Must-See Brands at SILMO Paris 2026
Keep your focus on the sharpest names on the show floor
Four days. Hundreds of exhibitors. Thousands upon thousands of frames. SILMO Paris is where the optical world arrives with something to prove.
New collections are unveiled, established names return with fresh ideas, young brands step onto the international stage, and every booth is fighting for the same thing: your attention.
Most will get a few seconds. A handful deserve more.
For #MUSTSEEatSILMO 2026, TEF searched for the SILMO Paris eyewear brands that give opticians a genuine reason to stop, look closer and cross the aisle. Not because they have the biggest stand. Not because they shout the loudest. And not because everyone else is already talking about them.
Some are here for pure visual impact. Some for the thinking behind the design. Some for craftsmanship you only appreciate once the frame is in your hand. Others because they are new, disruptive, commercially sharp, or simply impossible to place anywhere else.
Different reasons, Different personalities, One thing in common:
they are worth finding.
01 // THE SHOWSTOPPERS
Frames you’ll probably notice before you notice the booth.
Some eyewear has an immediate presence that cuts through the visual overload of a trade show. It might be the colour, the scale, the silhouette, the surface treatment, or simply the confidence of the design, but whatever the reason, these are the frames that interrupt your walk through the hall and make you look again.
That first reaction is only the beginning, though. A true showstopper still needs to reward closer inspection once the initial impact has done its job. The best examples combine spectacle with substance, turning visual drama into something more lasting than a quick glance.
ALBERT I’MSTEIN
BUILT TO CATCH THE EYE
Albert I’mStein arrives at SILMO with a new line-up that pulls references from architecture, art, culture and everyday objects, then reshapes them into eyewear with a distinctly playful point of view.
The result is expressive without becoming costume: bold acetate, refined titanium, unexpected colour, clever construction and detail keeping frames interesting beyond first impressions.
Among the standouts are GIWA, inspired by traditional Korean roof eaves, MADAM & BUTTERFLY, influenced by painter Nam Gye-u, the titanium-led ALBERT 14, and BETONA, which turns concrete and structure into an architectural eyewear statement.
THE REASON → Albert I’mStein knows how to make a frame visually loud without making it difficult to wear.
LOOK FOR → The references behind each design. Once you know where they came from, the shapes and details start to make even more sense.
Be sure to check out their latest designs at: HALL 7 // H100
KACI PARIS
History moving forward
KACI builds its eyewear around the idea of carrying culture forward rather than looking backwards.
The Re-Explore collection draws on names, symbols and elemental references such as Aman, meaning water, and Anzar, meaning rain, using them as starting points for frames that connect heritage with a distinctly contemporary design language.
The bigger reason to stop at the booth, however, is what comes next. SILMO will mark the first preview of CELESTE, KACI’s upcoming collection, crafted in Japan and shown publicly for the very first time. It offers an early glimpse of how the brand plans to evolve its codes, materials and storytelling beyond Re-Explore.
THE REASON → KACI is not simply building a collection; it is building a cultural language around eyewear, and SILMO offers the first look at its next chapter.
LOOK FOR → The contrast between Re-Explore and the first CELESTE pieces. One looks back to move forward; the other shows where that thinking is heading next.
Be sure to discover KACI at: HALL 7 // D062
Opening cocktail: Friday, September 25 // 17:00
02 // THE DESIGN THINKERS
Eyewear where the idea matters as much as the object.
Some collections make sense immediately. Others become more interesting the longer you look at them.
The Design Thinkers are the brands that treat eyewear as more than a shape on a face. Their work often starts with a concept, a structure, a material, a cultural reference or a problem worth solving, then builds outward from there.
What matters here is not only how the frame looks, but why it looks that way. These are the collections that reward curiosity, because the strongest details often reveal themselves only once you understand the thinking behind them.
DERAPAGE
ENGINEERING IN MOTION
Forty years after its original debut, DERAPAGE returns to SILMO with a new chapter that reconnects the brand with the idea that defined it from the start: bringing the logic, precision and tension of automotive engineering into eyewear.
The comeback begins with Vector and Drift, two new sunglasses that revisit DERAPAGE’s original design language through aerodynamic lines, advanced materials and visible mechanical details. Rather than hiding the structure, the collection makes it part of the identity.
