De Rigo

In an increasingly corporatised world of eyewear manufacturing, DeRigo’s family owned structure and international presence puts it outside the norm. The company was founded in 1978 by two brothers, Ennio and Walter De Rigo, and remains owned by the De Rigo family.

Massimo De Rigo is the Executive Vice Chairman and Head of Design and Operations of De Rigo Group S.p.A. He said what started out as a small artisan company has evolved into a company with an annual revenue of more than US$400 million.

“At the beginning we were a small artisan company manufacturing sunglasses, frames and components for corrective lenses on behalf of third parties. In the early 80s, the brothers’ innovative spirit and natural vocation to experiment led to the creation and development of our own line of sunglasses, which immediately created a new trend in eyewear design.

“In 1983 Police was founded and we acquired Lozza, the oldest eyewear brand in Italy, then in 1985 we launched Sting. Police, in particular, quickly established itself as a brand associated with refined designs and a strong image. This helped to position our company as one of the first fashion eyewear producers in Italy,” said Massimo.

“Our success prompted us to venture into new projects and in the early 90s we began to produce under brand names licensed by well-known fashion houses. This led to De Rigo becoming a leading designer and distributor in the global eyewear sector.”

Major Markets of the World

Over the years De Rigo has strategically expanded its brand portfolio, ensuring there are frames to appeal to different market sectors and different geographical areas.

“We are active in all the major markets of the world with our own brands Lozza, Lozza Sartoriale, Police and Sting, and with the licences including, among others, Chopard, dunhill London, Escada, Furla, Lanvin, MilleMiglia, Nina Ricci, Trussardi. In Australia we distribute also the Airlight, Seiko and Levi’s brands.
“Our house brands are fashion focussed, and rich in technological innovation,” said Massimo. “Our licensed collections, born out of relationships with top quality partners from the world of fashion and luxury, are based on a shared vision and common values: we have chosen each other so as to represent the distinctive soul of the individual brands.

“Together, our house and licensed brands form a complete product offer. We have core collections positioned in the mid-market as well as luxury and top of the range collections.

“On a distribution level we can cover all geographic areas thanks to a mix of brands which are strong both at national and international level,” he added.

A significant percentage of De Rigo’s total product range is created from its in-house design department in the Italian head office, while a small number of frames are developed and produced in the US, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong to meet the needs of different consumers.

Impressive Volume

Each year the company creates an impressive 3,000 prototypes, which are eliminated or refined, culminating in a total output of more than 1,500 new models.

To create prototypes for De Rigo Vision’s House Brands, a team of designers work under the keen eye of Creative Director Enrico Furlan, who has spent many years designing high-end eyewear.

“For this important role we appointed a professional with an in-depth knowledge of eyewear,” said Massimo. “Furlan is responsible for coordinating the entire development of our three house brands – Lozza, Police and Sting. To do this, he works in close contact with the internal product office with the aim of developing collections that exalt the qualities and style of each brand in accordance with their respective positioning.

Furlan’s role extends to creating all Police lifestyle products, working in close contact with the licensing partners of the watch, jewellery, perfumes and small leather goods lines.

De Rigo’s licensed brand collection is developed by a team of designers who work with input from each fashion house’s creative directors.

A Strategic Customer Focus

Massimo said a focus on strategic planning has enabled De Rigo to successfully grow its business across divisions. “Our strategy’s strong point is being able to adapt to the needs and trends specific to each country, customising our offering according to the particular needs of each market. That’s how we’ve managed to set up such a widespread wholesale network that markets our products in over 80 countries, via 100 independent distributors and five retail divisions that serve a total of 50,000 customers.

But besides numbers, Massimo said the success of the business comes down to its focus on people.

“Our team comprises passionate and down to earth men and women, and for us, business and caring for people go hand in hand. From the very first day, we decided to believe in people, putting the same care into our relationships as we put into the design and manufacture of our eyewear.

“This is our approach with all the people who work with De Rigo, including our customers. For us the customer is a business partner. We take extreme care to provide them with the best service and we work in partnership with them to ensure all partners are able to operate and grow profitably”.

In August 2016 DeRigo opened a subsidiary in Australia, as part of its international expansion plan. The subsidiary supports sales and post-sales, enables customers to access a wider product range and benefit from more efficient service.

The opening of this branch is also expected to drive the expansion of De Rigo in the Asia Pacific.

Contact: De Rigo Vision Australia (AUS) 02 9428 1500