My Black Shelter Adventure
As part of my travels to some of the world’s best optical trade shows and fairs, I sometimes get the opportunity to visit some wonderful optical factories. It’s great to see how eyewear is designed and manufactured, especially when it all happens under one roof.
Using Venice as my base for a few days (I know, I was roughing it LOL), I made my way to Piazzale Roma to get picked up for a 2-hour ride up into the mountains of the Veneto region of Italy. My tour guide for this excursion was the lovely and talented PR genius, Silvia Boccardi of Zed Comm, who lives in the Venice area.
Chiesa di San Simeon Piccolo
I am from Colorado, so the mountains are nothing new to me. Yet, the Dolomites are altogether different from the Rocky Mountains I grew up with. So tall and majestic, I am always in awe at the beauty of the mountains in Europe. As we wound our way up the mountains, every turn was another beautiful postcard in the making.
A cloudy view of the Alps from The Black Shelter
We eventually entered the small town of Agordo, and on the left was a massive mix of structures for a small optical concern, many of you have heard of, called Luxottica. Yet, we were headed a few more kilometers up the road to the Black Shelter or Blackfin.
Most of you have seen Blackfin over the last few years. Whether at optical trade shows or here in The Optical Journal, Blackfin has made a name for itself manufacturing a wonderful line of titanium eyeglasses and sunglasses, and it all happens on the northern outskirts of Agordo.
Impressively rising out of the hillside drive, the Blackfin headquarters and factory is known as the Black Shelter. It is an impressive building that stands out boastfully but also fits neatly into the Italian hillside. Upon parking in front and entering this grand structure, Silvia and I were greeted by Nicola Del Din (Founder and CEO) and Filippo Pustetto (Global Commercial Director).
Nicola Del Din, myself, and Filippo Pustetto
We were given the grand tour of an amazing process that cuts and colors titanium eyewear to exacting standards every step of the way. Hundreds of frames were being cut, colored, checked, and double-checked. It was quite an educational experience to see all the steps that are involved in making eyewear at Blackfin.
I’ve been to a number of optical factories and am always taken with the meticulousness of the men and women working inside. The people at Blackfin seem to have taken things up another notch or two. They are all consummate professionals who take pride in manufacturing eyewear at the top level. There are over 100 single steps in making a Blackfin frame, and when you get the opportunity to see every stage a sheet of Japanese titanium takes to become a beautiful eyeglass or sunglass, it is quite the experience.
I can’t say thank you enough to Silvia, Nicola, Filippo, and the entire Blackfin team for taking time out of their day to share their passion for making great eyewear and show me around the Black Shelter. Grazie Mille.
About Blackfin
A Blackfin frame is the result of hundreds of processes; to some, these would just be the production process, but for Blackfin, each one is a little ritual. Each frame is made only of Japanese titanium, but it is worked entirely in Italy. Blackfin is based in Agordo, a little town in the heart of the Italian Alps, as wonderful as Blackfin’s eyewear.
Original link:https://www.opticaljournal.com/black-shelter-adventure-blackfin/