We were in Barcelona to discover Silhouette’s new collection of sunglasses and by now, we have to admit, after trying them on we have become fans of the world’s lightest eyewear brand.

Our meeting with Silhoutte and our chat with the Italy marketing department.

How did the Sole collection inspired by the neighborhoods of Barcelona come about? Why this city in particular? We are of the opinion that if you really want to see and test how far a sunglass design can go, you need to be inspired by where the sun is at home and shines for almost 360 days a year, where the eye can sweep over endless horizons, where light reflections constantly play with water. Every year we choose a sun-kissed city, and our designers are inspired by the unique atmospheres, sensuality and magic of light and shadow that some places or neighborhoods in these urban destinations give off. Last year the creative impetus came from the city of Miami, for the 2023 collection, on the other hand, the inspirations came from certain districts of Barcelona and its coastal resorts such as Cadaqués and Calella, which gave the names to our Sun 2023 models.

Will the upcoming collections always have a city-related inspiration or was it a unique choice for this season? It is a choice we intend to pursue, but we cannot yet reveal which location will be the inspiration for our Sun 2024 collection that we will introduce to the market in October.

Why should a customer prefer your sunglasses over another brand? What are your strengths? In addition to the undisputed characteristics of innovation, quality and style of our products, which are universally recognized for the company that has been a world leader in the premium segment of frames for almost 60 years now, three are, in our opinion, the strengths of our sunglasses:

• It is known that sunlight invigorates the senses and has a positive effect on mood, our Silhouette Light Management technology ^® , found on the lenses of all our sunglasses, allows you to benefit from the positive energy of the sun without worry. This patented lens technology lets through more yellow tones for more pleasant brightness while offering a comfortable and all-natural viewing experience with vivid colors and increased contrast. Without, of course, ever losing sight of perfect protection from UV rays, blue light and glare caused by reflected light.
• A second differentiator is the option for those in need of vision correction to have our Silhouette Vision Sensation graduated lens sunglasses ^® . These are custom developed, manufactured and assembled lenses, according to the specific needs of each customer and in perfect symbiosis with the frame, in our Silhouette Lens Lab in Linz (Austria) where each complete 100% Silhouette eyeglass goes through more than 100 inspections to ensure its compliance with the highest quality standards. With perfect harmony between frame and lenses Silhouette is able to create the perfect visual experience and unique comfort with the advantage of offering lens tints identical to those of the original sunglass filters without gradation.
• Another strength is the fact that we have been manufacturing eyewear in Austria since 1964. This way we guarantee high quality and exquisite workmanship using the best materials, ensuring that when it comes to comfort, our glasses are second to none. We remain true to our roots:our home is and always will be in Linz. This is where our expertise in design, production and distribution is focused. It is here that our company, still family-owned, was born, and our motivation and inspiration to continue to see without limits.

How do you manage to combine the innovative aspect with a design in step with market demands? Being visionary, always striving for cutting-edge design is something inherent in the company’s DNA since the year of its founding in 1964 and going far beyond the demands of the market. Our 1974 Futura sunglass is a clear testimony to this. An extraordinary design, futuristic, unusual and unknown at the time, it conquered not only the market but also the fashion catwalks and showbiz celebrities, inspiring trendsetters around the world. Even with our iconic Titan Minimal Art eyewear, proposed with great success on the market in 1999 but a project born from the genius of our designer Gerhard Fuchs still in 1992, we redefined eyewear standards even before minimalism and reduction to the essentials became a trend followed by numerous brands not only in eyewear. Our designers travel the world in search of inspiration developing more than 3,000 new eyewear designs each year, and one of our strengths is also and above all the multiculturalism of our working team. It is progress, a pioneering spirit but also a willingness to take risks that lead to success. The brand’s unwavering commitment to innovation is also demonstrated by the more than 50 patents created and 121 international design awards received to date.

How do you manage to adapt your product to passing trends while maintaining the same standards of innovation, lightness and brand identifiability? Silhouette’s premium quality and its design, which goes beyond the fashions of the moment, result in a style that is always in perfect harmony with the spirit of the times. It is precisely our standards of innovation and lightness that lead the brand to be recognized for its timelessness.

I tried on your glasses and had no idea they were so light:how do you manage to communicate this aspect even before they are tried on? You really hit the nail on the head, it is only by wearing our glasses that you get that unique feeling that only a Silhouette eyewear can offer. We always invite every person who comes into contact with our brand to wear one of our glasses first, before we even start talking about it. We also do this with our optical customers when we present our collections to them and invite them to do the same with their end customers. To convey this feeling, our brand campaigns under the motto “EMPOWRED BY LIGHTNESS.”are of great help, where the sky and infinite spaces are recurring elements to express lightness. Protagonists of the campaign are people portrayed in their natural state, young and full of life. They move in modern urban environments or in breathtaking landscapes. In the background impressive avant-garde architecture characterized by very fluid lines. Gestures and facial expressions are consciously positive and optimistic. The main colors are shades of blue, drawing inspiration from the full color spectrum of the sky, and natural sand tones. This is complemented by a bold new photographic style intended to broaden Silhouette’s target audience

Who is the typical customer in Silhouette target audience? We really have a host of loyal customers who have been following us for years, true brand lovers, after all, we are often recognized that the lightness of our glasses is addictive. Once you try it, it’s hard to go back. Recently we also wanted to approach a new audience, which we call the modern performers. Young people who live under pressure all the time, who are impatient, sometimes distracted, feel constrained. We believe that the lightness of our glasses can open their minds, and show them new possibilities. For those who have a light state of mind anything is possible, there are no limits, and we with our glasses add the right amount of lightness to their lives every day. Silhouette with its lightness frees the minds of visionaries. The feeling of freedom and light-heartedness it offers stimulates them to be more creative, more innovative and helps them achieve success.

How do you manage to stand out in a market increasingly saturated with big brands and “commanded”by large eyewear groups? We are among or few in this industry who have the opportunity to tell a unique story of minimalism and lightness, which stems from one of our iconic products, the Titan Minimal Art, an eyewear weighing only 1.8 grams. For us, lightness is not just about a physical property or weight reduction, but lightness has the power to change our daily lives because it has effects on very deep levels as well. Seen from this perspective, lightness is also a statement of respect, toward people, but also toward nature. Again taking the refined temples of our open frames as an example:the minimal use of high-quality materials in the manufacturing process allows, on the one hand, efficient resource conservation, and on the other hand, the achievement of extraordinary levels in comfort and design. And this is true for all eyewear in the Silhouette range. We strive every day to express lightness in everything we do and for our thinking to be reflected in everything we do. This is what makes us different from our competitors.

How are you trying to approach a younger audience? Our rimless sunglasses, a segment for which we are renowned, are very trendy when offered with oversize lenses and extravagant colors as we did in our latest collection, and we are really investing heavily in spreading this concept. We establish collaborations with young visionaries who have stories to tell (like Alyssa Carson, 21-year-old originally from Louisiana who shared with us her dream of becoming the first human being to set foot on Mars) and we try to make these stories go viral on our Social channels. We do the same with young influencers and celebrities by capturing them in their moments of levity while wearing our sunglasses.

Are you also thinking about collaborations with other brands in the fashion world or with personalities in the entertainment industry? Certainly, we are always looking for collaborations and partnerships, we are currently exploring some in particular but cannot share details yet.

What is the big challenge you have ahead of you in the next five years? An opportunity that excites us for the future is to proactively embrace the dynamism of our marketplace, persevering in our constant innovativeness and cutting-edge, with the goal of providing consumers with unparalleled brand experiences.