MILAN—The organizers of DaTE have announced Milano Eyewear Design Day (MEDD), a special non-commercial event open to everyone, on Oct. 17, 2022. MEDD will take place at the ADI Design Museum in Milan and will focus on “the 10 key words that set DaTE apart and have been pivotal to its growth over the years: creativity, innovation, originality, research, energy, cross-fertilization, experimentation, audacity, vitality and flair,” organizers said. The day’s program will include talks from Giovanni Vitaloni, president of DaTE; Luciano Galimberti, president of ADI; Alain Miklitarian, eyewear designer; Silvia Fresco, designer; Humaneyes’ Domenico Concato and more. Francesco Morace will moderate the event.

Two awards will also be presented at MEDD: the most innovative eyewear seen at DaTE 2022, selected by a jury of design and lifestyle experts, and the most visionary optical center, voted on by the DaTE 2022 exhibitors.
 
Finally, MEDD will include a special exhibition in partnership with the Eyewear Museum of Pieve di Cadore, illustrating the history of eyewear. The exhibit will remain open to the public until Oct. 22, 2022.
 
A full schedule of events and registration is available on the DaTE website.
 
DaTE 2022 was held in Florence, Italy, from September 10 through 12, 2022. Organizers confirmed attendance of approximately 1,500 industry professionals and buyers, 100 companies and 170 Italian and international brands.
 
Vitaloni said, “Before the show opened, we had hoped to match last year’s good performance, and we did. We are pleased with the outcome and with the quality of the professionals—both exhibitors and visitors—who participated. Attendance by international buyers was also good, aided, in part, thanks to our partnership with ITA (Italian Trade Agency). Again this year, DaTE delivered the best our independent eyewear market has to offer, staying true to its mission as an exhibition of the avant-garde.”