NEW YORK—The Italian Trade Agency (ITA), in collaboration with ANFAO, Italy’s eyewear manufacturers association, is organizing two networking events to bring independent Italian eyewear brands to ECPs in the U.S. Following events held in New York and Boston in June 2022, the ITA has scheduled “Extraordinary Italian Eyewear” events in Seattle and Chicago for 2023. The Seattle event will be on Tuesday, October 10 and the Chicago event is scheduled for Thursday, October 12. “Extraordinary Italian Eyewear” will feature 20 Independent Italian brands, several of which are new to the U.S. market.

These two cities were chosen because of the high representation of independently owned optical shops that embrace independent eyewear brands, as well as the vibrance of both cities. Tarrence Lackran, “TheOpticalPoet” and founder of the Eyecons Agency, has been brought on board to help organize these events.

 
 
Antonino Laspina, ITA’s trade commissioner and executive director for the U.S., said, “We are very excited to introduce our Italian brands to independent ECPs away from big trade shows like Vision Expo through a less formal afternoon/evening format, featuring Italian eyewear, food and beverages for enjoying a flair of Italian lifestyle. We have titled these trunk shows ‘Extraordinary Italian Eyewear,’ and we feel these events will help meet the needs of U.S. eyecare professionals who often cannot easily leave their practices during the day. The U.S. represents Italy’s premier export market for eyewear and as a Trade Promotion Agency we are very eager to bring Italian flair to U.S. eyewear professionals.”




The ITA will release more details regarding vendors, locations and registration information in the coming months. Extraordinary Italian Style is available on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.