And for now, that is almost all they want you to see. DERAPAGE is deliberately holding back most of the imagery ahead of a larger reveal in Paris, turning SILMO into the place where the new era is properly unveiled.
THE REASON → This is not simply a relaunch. It is a return to the industrial thinking that made DERAPAGE distinctive in the first place.
LOOK FOR → The mechanical details. DERAPAGE makes the normally hidden parts of a frame part of the design language.
Be there for the avant-première on Saturday, September 26 at 17:00, at:
HALL 7 // G150
ZEN
Life in Symphony
ZEN’s new Life in Symphony collection is built around the idea of harmony: colour, material and structure working together rather than competing for attention.
The brand has long used contrast as part of its design language, and this new F/W 2026 collection appears to push that thinking further through layered colour, refined acetate work and carefully balanced proportions.
ZEN’s own lamination techniques and material combinations give the frames depth that becomes more apparent up close, while the collection keeps a strong sense of wearability beneath the experimentation. The result is eyewear that feels expressive without becoming chaotic, with each element contributing to the whole.
THE REASON → ZEN treats colour and construction like parts of the same composition, giving the collection a coherent rhythm rather than a collection of isolated statements.
LOOK FOR → The layered acetate, colour transitions and material combinations that give Life in Symphony its depth.
Be sure to discover Life in Symphony at: HALL 7 // C237
03 // THE CRAFT OBSESSED
For people who will happily spend five minutes studying a hinge.
Some eyewear only starts to reveal itself once you pick it up. The balance, the tension in the hinge, the way one material meets another, the finishing inside the rim, the tiny decisions that separate something merely well-made from something genuinely considered.
The Craft Obsessed are the brands that understand those details are not decoration. They are the product. These are the collections where engineering, handwork and material knowledge quietly do the heavy lifting, rewarding the optician who takes the time to look closer.
MARKUS T
PERFECTION THROUGH REDUCTION
MARKUS T has built its reputation on removing everything a frame does not need, then refining what remains until function and form become almost inseparable.
At SILMO, that philosophy continues across three very different collections, each showing another side of the brand’s approach to lightweight construction.
DOT explores ultra-thin titanium through individual new shapes and MARKUS T’s precise screwless technology. MIO combines the brand’s lightweight TMi material with elegant titanium temples and translucent colours that shift subtly with the light, while TITAN shows just how versatile titanium can be, moving from stronger silhouettes to more delicate forms with the collection’s characteristic matte finish.
Everything is handmade in Germany, and that becomes obvious once you start handling the frames.
THE REASON → MARKUS T proves that technical restraint can create just as much identity as visual excess.
LOOK FOR → The screwless construction and the way weight, material and finish are reduced without making the frame feel anonymous.
Be sure to check out their latest designs at: HALL 7 // E230
ROLF
CRAFTED FROM ANOTHER MATERIAL WORLD
ROLF has always taken a different route to material, and at SILMO that thinking continues with BRUN, a new optical design in the Substance Collection. The frame arrives alongside four new tones; Petrol Green, Espresso, Midnight Blue and November Green. Each of these colours were developed to bring more depth and nuance to the collection without disturbing its quiet, functional character.
BRUN itself is a refined crown panto with round lenses and a straight brow line, made from ROLF’s plant-based bean material and built around the patented FlexLock hinge. The construction is metal-free, screwless and maintenance-free, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes this collection worth handling rather than simply viewing from across the aisle.
Every frame is developed and handmade in Austria, where ROLF continues to treat natural materials, technical problem-solving and responsible production as one connected process.
THE REASON → ROLF turns material innovation into something tactile, functional and unmistakably its own.
LOOK FOR → The FlexLock hinge and the way the bean-based material changes the weight, feel and character of the frame in hand.
Be sure to check out their latest designs at: HALL 7 // E163
04 // THE NEW GUARD
The next wave of independent eyewear
Every established eyewear name was unknown once. The interesting part is catching a brand at the moment when that starts to change.
The New Guard is for labels entering that next phase: first major collections, international debuts, young houses finding their visual language, or local names suddenly ready for a much bigger audience. These are the brands that make the show floor feel alive, because there is still a sense of discovery around them.
