Armed with a suitcase full of camera gear, we travelled to the foothills of the Italian Dolomite Mountain region to tell the craftsmanship story behind Finlay sunglasses which are handmade in Italy. Our mission was to capture the handiwork of the seasoned eyewear artisans that make our frames. Leaving our hillside stone cottage overlooking the sweeping prosecco region, we had just one day to film each stage of the production process. As we drove down the windy roads towards the factory, a thick mist rolled across the skies…
Sheets of multi-coloured mazzucchelli acetate piled high provide a corridor from which the process begins. Cut to size, the blocks are fed into the vociferous CNC machine and afterwards; the temples are tumbled, arms are cut and hinges are fitted. Each step along the way, a new friend is made as we communicate through our limited Italian.
Assembly continues and the frames are buffed and hand polished. In a flash of not even a second, the Finlay logo is laser engraved on the inside arm. On a heat rack, the frames are warmed and then our lens fitter inserts the Carl Zeiss lenses, before one final polish.
Watch the video here, shot by Paul Akinrinlola: