Blog - Page 443 of 909

February 22, 2020February 24, 2020

MIDO Postponed Due to Corona Virus

In response to the CoVID-19 virus emergency, MIDO Board of Directors have announced the postponement of the prestigious 50-year MIDO anniversary to an undefined date between late May and mid June. MIDO was planned Feb 29th to March 2nd.

In a statement posted on the MIDO website, Giovanni Vitaloni, President of MIDO said, “We took this decision out of respect for the current alarming situation and for our exhibitors and visitors.”

While corona virus originated in China in December, several clusters of confirmed cases and deaths have occured in other countries, including Italy. According to press reports, Italy has locked down 11 towns and asked more than 50,000 people to self quarantine. A second Italian victim, a woman, died in the northern region of Lombardy according to an Italian government spokesperson.

Other countries, including South Korea, Iran, Israel and Lebanon have also reported cases and deaths from the virus.

View statement from MIDO Board of Directors.

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020

Safilo and Aquafil to Produce Eco-sustainable Eyewear

Safilo announces the introduction of ECONYL® regenerated nylon in its eyewear collections, thanks to a pioneering partnership with Aquafil, a recognized global player with over half a century of expertise in creating synthetic fibres.

ECONYL® is a regenerated nylon obtained through the regeneration and purification process of plastic waste, such as fishing nets, old carpets, and fabric scraps. ECONYL®, obtained through a process of depolymerization and re-polymerisation, performs exactly the same as brand new nylon and it can be recycled, recreated and remoulded again and again, with no loss of quality.

The choice of this material, never before used in the mass production of eyewear, is a tangible sign of Safilo’s further progression in its sustainability strategy and its commitment to bring innovation to a consolidated industry.

“Our investment to using recycled materials highlights our continued efforts towards promoting a responsible business,” explains Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group. “This sustainable material will allow us to make our contribution and create products without using new resources. Our intention is to expand the use of ECONYL® as much as possible in order to decrease our carbon footprint.”

“Safilo has a long history of creating high-quality eyewear products, and we are happy to partner with such a strong player in the eyewear industry,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Aquafil’s CEO. “It is a completely new sector in which our ECONYL® material is now used, and it is this pioneering spirit that most unites us with a company like Safilo, which, like us, has innovation in its DNA.”

The new TOMMY JEANS eyewear collection, recently launched by Tommy Hilfiger, is the first that features styles made of ECONYL® regenerated nylon. Safilo will progressively introduce this material also in its other brands’ collections.

Click HERE for the full press release.

February 21, 2020February 20, 2020

Italia Independent Signs Global Licensing Agreement with CR7

Italia Independent Group announces that its owned eyewear company Italia Independent and Cristiano Ronaldo’s brand have agreed to an exclusive five-year global licensing agreement for the creation of eyewear collections licensed under the CR7 brand.

The first CR7 eyewear collection has been entirely inspired by, and designed for, Cristiano Ronaldo and will be unveiled as worldwide preview at MIDO 2020. The collection will be available to purchase in leading opticians and on the best e-commerce platforms starting from spring/summer 2020.

CR7 brand currently retails in over 70 countries around the world.

Italia Independent is distributed by Mood Eyewear in Canada.

Click HERE for the full press release.

February 20, 2020February 24, 2020

BC College of Optics: New IACLE Fellowship Earned

BC College of Optics (BCCO) announces that BCCO Optician/Contact Lens Fitter instructor David Watson has recently passed the rigorous International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) ‘Fellowship examination’ and has qualified to receive its prestigious IACLE ‘Fellow’ (FIACLE) credential.

IACLE is a world-wide organization of contact lens educators whose membership includes contact lens educators in various public and private Colleges and Universities throughout the world, including North & South America, Europe, Asia, China, Africa, Australia and UK.

Of a total of 150 IACLE members who sat for this IACLE Contact Lens ‘Fellow’ examination, only 19% of examination candidates passed. David Watson joins four other Canadians who currently hold IACLE Fellow (FIACLE) status.

A Province of British Columbia licensed Optician & Contact Lens Fitter, David Watson graduated from BC College of Optics program in 1995. He then spent the next 12 years in private practice before joining BC College of Optics as a full-time opticianry instructor in 2007.

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020

CooperVision Becomes Global Patron of IAPB

CooperVision has become a Global Patron of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). The company becomes part of a select group of leaders including Allergan, Bayer, Novartis and Standard Chartered Bank that supports IAPB at the highest level to help achieve universal access to eye health.

As part of the relationship, CooperVision and IAPB will collaborate to bring greater awareness and action to the growing prevalence and severity of myopia in children worldwide. A seminal 2015 report on the issue from the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “myopia and high myopia are increasing globally at an alarming rate, with significant increases in the risks for vision impairment from pathologic conditions associated with high myopia.”

“IAPB are excited about the opportunity to partner with CooperVision to create sustainable and lasting change in eye health, including addressing the substantial global increase in myopia,” said [Peter Holland, Chief Executive, IAPB]. “The leadership, insight and innovation of our Patrons regularly unearth new approaches, models and alliances for greater collective and individual impact. By working together, we exponentially increase our abilities to confront and overcome vision impairment issues.”