Sometimes you already know you are looking at something important. Sometimes you only realise it a year later.
AGBASSIO
THE COUNCIL AWAITS…
Agbassio steps into SILMO with its first complete presentation:
The Council of Seven, a 96-piece collection built around seven archetypes of wisdom, with names as The Architect, Philosopher, Judge, Diplomat, Strategist, Professor and Visionary.
Each character has its own visual language, united by an obsession with proportion, material and precision.
Made in Japan from Japanese acetate and titanium, the frames are finished with details such as 18K gold and palladium coatings, sculpted bevels, drill-through seven-barrel hinges and carefully engineered temple construction. The result is not one house style repeated 96 times, but seven distinct personalities held together by one philosophy.
THE REASON → Agbassio arrives at SILMO as a genuinely new independent house with a complete world already built around it.
LOOK FOR → The differences between the seven archetypes. The strongest part of the collection is how clearly each character shifts in shape, attitude and presence without losing the Agbassio identity.
Be sure to discover the complete Council of Seven at: HALL 7 // G017
LAGA
A world ahead
LAGA enters the independent eyewear scene with A World Ahead, a debut collection built around the idea that some forms of beauty exist before fashion gets involved.
The brand looks to light, movement and the structures found in nature, translating those references into fluid shapes, sculpted volumes and materials chosen for the way they react to their surroundings.
There is a distinctly Parisian confidence to the result, but the collection avoids feeling overworked. Instead, LAGA uses proportion, surface and small details to create frames that feel expressive without losing their sense of balance.
SILMO Paris 2026 will mark the first public unveiling of the brand, making this one of the few booths where visitors will be seeing an entire eyewear identity appear for the very first time.
THE REASON → LAGA is exactly what The New Guard is meant to uncover: a genuinely new independent brand with a clear visual language from day one.
LOOK FOR → The way the collection uses fluid geometry and light-reactive materials to turn natural references into something distinctly contemporary.
Be sure to discover LAGA’s debut collection at: HALL 7 // E017
05 // THE RULE BREAKERS
Because safe eyewear is rarely memorable eyewear.
The Rule Breakers are the brands that refuse to accept the familiar silhouette as a fixed starting point. They distort proportion, expose structure, combine materials in unexpected ways and push eyewear closer to architecture, fashion or sculpture.
What makes this category interesting is not rebellion for its own sake. The strongest work still has intent behind the provocation. A frame can be extreme, unconventional or even divisive, but if the construction, balance and concept hold together, the result becomes far more than a visual stunt.
These are the collections that remind us why independent eyewear still has the power to surprise.
TILMANN GRAWE
Futirist constructivism
Tilmann Grawe returns to SILMO with four new additions to his DNA collection: DNA 14, DNA 15, DNA 16 and DNA 17.
The collection continues his unmistakable approach to eyewear as a piece of constructed design, shaped by architecture, haute couture and a taste for forms that are minimal in outline but anything but anonymous.
Materials remain central to the story. Buffalo horn, acetate, titanium and other carefully chosen elements are worked by hand in France and Germany, giving the collection a distinctly European character. The new models will also be presented with a monogrammed aluminium case, lined in black velvet and handmade in Germany, extending the same obsession with detail beyond the frame itself.
Grawe’s work has never been about following what is current. It is about refining a visual language strong enough to outlast it.
THE REASON → Tilmann Grawe turns precision, material and architectural thinking into eyewear with genuine presence.
LOOK FOR → The construction around the temples and side profiles. His frames often become more interesting once you stop looking straight at the front.
Be sure to discover the new DNA models at: HALL 7 // D020
ARTHOD
Experience, redrawn
ARTHOD may be a young name, but it is built on more than two decades of experience behind the scenes of international eyewear.
The French founders Julien and Sylvie Vansteeger are now putting that knowledge into a collection of their own, reworking familiar eyewear archetypes with sharper proportions, unexpected details and a contemporary sense of character.
Nothing feels added simply for effect. Lines, volumes and construction choices are there to create balance, identity and comfort, with high-density acetates, refined metal components and models offered both with and without adjustable nose pads to suit different faces.
THE REASON → ARTHOD brings the confidence of long industry experience into a brand that still feels fresh, personal and independent.
