“The Lens of Time”: Italian Eyewear as Cultural Heritage
Among the most important events of MIDO 2026 is “The Lens of Time”, the exhibition conceived and promoted by ANFAO, featured at the show with a scenographic installation in Pavilion 6. A cultural project that brings to the center of the exhibition a broad and accessible narrative of Italian eyewear, told not only as manufacturing excellence but as an expression of identity, creativity, and craftsmanship.
Inaugurated in the presence of Filippo Magnini, two-time world swimming champion, and Manuela Nicolosi, international referee since 2010, the exhibition strengthens the dialogue between sport, culture, and industry different worlds united by shared values such as commitment, vision, inclusion, and the pursuit of excellence.
Following its great success at Palazzo Flangini in Venice with over 2,500 visitors and significant media coverage, The Lens of Time continues its journey as an important cultural initiative promoting territory, product, and the entire eyewear sector. Designed to tell the story of Italian eyewear through an innovative and contemporary language, the exhibition goes beyond the purely industrial dimension to present eyewear as a cultural object and a symbol of social, aesthetic, and technological evolution.
The value of The Lens of Time lies precisely in its ability to interpret eyewear as a cultural device even before an industrial one. The exhibition path guides visitors along a timeline where technical evolution constantly dialogues with social, aesthetic, and symbolic changes. From early functional solutions to the progressive transformation of eyewear into an object of style, status, and identity, the exhibition offers a layered vision of Italian eyewear, connecting craftsmanship, innovation, fashion, and sport.
Particularly significant is the section dedicated to winter sports, where eyewear emerges as a tool for protection, performance, and advanced design. The iconic pieces on display illustrate the shift from a purely technical function to a recognizable aesthetic language, anticipating dynamics that are now central to contemporary eyewear, where the boundaries between sport, fashion, and lifestyle are increasingly fluid. Highlights include:
- Meiss Sport ski goggles with interchangeable mask, the first single-lens eyewear for eye protection in winter sports (Zurich, 1930);
- Christian Dior ski goggles with interchangeable frames in different colors (Austria, 1980s–1990s), testimony to when ski goggles became fashion objects;
- Lady Carrera protective ski eyewear (1970s–1980s), an example of original and recognizable design combining performance and style.
With The Lens of Time, ANFAO reaffirms the role of eyewear as an ambassador of an evolved Made in Italy, capable of uniting territory, design, manufacturing, and cultural responsibility. A narrative designed for the general public, strengthening the sector’s positioning as a standard-bearer of internationally recognized values.
The exhibition will continue its journey in autumn in Rome, at Palazzo Piacentini, headquarters of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, while until 15 February 2026, a corner of the exhibition can also be visited at M9 – Museo del Novecento in Mestre, as part of the exhibition Identitalia – The Iconic Italian Brands.
With The Lens of Time, Italian eyewear tells itself as a living story, capable of crossing time and speaking to the future.