FROM THE EDITOR
EYES ON THE PRIZE
From ‘zero to hero’. That’s how Kering Eyewear Global Head of Centralized Channels Omar Hagi describes the luxury eyewear house’s meteoric rise since its founding in 2014.
It’s an apt description, considering the blitz of innovations, launches and acquisitions that Kering Eyewear has led over the ensuing years.
This special edition of The Moodie Davitt Spotlight Series eZine follows that memorable journey and shines the spotlight on the many milestones along the way. From Kering Eyewear’s partnership with Richemont, its recent acquisitions of Danish luxury eyewear brand LINDBERG and Hawaiian sunglasses brand Maui Jim, to its innovative Blue & Beyond project, it’s been a heck of a trip.
Since the beginning, Kering Eyewear has had its eyes on the prize, with the ambition of becoming the undisputed leader in the luxury eyewear segment. Today, Kering Eyewear takes its vision even further, with an ambitious plan to triple its travel retail footprint by 2024.
In these pages, we take a closer look at Kering Eyewear’s bold Digital Retail Concept, a fully immersive retail store environment that leverages the power of digital. Dubbed ‘the store of the future’, the concept uses digital tools to offer an entertaining and adaptable shopping experience. The store concept — now rolling out across Kering Eyewear’s travel retail network — could revolutionise the way sunglasses are sold in travel retail and beyond.
In a fascinating interview, Omar Hagi discusses Kering Eyewear’s M&A strategy and how the new Digital Retail Concept Store will transform its brick & mortar store footprint. He also underlines the importance of travel retail as a strategic growth pillar and reaffirms his and Kering Eyewear’s belief in and commitment to the channel.
Earlier this year, Kering Eyewear Global Travel Retail made several leadership changes, with Francesco Todeschini Premuda named Head of Global Channels and Emanuele Lasagna as Head of Global Travel Retail. We caught up with both Todeschini Premuda and Lasagna to discuss how they are settling into their new roles and what they believe it takes to become true disruptors and innovators in the sunglasses category.
In eight short years, Kering Eyewear has gone from daring new entrant to the dominant player in the luxury eyewear segment, with brands such as Gucci, Chloé, Dunhill and Balenciaga adding lustre to its powerhouse portfolio. Kering Eyewear’s story is, indeed, a true ‘zero to hero’ tale, and one we are honoured to tell.
- The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Editor & Digital Marketing Manager Hannah Tan-Gillies
