Holder of several international awards, Brazilian Filipe Diniz produces exclusive handmade pieces in cellulose acetate or Indian buffalo horn
Bahia de Birth, Filipe Diniz is a reference in Brazilian optical designer with international repercussions. Responsible for the design of various celebrities such as E, began his career in the Master Glasses industry, one of the segment’s national leaders, where he was responsible for the creation of several company’s own collections and Disney Company licenses in the country.
Visionary was also the designer responsible for the optical collections of sports Olympikus and Body Glove. As an entrepreneur, he launched the Eyewear Ferrace brand, which was later sold to a Chinese group that sells the items worldwide. “Today, living in Lyon, France, I divide my time between luxury pieces and work as design director at the French Opal Group Opal, a European leader who sells 4 million peers per year in more than 70 countries,” he comments.
Holder of several international awards, the Brazilian designer produces exclusive artisanal pieces in indian buffalo cellulose acetate and propagates art without borders. “My creations are sent to customers and artists in various locations such as Belgium, England, Spain and even UN members in Switzerland with great honor.”
In Brazil, Filipe is darling of celebrities, such as singer Carlinhos Brown, who has over 10 pieces of Filipe Diniz in his collection, journalist Felipeh Campos and presenter Ratinho. At the request of the portal Young Panhe answered us for an exclusive interview and talked about his career, market and expectations.
How did you fall in love with the glasses market?
I entered the optical business totally by chance, after finishing the design college. I hit a frame factory in search of a job and so was born my love for this accessory. I insist on saying that glasses is the only one that has perfect balance between fashion, communication and health. It is through the lens of our glasses that we see and live the experiences of our lives.
From Bahia to the World: How do you see yourself being an internationally awarded and recognized Brazilian?
I am very happy and grateful for everything I have achieved. I started visiting the international fairs of Milan and Paris early in my career and I can say that everything seemed to be very distant to me. Brazil has no international tradition with design and glasses manufacturing, so at that time I could not imagine that I could get where I arrived. Not so I limited or diminished, in fact, never. When I put my backpack on my back and came to write my story in France, it was with the aim of eliminating these distances and achieving my dreams. It is very pleasant to inspire and somehow serve as an example for new professionals and represent Brazil among the big names in the world market.
What would you say to Philip at the age of 10 and 20, if you had a chance today?
For the 10 -year -old Philip I think I wouldn’t say much. He was on the right track: he drew all the time and began to discover geniuses like Salvador Dalí. For the 20 -year -old Filipe I would say to have more focus. Although much of what I am today comes from the rebellion of this age, I think I grew up a lot after I concentrated and decided that I was an optical designer and decided to specialize to it. But that restless young man was right in one thing: the world is smaller than we imagined.
The award -winning designer Filipe Diniz (Disclosure)
Is the handcrafted production market growing in Brazil and worldwide?
Craft manufacturing is a worldwide trend, as it answers and solves various questions and problems in our sector. The environmental concerns generated by mass manufacturing, the huge stocks that will end up in the trash, the exaggerated and most important consumption, humanized care has resurfaced. In this world of artificial technologies and intelligences, handcrafted glasses are made through a relationship of two human beings, and this unique object harmonizes with physical characteristics, expresses the user’s personality and generates the comfort of a custom piece. After being the first Brazilian designer nominated for Silmo D’Or in Paris (award that is considered the Oscar in the world optical sector), my name became much talked about in the Brazilian market and the interest in my work grew. Thus I launched a 100% digital handcrafted glasses course of glasses and have already graduated 70 new professionals in the market. My goal is to create the culture of design and glasses in Brazil, creating space for future generations and reaching the world market.
What are the expectations for the second half of the year regarding your brand?
I have many projects for projects in Brazil and probably at the end of the year I will launch a collection of unique and unique pieces, made in my Lyon, France studio. Our course will now gain versions in English, Italian, Spanish and French. This makes me very excited, after all I am a Brazilian who exports quality content to other countries. In addition, in June my second daughter is born and I have a waiting line of customers waiting for the manufacture of their tailored parts. The challenge is to fit all this on a 24 -hour day, but with the help of the wife and daughter and a lot of love involved, in the end, everything fits, like a especially and tailor -made glasses, right?
