PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING JOURNALIST, RONAN FARROW, WHO HELPED EXPOSE HARVEY WEINSTEIN,
WILL HEADLINE THE MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL, AUGUST 24-SEPTEMBER 2;MWF.COM.AUInside Italy’s
most extravagant
eyewear event
Brand focus
Blyszak
As well as the big-name
companies, MIDO has
awholesectiondevoted
to emerging brands. Among
themwasAndrewBlyszak,the
Australian-born, UK-based
founder of independent brand
Blyszak. Having launched in
2015,itnowstocksawide
rangeofframes,allmadefrom
ethically sourced animal horn
or high-quality metals. We
caught up with him to find out
howhisfirstyearatMIDOwent,
and what the future holds.
GQ: What's the advantage of
MIDO for a brand like yours?
Andrew Blyszak:It’s the largest
eyewearfairintheworld,
alongside SILMO, Paris. So
these two fairs are the main
thoroughfares for every buyer
andsellerintheworld.
GQ:Soithelpstogettheword
outtotherightpeople?
AB:Exposure at these fairs –
particularly if you are targeting
theopticalmarket–isfairly
crucial. Opti in Munich is also
alargefairbutalittlemore
niche. Though both are great
platforms for exposure.
GQ: How’s the brand going
at the moment?
AB:The brand is currently sold
in Christine, Melbourne. And
in June this year, we released
acollaborationwithSydney-
based menswear brand Song
For The Mute which should
help to further promote the
brand Down Under.
GQ: So, what’s next?
AB:By the time this goes
toprintIwillhavereleasedfive
new silhouettes which is my
broadest simultaneous release
of styles to date and includes
areinterpretedcateyein
titanium as well as buffalo horn,
and a much narrower take on
my ‘Signature’ oval silhouette.
BLYSZAK.COMLEFT AND OPPOSITE
ThemainhallatMIDO
2018;South Korean brand
Fake Me display their
collection; Renzo Rosso,
president of Italian fashion
house Only the Brave.THE
FASHION