—is of great aesthetic and functional value, and the ones at Dandy's are the result of 50 years of knowledge and passion for materials and local finesse
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While the pandemic delivered a significant hit to the level of eyewear manufacturing in Italy throughout both 2020 and 2021, with production falling to below 50 per cent of its previous level during Italy’s two months of lockdown, 2022 has finally seen a return to pre-Covid activity levels. An almost instantaneous recovery has led to an abundance of “Made in Italy” eyewear brands celebrating the return to normality and looking to the future with dynamic new eyewear styles, like the intricately patterned Coco Song creations by Area98, a vibrant, creative Italian eyewear pioneer that draws upon 20 years of experience and is one of the sector’s most progressive players. Another example of innovation comes in the form of the chromatic curves of Prensil Eyewear’s catalogue. Completely made in Italy and offering an instantly recognisable design, Prensil champions surgical steel—light, flexible, durable—and patented temples that keep the glasses closed and easily hooked on handbags or clothes for added convenience and flair.
The organisation helping to put Italian eyewear brands on the world stage is the Italian Trade Agency, a government body that advocates for the development of “Made in Italy” brands through a global network. With its continuing efforts to champion Italian excellence around the globe, the appreciation of Italian eyewear—in covetable, conversation-starting styles, rich with history and craftsmanship—is only set to grow.
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Images: Italian Trade Agency
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