Police collaborator takes glare off UAE

The Life: Sunglasses are big business in the UAE. De Rigo, which has house brands like Police and licensed brand such as Chopard, creates frames especially for this market. Michele Aracri, De Rigo's managing director, explains why.

Michele Aracri, De Rigo's managing director. Courtesy De Rigo

Sunglasses are big sellers in a country such as the UAE with its year-round sunshine.

De Rigo, a sunglasses manufacturer that owns house brands and the licence for other names such as Chopard, creates frames especially for the Emirates' market.

Here, Michele Aracri, De Rigo's managing director, explains why and talks about a collaboration with luxury fashion house Lanvin.

Where do you sell your products here?

We started with Paris Gallery [Dubai Mall]. It is the most important customer for De Rigo. This collection [designer] is very jealous of his brand, his products and he controls everything. He designed the collection and he checked everything before it came to the market.

Why does De Rigo collaborate with other companies?

We decided to cooperate with other brands because [that way]we cover the whole segment of the market. De Rigo works in the market with 15 different brands. We try to cover all possible segments.

Why Lanvin?

Lanvin is for De Rigo the most important brand in the segment. It is not mass market. It is niche. It is strong in Europe, strong in the United States and strong in Asia.

Who is your target customer?

My target is to sell to the most important customer. For my company at the moment it is not important to sell quantity. What is important is working with niche customers and the best customers.

Which is your most important brand?

Police is De Rigo's most important brand ... especially in Dubai. We have worked with them for more than 25 years. Police is a house brand. We are an international company.

Which is your biggest market?

In terms of percentage, the most important market is Europe, Korea, Asia, United States and after that the Middle East. But you have to consider the population [size]. If we consider the population I think the Middle East is the second after Europe.

How has the Middle East market changed over the years?

I started to travel in this region 30 years ago. When I started this market was very niche, very small. We started first with Police. [Now] the relations with this market are very strong. I think we are the leader in this market.

What makes you say that?

The most important competitor is Safilo, especially with Ray Ban.

Why do you think De Rigo is better than its competitors?

The design and the quality of the De Rigo is the most important in this market. We prepared for the Middle East market a special design because the consumer in this market is different than in Europe. People like the product to be more rich, more evident, and we have to prepare this model for this market.

* Gillian Duncan