Safilo

"The American acquisition of 1999 also made it known to the general public overseas: the Italian Luxottica, already listed for almost a decade on the New York Stock Exchange, buys a run-down Ray-Ban for 640 million dollars with an offer that outmaneuvers the main interested competitors, including the rival Safilo, who already thought they had the brand in the bag."

"Del Vecchio returns to his Milan for the first time as a full eyewear producer with his brand, with a product to sell to the world. He is no longer a nobody without skills or trade, he has a hundred families depending on his choices, a villa with a swimming pool. But he is also not considered an emerging star of the industry. He is a small fish, looked down upon with sufficiency by the other sharks of the eyewear sea: Safilo, De Rigo, Lozza, Marcolin, and Persol in Italy. Abroad, German and French glasses dominate. The brands are those of Carrera, Silhouettes, Menrad and Melzer, Amy, and Stylo."

""Eh, you can announce all the numbers you want but they don't listen to you, don't believe you, don't know you, don't trust you. Not like Safilo, which is listed on the stock exchange and has certified financial statements, they are credible..." the group's managers have been hearing for years. "How can you prove you are the biggest, if you aren't even on the stock exchange?""

"the first are the former partners of Del Vecchio, who in the 1970s sign a licensing agreement with Elio Fiorucci, one of the most innovative designers of the time. Also, Safilo and Optyl embark on the venture of designer eyewear."