The Silhouette Company – Uniqueness in Vision

Linz, January 2007. Glasses were to become more than “just” an aid for better vision – rather, they should be companions in fashion, stylish accessories with unique design combining lightness and wearing comfort. It was with this vision, a staff of five and one designer that the leading Austrian eyewear manufacturer Silhouette International Schmied AG began its story in 1964. To this day, 43 years after the foundation of the enterprise, Silhouette has been pursuing its vision and setting new standards in the world of fashion eyewear through innovation, design and quality.

The corporate structure ensures continuity: Silhouette International Schmied AG has remained a family-owned company that employs over 1,630 workers all over the world and is headed by the two Board members Arnold Schmied jr. and Klaus Schmied. The enterprise focuses on the design, production and distribution of ophthalmic and sunwear models done in metal and synthetics.

Silhouette is a worldwide leader of the eyewear industry with 13 international distribution subsidiaries and an export share of approx. 95%. Roughly 3.08 million frames are produced by Silhouette annually. Of these, approx. 1,95 million feature the Silhouette brand; around 1,04 million are manufactured under the license brand adidas eyewear, and around 90,000 units, under the license brand Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear.

Vision: The Basis of Success

“We regard it as our chief task to introduce new, fascinating perspectives into the eyewear industry – and we will attain our objective in the future as we did in the past. What gives us so much confidence is the fact that we all have a very personal relationship with our products. Each of us loves doing his or her job, developing ideas and making what seems impossible tangible reality.” These are the words used by Arnold Schmied, the 80-year-old founder of the company, to describe his and his enterprise’s vision – a vision that was as topical at the inception of Silhouette more than forty years ago as it is today.

Design: From Idea to Collection

“Individual eyewear design is our top priority because we want to create unique frames for unique faces“, as Board member Klaus Schmied, one of the sons of the founder couple, sketches Silhouette’s design philosophy. Unique and exciting designs are generated by exciting people. At Silhouette, a team of designers develop all Collections with original ideas and lots of creativity. Every series begins with teamwork – from designers developing the initial concept for a new model to colour designers and modellers building the first prototypes of new creations.

The development of a new model takes roughly one year from first design sketch to finished product. The work “behind the scenes“ calls for precise time schedules, strategic planning of Collection packages and fine-tuned agreements with the marketing and product management departments. The last step is determined by the technical know-how of the production department, whose possibilities are continuously expanded due to the in-house development of new technologies.

Silhouette’s top-quality designs for both ophthalmic frames and sunwear are expressions of contemporary zeitgeist, a fact documented by numerous international design awards.

Innovation: setting new standards

Optimum wearing comfort, lightness and top functionality have traditionally been the hallmarks of any Silhouette eyewear model. With its ongoing research and development activities, Silhouette sets new standards in eyewear design.

The most impressive innovation are Silhouette’s hingeless and screwless “Titan Minimal Art“ frames, which revolutionised the international eyewear market in 1999.

“The concept of the Titan Minimal Art series has become an icon. Uniqueness of design and maximum customer satisfaction are two outstanding features of these frames“, Board member Arnold Schmied jr. is convinced. Minimalism is innovation, for the high-tech material used – hyper-flex titanium – permits designing ultra-thin and super-elastic temples that are characterised by resilience and good skin tolerance and make do without any type of hinge.

Due to their low weight of 1.8 grams and optimum fit, the frames of the Titan Minimal Art series were recommended by NASA after exhaustive testing and are now used by all NASA astronauts on their space missions.

Quality: Love of Detail Shows the Road to Success

The creation of pioneering design also means exploring all technical possibilities. To arrive at the end result – its exclusive Collections –, Silhouette emphasises innovative technology, craftsmanship and employee know-how. The entire development process from original idea to finished product is handled by Silhouette at its Linz premises. Every prototype of a frame manufactured by Silhouette is tested within the company on at least 25 “subjects” before being meticulously implemented as a CAD (computer-aided design) model. Then the tool-makers and modellers are called in; an average of 130 fine-tuned production steps are required for each model. 80 percent of time-consuming manual work-phases and only 20 percent of automated processes go into the production of Silhouette’s small, exclusive Collections that meet the very highest standards. The final touches are added to the frames by hand.

Quality checks after every production step as well as extensive quality control at the end of the production cycle ensure the ultimate quality standards typical of each Silhouette eyewear model.

High-quality Materials: Hyper-flex Titanium and SPX

Silhouette’s eyewear programme is based on two fundamentally different material types and production processes. On the one hand, Silhouette manufactures metal frames, above all in hyper-flex titanium, but also in gold, copper, bronze, steel and nickel silver. On the other hand, the high-tech synthetic SPX – a Silhouette invention – is injected into moulds and thus transformed into fashion frames.

Every year, a wealth of different designs, colours and material combinations generates over 120 new models with one common denominator: top quality of surface structure, fit, wearing comfort and product life.

The metal titanium made it possible for the first time to manufacture lightweight, sturdy frames without hinges and screws. Intensive research input has enabled Silhouette to evolve the raw material into hyper-flex titanium, which safeguards above-average elongation, superior resilience and high skin tolerance.

Lightness and transparency also characterise the synthetic SPX. This material is extremely elastic and allows for a wide variety of colour nuances and all methods of print application.

License Brands: Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear and adidas eyewear

High-quality modelling, innovative materials and extraordinary design elements are not only the typical characteristics of the company’s own brand Silhouette but also distinguish the models of the license brands Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear and adidas eyewear, which are traditionally produced in Linz as well. The license agreement for the sports eyewear line adidas eyewear was concluded in 1991, followed by an agreement for the luxury line Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear in 1997.

The adidas eyewear sports frames – both ophthalmic and sunwear – are developed and manufactured in accordance with the principles of perfect vision, optimum protection, ideal fit and long durability, with a focus on the specific requirements of different types of sports and athletes.

Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear – the only eyewear brand entirely dedicated to the beauty of crystals – is one of the world’s leading luxury eyewear brands. The range of Daniel Swarovski crystal eyewear models extends from spare, austere frames with crystals as discreet eye-catchers to magnificent evening eyewear that stuns with a myriad of sparkling crystals.

Internationality: Silhouette – A Worldwide Company

Silhouette eyewear made in Linz is available in approx. 100 countries all over the world. The export share is 95%. The enterprise maintains its own distribution companies in 13 countries on three continents, while the remaining markets are covered in co-operation with distribution partners. Internationality was an important objective from the moment of establishing the company in 1964 and in fact informed its choice of name. The new enterprise was to have an internationally easily recognisable and understandable name, and since French fashions were very much in vogue then, the founders decided for “Silhouette”. Today, nobody remembers who actually came up with the name. “It just was there, all of a sudden, and we knew it was right“, Arnold Schmied sr. comments.