There are a number of awards given out in the optical industry. I believe most people in optical are familiar with what would be the Academy Awards of optical, the Silmo d’Or. There are the Love Eyewear Awards given out by 100% Optical in London. There is the NOW Awards, handed out at Vision Expo. MIDO has the Best Store and Stand Up For Green Award, among others. And there is opti Box Award given out at opti in Munich.
What makes the opti Box Award different? The opti Box award is purposely devoted to start-ups and young companies. While none of the other awards exclude start-ups, the opti Box Award is focused on looking at those just getting started and the bold ideas and concepts a young fresh company encompasses.
“The opti BOX offers young eyewear labels the opportunity to present themselves to the trade fair public without having to invest heavily in their own trade fair stand. The feedback from the international jury of experts gives you an assessment of your own project and is very valuable – even if another label wins the award,” stated Silvia Nadenbousch from Lars Brillen, the 2023 winner of the opti Box Award.
On the 1st of February, I, along with several much more esteemed optical professionals from around the world, will serve as the jury for the 2025 opti Box Awards. The companies exhibiting in the opti Box area include the following, and for those attending opti, these are all stands worth visiting.
Barcelunettes Eyewear
Lovingly handcrafted in Sabae, Japan, within the renowned eyewear district of Fukui, Barcelunettes creations marry the essence of Mediterranean inspiration with the precision and craftsmanship of Japanese artistry, reflecting our commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and enduring style.
Ffin Eyewear
Ffin is a multi-award winning independent eyewear brand designed by artist and jewelry designer Anna Lewis. The limited edition range of eyeglasses and sunglasses is designed in Wales and handmade in Italy, using the highest quality sustainable Italian materials.
Frame Friend
b8 eyewear combines the tried and tested with the modern: timeless classics, produced using additive manufacturing in Germany and developed at the Parsberg start-up center (Upper Palatinate). High-quality polyamides form the frames in unique colors – robust and durable, with noticeable lightness. This is real regionality and insight with style with a manufactured character. b8 eyewear delivers designs with classic lines and elegance that are primarily designed for longevity.
Manti Manti
Manti Manti makes children’s eyewear from 100% castor-based bioplastic with stainless steel hinges. What makes Manti Manti unique is their 5-frame fitting box where parents and their children can try the eyewear at home and return the rest of the frames with the enclosed label. Manti Manti makes children’s frames of different sizes and widths for a variety of sizes that children are in as they grow.
Mokki
Mokki is a Norwegian eyewear brand. Recognized for the award-winning Click & Change sunglasses system for children. Mokki also makes a variety of other sunglasses, reading glasses, and sports glasses for adults. Realizing it is almost impossible to keep electronics out of the hands of children these days, Mokki also makes Screen-safe glasses to protect children’s eyes from blue light fatigue.
Sowell Co.
Sowell manufactures Taylor with Respect. Taylor with Respect is an eyewear brand for people who want the best in glasses. Taylor with Respect glasses pursues high standards of quality, functionality, and aesthetics to provide a comfortable life.
Vinz Roy
Vinz Roy is a groundbreaking frame brand with a heart for the future. Vinz Roy makes an extensive collection of handmade frames for every personality. Vinz Roy frames are trendy, tough, robust, chic, and sometimes slightly different. Vinz Roy has introduced a collection of recycled material; Revive© Acetate. Recognizable by the green leaf on the temple tip. Just as trendy, just as tough, but with a heart for Earth and the generations of the future.
About opti
opti is the international trade show for optics & design which takes place annually as the industry kick-off in January in Munich. This trade show and networking events offer trade visitors the complete spectrum of ophthalmic products, from spectacle frames and lenses, contact lenses, refraction, diagnosis, and low vision to shopfitting and technical equipment. The early trade show date in the optical year makes opti the ideal location for product premières of international market leaders and start-ups alike. opti was first held in 1998.
