«The collaborators have made the difference»- Corriere.it

«At all stages of my life and that of Luxottica, the collaborators have made the difference. More than brands, more than distribution chains, more than production machinery». Leonardo Del Vecchio’s words have always been addressed primarily to his employees, the real engine of that factory that he founded sixty-one years ago in Agordo, in the province of Belluno, from which the global giant of lenses and frames was born. The occasion to remember Del Vecchio, the entrepreneur who died in June, was the magazine «Asta la vista», aimed specifically at group employees, with an extraordinary issue that opened with his photo and his words: «The people, in the factory or in the markets, with their passion for their work, their attachment to the company and the ability to work as a team have allowed us to establish ourselves all over the world, to resist in difficult times and to fully seize every opportunity».

The 200,000 collaborators

Many interventions in this magazine. First of all, that of Francesco Milleri, the “dolphin” chosen by Del Vecchio to lead Essilux into the future, a horizon that goes well beyond the concept of geographies and touches technology and innovation, of which the synthesis is the close alliance with Meta. «Today in EssilorLuxottica we are 200,000 colleagues, we speak hundreds of languages, we have cultures, ethnic groups, religions that tell the story of the richness and colors of the world, wrote Milleri -. We have factories, offices and shops and we bring our brands and innovations to the world every day. And above all we work for a better planet, for which we feel a strong responsibility».

The farewell

The following pages, to browse, read and keep, says Milleri, are a small gift. “They capture moments that feel like chapters in a beautiful novel. They are snapshots of sixty years of entrepreneurial history and family life that blend together». The succession of those chapters comes a few pages after the memory of that June 30th when the employees of the factories throughout the eyewear district gathered around Del Vecchio to say their last goodbyes. not counting all the collaborators who were able to follow the ceremony online from all over the world. On that day of mourning, «closed in the embrace of the crowd, the Del Vecchio family is united in the memory of their loved one. With her all the management of the Group, starting from the friend of a lifetime, Luigi Francavilla, Honorary Chairman of Luxottica, with Francesco Milleri, Chief Executive Officer of EssilorLuxottica, who has shared so much with Leonardo Del Vecchio in recent years on a personal level and professional,” writes the magazine. «One day we said ‘Do we have free canteen for the employees?’ – recalls Francavilla – ‘Yes, I agree’ and the next day we had a cook, a very good one. At the time, it was 1972, there were about fifty people in Luxottica», says Francavilla who also recalls Del Vecchio’s ability to build a company in the best possible way. He wanted to be the best, the first. We earned more than the competition even if our price lists were lower, and we owed this to our workers who worked better and were more productive».

Entrepreneurs

The ceremony was attended by entrepreneurs, many of them from the sector. These include Vittorio Tabacchi, from the family that founded Safilo, and Cirillo Marcolin. Then Luciano Benetton, with his son Alessandro, also like Del Vecchio a pioneer in doing business. And then the partners in luxury eyewear who, with their licenses entrusted to Luxottica, «allowed Leonardo Del Vecchio to transform eyewear into an object of desire: Patrizio Bertelli representing the Prada Group, Domenico and Alfonso Dolce for Dolce&Gabbana, prominent manager of Versace and Chanel and all the management of Armani, the first of the stylists to trust Leonardo Del Vecchio». «I lose a friend», were the words of Giorgio Armani.

Francavilla, symbol of Luxottica’s path

Then there is the memory in the words of Luigi Francavilla, Honorary President of Luxottica since May 15, 2020, he was Leonardo Del Vecchio’s right-hand man for more than fifty years. It is one of the most significant profiles of the people who have made Luxottica great, it stitches together its history, its evolution. «What made me go from a simple worker to what we have become over the years, together with Leonardo Del Vecchio. They gave everything to me, to my family, to Luxottica, to the community of people who work at Luxottica», says Francavilla in a dedicated interview. The memory of Dino Dorigo, one of the first hired: it was 1 October 1961. Three years later, on 19 October, it was the turn of his brother Tito, an apprentice in the Officina. Close behind, Gino Fossen, the first employee to celebrate 50 years in the company, «his golden wedding with Luxottica».

International growth

The stages of rapid growth are in the 90s Luxottica signs a licensing agreement with Bulgari, then those with Chanel and Prada, Dolce&Gabbana and Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors arrive, just to name a few. In 1999 comes the acquisition of Ray-Ban, the well-known but somewhat tarnished American brand that Del Vecchio projects worldwide. Then the listing on Wall Street Luxottica. The decision to list in New York is strategic: the United States is a very important market for the Group and the listing allows for greater international visibility and the possibility of further accelerating growth on this market which, much later, will also see groups listed in the luxury like Zegna. In 2000, Luxottica was also listed in Milan. Growth on the Luxottica markets is also due to the people chosen by Del Vecchio. Like Roberto Chemello, for thirty years at the top of Luxottica. From a recent graduate in Economics to CEO of the Group, he has lived through the beginnings, the growth, the listing on the New York Stock Exchange, the global expansion. An evolution that has led – also thanks to the merger with Essilor and then to the acquisition of Grand Vision – the group to a presence in 150 countries, with as many brands and 18,000 stores.

The Foundation to help people

This year, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation was born. The foundation relaunches the Group’s commitment to fulfilling its mission of helping people, everywhere in the world, to see better and live better. “With Leonardo Del Vecchio, a few weeks before he left us – writes Milleri – we created the largest international charitable foundation with the aim of defending the right to sight for everyone in the world”. The social aspect has always been in the heart of the entrepreneur and the most recent evolution has meant that Del Vecchio, supported by the CEO Milleri, gave shape to this activity. Now the challenge of the new phase of growth is entrusted to Milleri. A key challenge for the Essilux of the future.

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