Alpine F1 team finds optical performance partner in Shamir

It sounds obvious, and yet it is a unique collaboration in the Formula 1 world: the Alpine F1 team is partnering with Shamir Optical Industry in a Vision Performance Lab to ensure their drivers and all other team members have the best vision possible...

When you go as fast as a Formula 1 race car driver does, you want, or better said: you need perfect vision. It takes a millisecond for conditions to change and in that millisecond drivers need to make a decision that will have enormous consequences for their safety, based mostly on what they see. Or don't see. Strangely enough, there hasn't been that much attention to the way vision influences race car driving performances. Until now. Alpine F1 team has found a partner in Shamir, a producer of high-quality lenses. Shamir has been developing and producing lenses since the 1970s and has taken a leading position worldwide in incorporating scientific discoveries into their lenses.

But what is a vision performance lab exactly? Engineers of both Alpine and Shamir will be researching new technologies to improve both racing performances and safety conditions. No more foggy goggles for the pit crew, glare from low sunlight or distorted colors for the drivers. Expertise from both fields will be combined in the search for the highest quality lenses that perform perfectly under all conditions. New developments can be easily tested and if necessary adjusted to the personal needs of the Alpine F1 team members.

It is no coincidence that Alpine and Shamir found each other. Both share the same values: high performance, innovation, precision, safety and teamwork. Antoine Magnan, CEO of strategic partnerships at Alpine, says: 'At Alpine we always look for collaborations with only the best brands. Together, we aim to develop new technologies and materials that will enhance Formula 1 performances, but that will also be useful and interesting for consumers outside of this laboratory that is Formula 1.'

NanaWoody&John announces nominations for Dutch Optician of the Year

The end of the year is traditionally the moment for the NanaWoody&John Optician of the Year Award. With the input of all suppliers/brands participating in the digital optician guide for the consumer, three shops have been nominated.

They each distinguish themselves in their own way through entrepreneurship, the courage to invest in beautiful and special shops and of course through excellent eye care and beautiful collections. Each of them is an ambassador for independent opticians.

The nominations for the NanaWoody&John
Optician of the Year are

Konings Opticien & Optometrist in Veenendaal

’t Brillehuus at Didam

Beeks Oog & Oor at ’s-Gravenzande

Newcomer Optician of the Year

For the first time this year a Newcomer Optician of the Year will also be chosen. The nominated stores show that you can also and perhaps especially in these times successfully start a new store and they also distinguish themselves, just like the three stores just mentioned, with original store design, perfect eye care and beautiful collections.

The nominations for the NanaWoody&John
Newcomer Optician of the Year are

Bril Studio in Soest

JIJ brillen & meer in Zuid-Laren

Boutique Optique in Oosterbeek

Announcement of the winners at the Masters Expo in Amsterdam

The announcement of the final winners will be extra special this year because it will take place for the first time on the unique stage of the Masters Expo that will take place in Amsterdam from 12 to 16 December. This unique event, which is experiencing its 23rd edition this year, is a tribute to entrepreneurship and the ambition to distinguish yourself. The 40,000 square meter exhibition space is full of entrepreneurs who have built a great company with vision, courage and belief in their own abilities, so the nominated opticians and the presentation of the Awards fit in perfectly.

NanaWoody&John has a beautiful stand together with Club BRILLANT and the partner brands Cazal, Masunaga, L.G.R, Lapima, Jaguar, Henry Jullien, Brett, Pucci and Moncler where the 40,000 visitors are warmly welcomed to discover the most beautiful (sun)glasses and will be informed about innovations in eye care and the best opticians in the Netherlands.

NanaWoody&John in major Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad

Last Saturday, Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad devoted extensive attention to glasses. The occasion was the 90th birthday of Nana Mouskouri.

