SECAUCUS, N.J. and NEW YORK—Safilo Group marked the official opening of its new Safilo North American wholesale headquarters here with a special gathering for Safilo employees and its board of directors, ECPs, buying groups and alliances, department stores, Safilo’s American license partners, guests from Safilo’s Special Olympics partners and the Italian Trade Commission at the sleek, new open-plan offices on Oct. 18.

From 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. guests flocked to the new location at 300 Lightning Way in Secaucus, N.J. and were able to tour the new offices, view collections under Safilo’s portfolio of brands and were treated to drinks and light bites.

The new HQ replaces the company’s former Parsippany, N.J. location. The Secaucus facility’s people will work as a team with the closely located New York Fifth Avenue Global Design Studio and showroom.

As she welcomed guests, Safilo Group CEO Luisa Delgado said, “Our inauguration of our new HQ here sets a signal for Safilo’s commitment to the USA and North America. We are asked what is our vision? We say that the more our industry changes, the more clear we are about who we want to be.

“We want to take our industry forward and to be the independent alternative partner of trust to customers, offering freedom of choice, an attractive portfolio of 31 brands, a mix of house and licensed brands in five important segments from fashion luxury, contemporary, mass cool, selective luxury and sport.

“We want to stand for transparency—we want our customers to understand how we invest and support them. We wish to play the role the historical leader of this industry has a right to play. Next year will be our 140th year of product craftsmanship, design and quality and commitment to the long term,” she said.

Safilo has been present in the U.S. since 1962, and today has four other U.S. locations which include: its recently established Pacific Design Studio in Portland, Ore., also housing Smith’s global brand management; a manufacturing site in Salt Lake City, Utah for goggles and Rx-Lab; a distribution center in Denver, Colo. for North America; and Safilo’s Miami Fla. showroom and Latin America office. Safilo’s Canadian commercial organization is based in Montreal.

In an interview with Vision Monday after the opening, Delgado also emphasized that the new HQ will house Safilo’s new global license office for American brands. She explained, “What’s important for our ECP and retail partners and the region of North America about this is to concentrate purposefully and deeply on American brands. Not just, as was in the past, American brands ‘just’ for America, but now we view them with global potential.”