We like to think about glasses with a difference, glasses with style but also with forward thinking design and functionality in mind. A brand that will gives us exactly this at it’s very best and so much more is Blackfin. Blackfin is an inspiring independent brand that uses three different cultures to make their glasses look so good, these are from  Italy to keep their Italian style,  Japan for it’s material & technology and Northern Europe for it’s information technology. Its hard to have one way of thinking when using three different cultures, but they believe its the only way for the future to move forward, and we couldn’t agree more.

Situated in the Agordo, Italy, nestled in the Dolomite Mountains and surrounded by fragrant forests, the Blackfin facility continues the legacy established by CEO Nicola Del Din’s mother, when she founded Pramaor eyewear in 1971.  Our colleague from OpticMagazine (Russia) had the opportunity to sit down with Del Din at MIDO international  eyewear show in Milan a couple of months ago to ask him about his vision for the company and what he’s proudest of.

The company was started in 1971 by the current CEO’s mother and he believes that with the service of the internet they are just where they need to be right now, offering both exceptional customer service and advanced technology with their product. His father sadly passed away in 1998, he took over the company and was forced to change strategy. In 2008 he decided to go with a fresh approach – they now have 47 years production and experience of technology under their belt, which has given them a new approach, new ideas and a completely different mentality.  However, they will always continue to be Italian in their design, way of life and production.

In 2012, Del Din made the decision to work solely in titanium and beta-titanium (an alloy created for extraordinary flexibility) which gives their frames a stylish edge as well as being extremely lightweight and durable. Titanium is in fact one of the purest metals available in the industry.  It is strong, light-weight (40% less than steel), non-allergenic, durable, biocompatible and non-toxic – all in keeping with the pristine natural surroundings of the Blackfin facility.Meticulous craftsmanship also is part of the formula.  Creating a Blackfin frame requires 53 steps, which Del Din refers to not as “processes” but rather as “rites of passage”.  That says it all. “Blackfin is a brand that has always invested in research and innovation, our goal being to offer a product of absolute excellence”, said Del Din while receiving prize for Technological Innovation at Silmo (Paris) in 2015. Innovation is a special way to hold lenses in a frame, called Shark-lock. Up until 2010 Blackfin were producing for bigger companies, but the margin was minimal so they had to rethink their process. As usual it wasn’t an easy change but they eventually found their way on a new and exciting road. Their marketing strategy a year ago was “the sky is the limit”, for some limits can be a problem, but Blackfin certainly exceeded those. The brand is all about looking beyond and they are always looking to update their products, as well as continuing to learn. This is why they believe in being different, because they were once alone in this field and wanted to make a change, which was difficult but also achievable. 

Blackfin now has a number of distributors in Europe, USA, Canada, Russia, Mexico and Asia and they wont be stopping there. Drop by Providence Optical to see for yourself what makes these frames so standout, with our new range hand picked by our opticians specially for you.