How an independent studio from Campinas entered the luxury eyewear circuit in Hollywood An eyewear studio created in Campinas (SP) entered the international luxury circuit and began to appear on the faces of celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Founded in 2016, the company first invested in the foreign market and today claims that it exports around 80% of the artisanal production made in the interior of São Paulo. The brand began to be designed by the couple Gisela and Gustavo Assis in 2014, two years before its official launch. Gisela was a professional dancer from the age of 12 to 25 and lived in Europe. Her husband is from a family with a tradition in clothing stores. Today, the business produces around 100 pieces per day. According to them, orders go directly to 450 points of sale in 30 countries. ✅ Click here to follow the g1 Campinas channel on WhatsApp According to the couple, before investing in the national market, the brand went to Europe. The decision was strategic, as they realized a niche in the independent luxury eyewear market and decided to focus on an audience that, for them, values ​​design. "We need to reach out to this audience that will understand design. And then, coincidentally, Europe understands design a lot as a civilization, as a market. It's a very mature market, which highly values ​​glasses", says Gisela. Then, they invested in the United States and, later, dedicated themselves to the Brazilian market. The first own store in São Paulo was opened in 2020. Currently, the company has two own stores in São Paulo and is present in 23 other points of sale, including one in Campinas. Piece of Campinas in celebrities' closets Meryl Streep (left) wearing the Manuela model and Lady Gaga (right) wearing the Elisa model Disclosure/Social Media The couple recalls that the first celebrity seen with one of the glasses was actress Katie Holmes, in 2017, wearing the Carolina Ocean model. Soon after, Anne Hathaway came. "A store that sold us in Aspen sent us an email and said: 'Wow, you can't believe it, Anne Hathaway just bought glasses here'." Over time, other artists were seen using the brand: 🎞️ Cinema: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Emma Stone and Cate Blanchett. 🏀 Basketball: LeBron James, Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird. 🎶 Music: Harry Styles, Andre 3000 and Lady Gaga. From Campinas to Japan Julia Roberts (left) using the Julia model, Lebron James (center) using the Martin model and Harry Styler (right) using the Ana model Reproduction/Social networks The commitment to start with the international luxury market faced the challenge of building credibility. "We needed to prove that we had quality, that we could meet deadlines and maintain a consistent standard", they comment. Then came operational complexities, such as customs issues, certifications and adaptation for international operations. As a result, they began to act more directly, shortening the logistics chain, and delivering directly from the studio to stores abroad. "The entire process passes through the studio, where we monitor the production, assembly and shipping of each piece very closely", he comments. To guarantee their own space in this "outside-in" logistics, they participated in fashion weeks presenting collections around the world. "There are those incredible fashion shows that we see in the media, but there are business shows, Fashion Week, which is when brands meet store buyers to sell their products. We chose to go there too to meet with this B2C [Business to Consumer, from the company to the consumer] that we thought could be an opening channel for Lapima", comments Gisela. Currently, France and the United States are the biggest markets for the brand, called Lapima, each with 92 points of sale. Recently, the glasses were launched in Japan. "It's a culture that really values design and handmade. They welcomed us in an incredible way. During the launch events, we kept pinching ourselves, like: 'is this really happening?'", he says. "They breathe fashion, they are very authentic. It's really cool. Everyone dresses differently, everyone has a path, everyone has a color, no one cares. So much so that we say we are a romantic feminine brand, but in Japan we are for everyone. Men wear glasses in such a cool way" *Intern under the supervision of Yasmin Castro. VIDEOS: Everything about Campinas and the region See more news about the region on the g1 Campinas page.