Interview: Antonio Jové Marcolin and James Gotch

Brand management, eyewear licensing and house labels have become hotly discussed topics. Marcolin is one eyewear supplier that, it could be argued, has a foot in every camp.

Marcolin sold 14m frames in 2016 across brands including Tom Ford, Moncler, Ermenegildo Zegna, Roberto Cavalli, Atelier Swarovski, Tod’s, Emilio Pucci, Balenciaga, Swarovski, Dsquared2, Guess, Diesel, Just Cavalli, Covergirl, Kenneth Cole, Montblanc, Timberland, Gant, Harley-Davidson, Marciano, Catherine Deneuve, Skechers, Candie’s, Rampage, Viva, Marcolin and Web. Amazingly, it is still number three in the frame business but has ambitions.

At Mido in Milan recently Marcolin was being careful to draw a line between it and Thelios, the joint venture it formed last year with brand owner LMVH which has just launched its first collection Celine. Marcolin stresses it and Thelios are two totally separate entities.