The Greek singer became famous mainly through her music, but she also stood out because of her inseparable black glasses. The story about this was beautifully recorded by journalist Alexander van Eenennaam, who naturally came across www.nanawoodyandjohn.com during his search for information. After all, our name was inspired by Nana Mouskouri, Woody Allen and John Lennon, all of them well known for their iconic glasses. Contact was quickly made and ultimately resulted in almost two pages with a leading role for glasses.

(Sun)glasses can play an important role in creating an image like no other accessory. The article mentions numerous examples and there are of course many more. Perhaps you are one of those people who choose their glasses carefully for this reason.

NanaWoody&John wants to inspire and encourage everyone to choose a really beautiful pair of glasses that accentuates your personality and contributes to your self-confidence instead of a boring characterless frame. That is why we also like to refer you to passionate opticians with a love for their profession and with beautiful collections in their stores!

Fantastic contributions from Bobo's/Serengeti and Max voor Ogen to the Orange Babies project

During the NanaWoody&John Night at the Club last November in Amsterdam, Fiona Hering and Baba Sylla spoke passionately about the work of Orange Babies in Africa.

For 25 years, this organization has been committed to preventing children of HIV-infected mothers from also being born with the disease. They do great work and saved many lifes already. I have known Baba and Fiona and the work of Orange Babies for a long time, so the connection was quickly made. This year, NanaWoody&John and its partner stores and suppliers are committed to raising money to purchase a new mobile clinic for Orange Babies in South Africa.

All kinds of initiatives are now being developed and the first results are already known. Max voor Ogen in Schagen set aside a nice amount from every pair of glasses sold in January and recently donated the first 1,250 euros.

Bobo’s Sports Eyewear did the same for every Serengeti sunglasses sold in February and earlier this week presented a check for no less than 5,460 euros to Fiona and Baba.

Thanks to these two generous and committed donors, the counter already stands at 6,710 euros at the beginning of March and, as mentioned, there are many more great plans on their way, such as the special Scotch & Soda sunglasses, the proceeds of which will also go to Orange Babies.

We and Orange Babies are extremely grateful for all the support and we will keep you posted about new results in the months to come. I think with this collaboration the independent opticians and their suppliers show how they make the difference in every shopping street and everyone can contribute by shopping local at independent stores!

Vogue tips Victoria Beckham as the most popular brand of 2024

It's still early in the year and they don't have a crystal ball at Vogue either, but the fashion magazine still dares to make a prediction.

It bases this largely on the Lyst Index, which keeps track of how often a brand or item from a brand is googled. Victoria Beckham has been doing remarkably well in this regard lately. This is partly due to the extremely popular Netflix documentary about the Beckhams and the humorous way in which she responded with the popular 'My Dad had a Rolls Royce' t-shirt. More serious is her Frame Buckle belt with the beautifully styled logo, which ended up at number 2 of the most searched for products after the Margaux bag from The Row. In short, Victoria Beckham is not the largest fashion brand in the world, but it is very popular at the moment. And the designers cleverly include that beautiful 'buckle' of the belt in the sunglasses collection that is now in stores. Click here for a store near you!

Be inspired by the Men's Winter 24 shows

This month all leading fashion houses showed their new men's collections for the winter of 2024/25. Always beautiful to see, inspiring and above all an interesting image of the times that you, as a fashion lover, do not want to miss.

From the stylish outfits of Zegna and the suits of Gucci to the much-discussed Louis Vuitton show, where Pharrell Williams has been in charge for some time now. His contemporary translation of a genuine American cowboy/western style was one of the highlights of these fashion weeks. But of course there was much more to see. From the robots on the runway at Dsquared2 to the impressive black creations of Dolce & Gabbana and Dior's tribute to dancer Rudolf Nureyev. From the prints, tribal influences and color explosions at Balmain to the luxury of Valentino and Hermes and the incredibly beautiful compositions of the old master Yohji Yamamoto (also watch the impressive documentary about this Japanese designer). See how the difference between the genders is increasingly blurred with jewelry, rhinestones, ruffles, heels and skirts in these men's shows and be inspired by all the creative talent behind all those beautiful fashion brands.