Hall of Frames Lucerne: Swiss Success | Euroinsights

An exciting new chapter in the Hall of Frames history unfolded in Lucerne earlier this month. The stunning lakeside Swiss Museum of Transport was the picturesque setting for the booked-out event and featured a spacious, sunlit-filled exhibition area and pleasant amenities. Exhibitors and visitors enthusiastically welcomed the one-day show, with over eighty shops attending. More brands were keen to participate: however, the event was sold out.

Organisers Nathanaël Wenger and Eveline Perritaz, and their main partner Nikon, were particularly pleased with the diverse mix of first-timers appearing at the event, along with well-known, long-established brands.  The upbeat mood, atmosphere, and relaxed ambiance added to the pleasure of the show. There was also relief that Covid-19 restrictions were finished, and exhibitors and visitors could be more personally catered to and assisted.

The new Medical Devices Ordinance (MedDO), unfortunately, creates hurdles for selling medical products (spectacles are in this category) in the Swiss market. For smaller, independent eyewear companies, with this new ruling, the effort is too complicated to be active in the Swiss market. For this reason, some smaller exhibitors are no longer able to be present at HOF.

A total of fifty-five brands from all over Europe showed their latest designs in optical and sunglass frames, plus accessories. Stepper Eyewear, the formidable German brand with over fifty years of creating frames with exceptional fit, presented its new collection of streamlined optical designs.

The unique elements that Didier Voirol infuses in his sculpture, is artistically transposed into his eyewear creations, which include a stylistic nod to his Swiss heritage with distinctive accents on metal frames.

Martha Arenas was on hand to give valuable insights and information into the creation of striking optical interiors. Martha is a Swiss interior designer who constructs individualistic environments for opticians throughout Switzerland, including a chic boutique in Gstaad.

Sleek sunglasses in elegant colorations form an intrinsic part of the latest Paul and Joe collection, including SKAR 56 in luminous Olive Green, a forefront color for the autumn season.

Modern, elegant, and bold is the essence of Nirvan Javan’s Shades of Toronto collection in Beige. Crafted in glimmering Japanese acetate, shapes are robust and powerful. Other companies presenting their latest collections included Rolf Spectacles, Einstoffen, Nine Eyewear, Charmant, Robert LaRoche, Silhouette, Caroline Abram, Any Di, and more.

Looking ahead to 2023, Wenger and Perritaz indicated that HOF Switzerland would most probably be held in the same location. The organizers also noted that plans are in the offing for a separate independent eyewear event next year that would be held at Motorworld Region Stuttgart in Germany, the scene of previous HOF independent eyewear show achievements.

For more information, please contact www.hallofframes.ch