Vanni whets the foreign market's appetite

The new 'Pasta' collection by Vanni, created to seduce the international markets, draws its inspiration from the purest Italian design, echoing the shapes of a popular type of Italian pasta known as 'reginette'. Characterized by its wavy shape recalling the rippling lace used to give the finishing touch to queens' dresses, 'reginette' pasta originates from Naples and was created in honor of Princess Mafalda of Savoia.

'The development plan for the foreign markets - explains Giovanni Vitaloni, the Managing Director of Nico - for which we envisage an increase in turnover of about 30% by 2009, aims to identify our products with an Italian design, culture and image. This is why we created a range for the Vanni brand that immediately calls to mind Italy, citing one of its most internationally loved treasures: pasta'.

The company from Turin, which plans to reach sales of Euro 10 million in 2009, with an increase of 30% compared to this financial year, is focusing on the Asiatic markets, and on Japan in particular, where it received two important awards at the IOFT show in Tokyo for conferring oriental 'wearability' to the design of the frames. Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea are already consolidated, with the arrival of China that already has new sales outlets in Shanghai after taking part in just two editions of the SIOF Fair.

In Europe, the French market already has a consolidated presence of Nico-design with about 45,000 frames sold every year (some glasses, all handmade, can reach a price to the public of about Euro 300.00) in over 700 select sales outlets, added to this is England where 'a new type of consumer is developing - explains Irene Chinaglia, head of the style office - who is more aware of the design content of the eyewear.'
Nico-design was quick to see the signs, and in less than a year, thanks to the partnership with White Vision, one of the most advanced distributors over the Channel, it has already conquered 300 select sales outlets with the medium-term objective of reaching 500.

And overseas, the development plan continues for the American market, which was started about a year ago, where Nico-design aims to become involved 'directly' by creating a branch to manage all American activities by the end of 2007.