What are the key factors for the success of Dutz in the market?
Dutz was founded in 2005 by Roland Vandermeulen, who had previous job experiences in the banking. He wanted to work in something more creative, but he kept a very realistic approach towards the business, with a solid view of the numbers. In the years the company has developed a global network of 30 distributors. At the same time he kept the Dutz philosophy: “buying a frame should be fun”. We design our own eyewear and control the entire process, from design to production of the components. This results in a high quality collection of frames that are comfortable and look and feel good on any face. By using allergy-friendly and solid stainless steel materials, Dutz’s frame design achieves durability.

What’s the value added you brought in the company?
I joined the company in 2013 and I tried to bring more variety in the design, even if I wasn’t a designer at the beginning, and more combinations of elements in the construction on the frames. After more than 10 years I’m the chief designer but I’m keeping also a different role (purchasing), more close to the daily management. Anyway I think the best value added I brought has been the feminine touch that everyone can appreciate in our collections.

What’s the main distinctive features of your product?
Dutz is famous for its “round eyes” model. We introduced this shape in 2018 and it has been so far our iconic model. Furthermore we are recognized in the eyewear for our combination of acetate and metal, for our simplicity and easy silhouette, and not least for our huge choice of colours. In 2010 we introduced also the titanium and honestly it's giving us a lot of satisfaction. 

What’s your source of inspiration?
Inspiration for the Dutz frames is found in fashion trends and foreign cultures where elements of impressions are moulded into frame designs with vibrant colors and personality combined with Dutch simplicity and elegance. At the same time we are very consistent and we keep our identity. For instance the trend today is to produce bold and chuncky frames, quite far from our style. We are launching just few bold models, but our design is still proudly ‘Dutz’.

What are your main markets?
With a global network of 30 distributors actually Dutz is present in 41 countries. France is our first market, followed by The Netherlands and Germany, but the country that is growing faster is Turkey.