Safilo Group CEO Luisa Delgado welcomes guests to the new U.S. HQ.

SECAUCUS, N.J. and NEW YORK—Safilo Group marked the official opening of its new Safilo North American wholesale headquarters here with a special gathering for Safilo employees and its board of directors, ECPs, buying groups and alliances, department stores, Safilo’s American license partners, guests from Safilo’s Special Olympics partners and the Italian Trade Commission at the sleek, new open-plan offices here on Oct. 18.

The new HQ replaces the company’s former Parsippany, N.J. location. The Secaucus facility’s people will work as a team with the closely located New York Fifth Avenue Global Design Studio and showroom.

As she welcomed guests, Safilo Group CEO Luisa Delgado said, “Our inauguration of our new HQ here sets a signal for Safilo’s commitment to the USA and North America. We are asked what is our vision? We say that the more our industry changes, the more clear we are about who we want to be. We want to take our industry forward and to be the independent alternative partner of trust to customers, offering freedom of choice, an attractive portfolio of 31 brands, a mix of house and licensed brands in five important segments from fashion luxury, contemporary, mass cool, selective luxury and sport.

We want to stand for transparency—we want our customers to understand how we invest and support them. We wish to play the role the historical leader of this industry has a right to play. Next year will be our 140th year of product craftsmanship, design and quality and commitment to the long term,” she said.

Safilo has been present in the U.S. since 1962, and today has four other U.S. locations which include: its recently established Pacific Design Studio in Portland, Ore., also housing Smith's global brand management; a
manufacturing site in Salt Lake City, Utah for goggles and Rx-Lab; a distribution center in Denver, Colo. for North America; and Safilo’s Miami Fla. showroom and Latin America office. Safilo’s Canadian commercial organization is based in Montreal.

“This inauguration marks a milestone in Safilo’s 55-year U.S. history of eyewear product and design leadership through enduring successful partnerships with eyecare professioals and retail partners,” said Delgado. “We thank our partners…and will continue to invest in our talent and capabilities in the USA, including the recently established global sales delivery department devoted to the U.S.”

In an interview with VMail after the opening, Delgado also emphasized that the new HQ will also house Safilo’s new global license office for American brands. She explained, “What’s important for our ECP and retail partners and the region of North America about this is to concentrate purposefully and deeply on American brands. Not just, as was in the past, American brands ‘just’ for America, but we view them with global potential.

“There’s an increasing amount of quality brands coming out of North America, today, reflecting American lifestyle or innovative trends, that we need to be organized to globalize. This is different than in the past. Our licensor partners have reacted extremely well to this and we want to complement our brand portfolio. The world today is looking for alternatives and if you look at the example of brands like Kate Spade or Rag & Bone, as just two examples, we can be both global and local. That’s the future, and and Safilo wants to take a lead in that.”

Delgado also emphasized Safilo’s focus at every level about the concept of transparency. “New ways of working at the modern Safilo come from having listened first to our customers, to hear how they want to work, hear what their pain points might be, what they need. We are showing our customers how we are investing in their growth. Your strategic intent and ours can work together and this is a different type of exchange with our customers today.”

VMail presents an inside look at Safilo’s new Secaucus offices and some of the guests attending the grand opening in the slideshow posted here.