In a fast-moving eyewear landscape, Talla Eyewear emerged from a personal desire to restore time, attention and meaning to the act of designing a frame. Founded in 2016 by Gianluca Gualandi, whose background as an optician laid the foundations for a distinctive approach to eyewear design, the brand celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026 as a quiet yet confident voice in contemporary masculine elegance.

Talla’s origins can be traced back to an optical boutique in Bologna, where a different way of looking at eyewear first emerged. For over fifteen years, Gualandi worked as an optician, developing a highly personal relationship with his clients. His approach was unconventional even then. “I chose to display no more than fifteen frames,” he recalls. “That minimal approach allowed me to truly focus on the individuality of each client, on what suited them beyond trends.”

It was never about selling more, but about seeing better. This philosophy laid the groundwork for Talla. The brand’s name itself comes from a childhood nickname given to its founder on the football fields of Bologna, thus anchoring the project firmly in personal memory and Italian roots. From the outset, Talla was conceived as a brand “for men, about men”, built on coherence, restraint and identity. “I consider glasses to be the ultimate accessory of masculine elegance,” Gualandi states, framing eyewear not as ornament but as definition.

The transition from optician to designer marked a decisive turning point, “I wanted to create frames that did more than rest upon a face. They would unveil windows to the soul, framing not just vision but individuality.” This ambition continues to guide every collection: eyewear as a narrative object, an extension of character rather than a stylistic statement. Each Talla collection is built around a strong idea, often drawn from the designer’s memories, travels or encounters. Bologna’s dialect becomes design language in Gergo; Hollywood glamour meets Italian sprezzatura in Americani; light and shadow sculpt form in Chiaroscuro; Roman memory and architectural balance shape Rome; material precision takes centre stage in Element; while Arabesco, inspired by the legendary Italian designer Carlo Mollino, embraces asymmetry and freehand expression. “I like to infuse the best moments of my life into my collections,” Gualandi explains. “Memories, journeys and passions are my creative compass.”