The three-year agreement begins with the next edition of the event, running Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.
Alessandro Zanardo BEN DAUCHEZ COURTESY OF THÉLIOS
EYES ON VENICE: Thélios has signed a three-year agreement with La Biennale di Venezia to be the official eyewear sponsor of the international Venice Film Festival, starting from the next edition, which will take place Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.
“The Venice International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious events in the world and we are proud to support La Biennale di Venezia, which is a strong ambassador of Italian culture at a global level,” said Alessandro Zanardo, chief executive officer of the eyewear manufacturer since February.
“Cinema and eyewear have always been a perfect match, by aesthetics and the passion for details, giving people a vision on the world. In the history of cinema, eyewear has contributed to create iconic movie characters and helped define their personalities: we couldn’t think of a better field of expression than this festival, which is so close to our roots in the Veneto region,” observed Zanardo.
The state-of-the-art Thélios plant is based in Longarone, a one-hour drive from Venice, and was inaugurated in 2018. Production spans more than 194,400 square feet.
Thélios is controlled by luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and produces eyewear collections for brands ranging from Dior, Fendi, Celine and Loewe to Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Kenzo, Fred, Berluti and Rimowa.
This is the first official entry in the world of cinema for the company
As per the collaboration, the Thélios Suite will be located at the luxury Hotel Excelsior and will present a selection of the brands’ fall 2022 collections, offering hospitality experiences and staging other press and industry events.
International and commercial expansion of Thélios is a key target, Zanardo told WWD in June. While being present in key markets, Thélios is stepping up business in the U.S., as he touted exponential growth rates in that region, as well as in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, including China.