Cristiano Ferilli interviewed by Cristina Morozzi
For Cristiano Ferilli, dealing with glasses was a random choice. At the age of 16, he decided to enrol in an optical school, becoming passionate about orthoptics and visual rehabilitation. Mido, the Milanese eyewear fair, was the lightning bolt that convinced him to devote himself to the production of glasses, which he tackles with true passion. He reveals that he invested his graduation gift in the creation of his first line of eyewear.
The uniqueness of his collections is linked to his homeland, Puglia. It is there that he met "Sikalindi", from the name in Greek of the prickly pear, widespread in Puglia, a ductile fiber.
The fleshy leaves of the prickly pear with special veins once dehydrated are ideal for his glasses’ frames, which he defines as "sustainable squared". In 2018, he launched his first collection, consisting of a series of very light glasses, with temples made of olive wood or ebony. The models have Puglia’s locations’ names, while the lenses feature colour shades connected to Puglia's sunsets and sunrises. The Otranto model, for example, has blue lenses shaded in yellow, while the San Gregorio, dedicated to the sunset, comes with blue lenses that turn red. In 2019, it won the sustainable eyewear award in an international competition.
The lenses are made in Lazio, the collections’ production is based in Canino in the Viterbo area. He is joined for the templates by a product designer. His collections are distributed in 12 stores in Emilia, Puglia and abroad. His calendar includes participation in the Vision Expo in Orlando, pandemic permitting, from June 2-5. He made himself known to fashion industry insiders and press at the 2020 edition of Alta Roma, which he calls "a blessing" while confessing that he was a little disappointed by the last 2021 edition at Cinecittà. The difficulties of the moment do not discourage him, and he is already thinking about the collection for spring 2022, including a special limited edition.
