Saraghina celebrates its 13th anniversary this year. How did the project start?
In the 1980s, I started working with my father in his photography store and quickly saw the opportunities in the eyewear market. After earning my optician’s diploma at the Zaccagnini Institute, I opened my first shop, Ottica Angelo, in Rimini in 1997. This was shortly followed by two more locations: in Riccione (1999) and Milano Marittima (2000). These stores were unconventional – what today we'd call ‘out of the box’ – where I introduced original ideas like live window displays. The goal was always to create emotion and keep things light, in
true Romagna style, a philosophy that still guides us today. In my stores, I mainly sold independent brands like Oliver Peoples, Parasite, theo and Christian Roth. Despite their niche appeal, we achieved significant sales volumes, peaking with the iconic Christian Dior Rodeo Drive model. In 2007, I sold my three stores to Salmoiraghi & Vigano? Evolution, only to open two new ones the following year. After a few years spent researching and consulting for companies, in 2012 I finally decided to create something of my own: a simple, colourful, made-in-Italy product with an ethical price point. I chose a flexible and highly durable nylon panthos model, that was available in 30 colours with mirrored lenses. I named it Gilda, after my daughter. It cost €79 - affordable for everyone. This was the birth of the first Saraghina eyewear piece. The brand name comes from a small blue fish common in the Adriatic, a humble yet high-quality product, much like our brand: rich in substance despite its simplicity. It also reflects our deep bond with our home region, which inspires every one of our collections.

How did the brand evolve and consolidate after its launch?
Right from the start, I decided to approach the clothing sector, partly out of respect for the world of opticians I came from. In June 2012, I showcased at Pitti Uomo – the most important Italian menswear fair – arriving with an ‘Ape,’ a three-wheeled vehicle iconic in Romagna. Traditionally used for transporting goods (and by teenagers without licenses to get around), I turned it into a fair booth. It was a hit. By 2013, opticians started requesting my products, prompting a shift away from fashion retail and toward optical stores exclusively, a decision I might reconsider today. opticians perform very well for us, but fashion remains a partially untapped market that eyewear brands should explore more deeply. Today, Italy still accounts for about 70% of our market, but we’re growing strongly in Europe and especially in Japan.