World Champion Austria Tyrol
Austria beautifies the eyes of the world The Austrian eyewear manufacturers withstood the challenges of the Covid pandemic and keep a positive outlook. j by Britta Biron
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here are types of products that you associate immediately with certain countries. These connections only apply to a certain extent in our increasingly globalised world, yet historic facts remain and can be still felt today: cars from Germany, watches from Switzerland, fashion and perfume from France, leather goods from Italy. And Austria? There are glasses, particularly in the premium sector.
Eyewear, Kiotonakamura and H.I.S. Eyewear). Since then, more Austrian eyewear makers have entered both the Austrian and international markets such as Pomberger Goisern (1984), Gloryfy Unbreakable (2004), Andy Wolf (2006), Rolf Spectacles (2009) and the two Silhouette subsidiaries Neubau Eyewear (2016) and Evil Eye (2019). When it comes to sizes, design, production and sales strategies, there are sometimes huge differences but also some common ground – the most obvious being innovative capacity and high flexibility. Combined with their focus on the premium segment and highly identifiable branding, these companies managed to overcome the Covid pandemic.
Fashionable pioneering work Silhouette laid the foundations for Austria’s international reputation as a manufacturer of elegant premium glasses. “The company was founded in 1964 and had one goal in mind: To make eyewear more than just corrective lenses – to turn them into an accessory with the highest standards in technolIconic brands ogy and design,” says Mi“When it comes to frames, we acchael Schmied, CMO tually missed our targets, but the and grandson of the sales of lenses went according to company’s founders © Robert La Roche plan in 2020,” says Michael Arnold and Anneliese Pachleitner. It helped that the group Schmied. “Back then, this was a revolutionary had developed spectacle lenses with a special approach and we were pretty much the only ones Robert La Roche has been blue light filter several years ago – they saw an inwith this attitude on the market. Thanks to our innomaking extravagant glasscrease in demand due to more people working from vations, Silhouette has often been regarded as a pioes since 1973. home, playing computer games or watching online neer and innovator for premium eyewear over the streams. Despite the difficult market conditions, the company last six decades.” still launched several new models even though some of the colFrom 1973 onwards, when Austria had already been establections have become smaller. But the pandemic did not change lished as a premium eyewear maker in several countries, Austrithe overall expansion strategy. “We aim for organic growth an designer Robert La Roche showed spectacle wearers all across all areas, markets and brands – more than 20 percent per around the world new highlights with his very first collection. year across the entire group. Simultaneously, we are growing Today, the brand is part of the Graz-based Michael Pachleitner through acquisitions.” Group, along with nine others such as Daniel Hechter, Spect
