LVMH’s Toni Belloni (l) and Thélios’ Giovanni Zoppas.
LONGARONE, Italy—Less than a year after the creation of Thélios, a joint venture between LVMH and Marcolin S.p.A, the Manifattura Thélios was officially inaugurated on April 24 here, an Italian town known for its eyewear expertise. The new facility is dedicated to the production of glasses for the houses or “maisons” belonging to the LVMH group. Toni Belloni, group managing director ofthe LVMH group, Jean Baptiste Voisin, chief strategy officer of the LVMH group, and Giovanni Zoppas, chairman and CEO of Thélios, officially opened this key building for the group, “conceived of as a place of excellence for the eyewear sector,” the announcement said.

Launched in 2017, Thélios is a joint venture combining LVMH and Marcolin’s expertise, as two groups brought together over their same vision for the future of eyewear, as VMAIL has previously reported. The company employs 245 people from all over the world, with 100 of them at its Manifattura. “Thanks to the alliance of cutting-edge technologies with unique expertise, the Manifattura Thélios forms a complete and flexible production tool that ensures integral product monitoring, from the initial creative brief to the 3D design, prototyping and final production,” the company said.


(L to R) At the Manifattura Thélios ribbon cutting are LVMH’s JB Voisin, Commandante Capitano Emanuela Cervellera, Thelios’ Giovanni Zoppas, the mayor of Longarone, Roberto Padrin, LVMH’s Toni Belloni and politician Gianpaolo Bottacin.
Stated LVMH’s Bellon, “Italy is a strategic country for the LVMH group. The Manifattura Thélios is proof of the high investment the group has in favour of Italian economic heritage and its development.”

Added Thélios’ Zoppas, “With the Manifattura Thélios, we aim to anticipate the future while showcasing our long-standing expertise. This project combines our taste for top quality products with our respect for a cultural heritage essential to the region.”

For the conception of this new building, Thélios chose the design group Architetti Associati architect's office, which developed this Manifattura to offer an ideal and innovative work space of over 8,000 square meters. The building is also considered durable and environmentally responsible, featuring more than 2,300 solar panels installed on the roof.

Thélios is already collaborating with the LVMH Maisons Céline, Loewe and FRED.