Nov 2016

SPECIAL FEATURE: SILMO 2016
A spectacle of choice
Silmo 2016 wowed with the pure breadth of options on display. Lesley Springall
shares some highlights from her first visit to one of Europe’s most popular
international optical fairs.
The sheer scale of Silmo Paris, the annual
European optical fair held just outside
France’s capital city, surely must be daunting
to most, but especially to the novice fair attendee.
Two huge, purpose-built exhibition spaces,
with row upon row of 950 different size stands
– most cleverly decorated to stand out from
their neighbours as they vie for attention from
nearly 34,000 visitors – at first seems like a test of
orienteering. But by the second day, even a novice
such as myself was counting down the stand
numbers like a pro.
It was hard to identify themes at this year’s show
as there seemed to be just about everything on
display in terms of frame colours, materials (I’ve
never seen so many buffalo horns) and frame
shapes. If there was a standout, however, it was
the return of round – large round and, especially
for men, small round, somewhat retro-looking
frames. Colour was everywhere, with some brave
designers even presenting frames in those trickiest
of facial-match colours, yellow and green. Blue was
Eye catching displays at Silmo 2016
particularly popular, however, with clever patterns
(on metal or acetate) now the norm.
The other key themes from this year’s fair were
customisation, innovation and authenticity
with French and Italian frame makers reeling off
their “we really are, really made” in France/Italy
credentials, as soon as you start talking to them.
Both are less than impressed by their governments’
decision to award “made in France/Italy” labels to
any manufacturer who simply designs or makes just
part of their frames in the country.
As for innovation, Silmo has always been a
showcase for new materials and advancements
in frame technology, but it seemed like nearly
everyone had a new way of dealing with the old
hinge and screw technology at this year’s fair. The
technology on display from the lens and equipment
manufacturers was equally fascinating. But of
particular interest was Silmo’s Experience Store,
which featured the latest technologies on offer
to draw patients into practices and keep them
entertained. This included hologram greeters
Silmo Paris: what an experience!
BY CLAIRE MCDONALD*
There was a palpable sense of anticipation
as we walked from the train across the
forecourt to Silmo. Sporting a limp,
courtesy of a collision with a fare jumper
hurdling the metro gate, I was not exactly sure
what to expect.
The show was as big as everyone had
promised; at times a bit overwhelming. The
two large halls dedicated to Silmo at the Parc
des Expositions exhibition centre in Paris Nord
Villepinte had definite themes; Hall 5 seemed
colourful with flamboyant frame designers and
stands, while Hall 6 had clinical equipment and
lots of brands, which were less familiar to me,
plus all the lens suppliers.
Making contact with frame designers from the
other side of the globe gave me insights into the
story of the products we stock and use to help
our patients on a daily basis. For me, however, the
true high point was the one-on-one time I spent
with some of our key brands: Alan Peterson from
Monoqool kindly spent a fascinating hour talking
to me about his vision for the company and the
challenges of developing his 3D printing process.
Technology and customisation featured
everywhere. I talked with a young IT whiz about
his app to put virtual stock onto customers faces.
There were frames made from paper and lens
cloths made from recycled PET bottles. At the
Hoya stand, Hoya executives were scanning faces
to design a customised lens with a 3D printed
frame, optimising Hoya’s lens’ performance (see
separate story). I am not sure if people will want
customisation at the expense of choice in frames,
however, though it was a nice touch to see all
Hoya’s staff wearing the frames, giving a uniform
effect similar to the French Morel team, who were
all sporting bright yellow sneakers!
The stands at Silmo Paris ranged from highly
creative to slick; with orange Dutch cows,
American milk bars (complete with rock and roll
dancers) and a British double decker red bus; all
of which is impossible to experience without
considering our own street appeal.
For me, Silmo also highlighted how crowded
the optical frame market is. The idea of selecting
unique brands at a fair on this scale might give
you the sense of unlimited choice. I suspect it
is very easy, too easy, to order out-there new
designs, which may prove less than successful in
your own practice. So for this kiwi optom at least,
we will continue to enjoy the selection curated by
our own trusted suppliers.
and a variety of frame
simulation technologies
from table top displays
to wall-hanging
technologies and freestanding
screens in a host
of sizes. Often wrapped
up closely with innovation
was customisation, with
a number of companies
offering new ways for
practices to customise
their frame and lens
offerings to patients
(see below and the Hoya
story on p3). All of which clearly demonstrated that
innovation is thriving in the industry.
NZ Optics’ Lesley Springall talking frames with Xavier Garcia
Paperstyle
Demonstrating this innovation, and something
a little bit different from the host of acetate,
wood, horn and metal frame manufacturers,
was Paperstyle, a South Tyrolean brand of paper
eyewear, made entirely by hand.
Through a patented process, premium paper
(15 to 18 sheets) is pressed, glued, vacuum-dried
and shaped with special milling machines. The
outcome is amazing; a moldable, durable, but very
lightweight product that can be customised to
whatever the customer desires, with many using
their own photographs as the basis of their, highly
personalised, new frame designs.
Monkey Glasses
Another frame brand that caught my eye was
Monkey Glasses, with its “Save the Orangutan”-
themed stand, complete with jar of yummy
banana lollies, this six-year old Danish company
majored on its environmental, sustainable and
biodegradeable credentials. Monkey Glasses’
frames are handmade and are manufactured from
a special biodegradable material - cotton acetate
- that can look like wood, horn or even crystal. To
add to the feel-good factor, and the story that can
be sold to environmentally-minded patients, is the
knowledge that a percentage of every frame sold
goes to support the work of Danish conservationist
Lone Dröscher Nielsen’s who’s working to save the
orangutans in Borneo; even the cases are made
from recycled paper.
Area 98
Area 98 prides itself on being a “braver” brand
company, featuring brands such as La Matta,
Kaos and, the rather mind-blowing detailing and
handmade individualism of Coco Song, inspired
by the opulence of ancient Chinese dynasties,
incorporating feathers, silks, lacquers, leaves and
even flowers in its temples.
La Matta’s new collection, launched at Silmo (and
available in New Zealand through BTP) is described
as “an anthem to the modern and sensual woman. A
mysterious woman who likes to transform herself, by
showing her personality through the accessories she
wears.” The slightly accentuated temples, giving an
unusual cat-eye effect, in animal-themed acetate, are
decorated with small, coloured inserts at the hinges.
Kaos’ new Silmo range, meanwhile, focused on
colour and detail, designed to appeal to a younger
audience, with their squared, rounded and oval
shapes, alternating with contrasting shades or
absolute black.
Area 98’s Michela Del Tin, while demonstrating
the latest handmade offerings from Coco Song,
featuring feathers and silks embedded into the
acetate temples and semi-precious stones such
as lapis lazuli, said Area 98 was formed from the
merging of three companies: Area 98 which is Italian,
and its subsidiary company in Hong Kong, and the
company’s main US distributor, Poets Eyewear. The
design is divided between Italy and Hong Kong.
Both La Matta and Coco Song sport very powerful
decoration on the temples, but La Matta, with its
animal prints, is more for the provocative, strong
woman, while Coco Song is more for the elegant,
dreaming woman, said Del Tin. “La Matta really
wants to break the rules; there is a lot in the frames
and it takes inspiration from jewellery…Kaos is the
younger brother of La Matta, more unisex in style,
but still colourful…they are all unified by colour.”
One of La Matta’s new styles
launched at Silmo
Fitting Box
In the Experience Store section, Fitting Box
was busy demonstrating Owiz Street, it’s latest
innovation in augmented reality virtual try-on
technology. Designed to grab attention in a
practice’s window, Owiz Street transforms the
window into an interactive experience, remotecontrolled
from the passing shopper’s or patient’s
own smartphone. The mounted display acts
like a mirror, recognising the viewer’s face and
allowing them to virtually try on any eyewear
CONTINUED ON P18
William Morris’ Robert Morris and Claire McDonald
*Claire McDonald is an optometrist and co-owner of McDonald
Adams in Warkworth. This was her first visit to Silmo.
Phone: 0508 FRAMES (372 637)
November 2016
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
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