LOOK FOR → The subtle changes in proportion and fit. The designs feel familiar at first glance, but the details shift them somewhere more distinctive.
Be sure to discover ARTHOD at: HALL 7 // H437
06 // THE RETAIL STANDOUTS
Great design that earns its place on the shop floor.
Some collections are memorable because they push boundaries. Others stand out because they understand exactly what makes a frame work in a real optical store.
The Retail Standouts combine strong design with the things that matter once the frame leaves the drawing board: fit, comfort, colour, sizing, display appeal and enough personality to give an optician a clear reason to recommend it. They are distinctive without becoming difficult, and commercial without becoming ordinary.
These are the collections that look good in the window, feel convincing on the face and make sense when it is time to sell them.
MOREL
Colour that knows how to sell
MOREL arrives at SILMO with a presentation built around colour, movement and a clear sense of how eyewear needs to perform in the real world.
Their booth brings the latest campaign to life through bold imagery, colourful installations and animated displays, creating a setting that feels energetic without overwhelming, and combining visual character, confidence and genuine wearability.
ENIGMA pushes expressive colour and distinctive construction, while MILA brings a more refined acetate story. Around them, new optical and sunglass designs underline what MOREL does best: balancing personality with wearability, technical know-how with visual appeal, and creativity with the practical needs of an independent optical store.
THE REASON → MOREL knows how to make strong design approachable without sanding away its character.
LOOK FOR → The contrast between ENIGMA and MILA, and how the brand uses colour, construction and acetate work to create very different retail personalities.
Be sure to explore the latest MOREL collections at: HALL 7 // G276
WOLF EYEWEAR
Made to be picked up
Wolf Eyewear understands something every optician knows: before a frame can be sold, it first has to get noticed.
At SILMO, the British-designed collection leans into that idea with colour, confident acetate, sun-clips, metals, sunglasses and children’s styles that are built to stand out without becoming difficult to wear.
The brand’s own acetate designs are produced in short runs and sold exclusively through independent opticians, giving the collection a stronger sense of individuality than something built for mass distribution. That independence is part of the appeal, but so is the breadth. Wolf manages to cover very different customers without losing the playful character that makes the frames recognisable.
THE REASON → Wolf combines strong shelf appeal with enough variety to make the collection genuinely useful in an independent practice.
LOOK FOR → The proprietary acetate colours and the way the collection moves from bold adult styles to kids, metals and sun without losing its identity.
Be sure to discover the latest Wolf Eyewear collection at: HALL 7 // E215
COLIBRIS
Small frames, strong presence
COLIBRIS has spent more than two decades proving that smaller eyewear should never mean smaller ideas.
With Nordic Tide, the brand turns to the quiet power and constant movement of northern coastlines, using the rhythm of ebb and flow as inspiration for a new collection of clear forms, layered depth and carefully judged detail.
The collection introduces five expressive feminine models for narrow faces, all handmade in Germany. Shapes are bold enough to have presence, but refined in proportion so they never overpower the wearer, exactly the balance that matters most in eyewear designed for smaller faces.
THE REASON → COLIBRIS gives narrow faces the same confidence, character and design attention usually reserved for larger frames.
LOOK FOR → The proportions. Nordic Tide shows how to create visual impact without losing the precise fit smaller faces demand.
Be sure to discover Nordic Tide at:
HALL 7 // H105
07 // THE TEF WILDCARD
The story that refuses to fit neatly anywhere else.
Not every brand earns attention for the same reason. Sometimes it is the collection. Sometimes it is the history, the engineering, the cultural relevance or simply a story too good to ignore.
This final category is reserved for exactly that kind of exception: something that does not sit comfortably under design, craft, retail or disruption, but still deserves a place in the guide.
For 2026, that wildcard is Erker’s 1879.
ERKER’S 1879
History you can actually wear
Erker’s 1879 arrives at SILMO Paris 2026 with something most brands cannot manufacture: genuine history.
As one of America’s oldest family-owned optical companies, the brand is approaching 150 years of craftsmanship, and this year it is using that legacy in a very specific way.
At the centre of the presentation is a new signature emblem inspired by the flying cap and goggles Erker’s created for Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 nonstop flight from New York to Paris. The symbol now appears throughout the collection, linking the current eyewear back to a moment defined by precision, risk and technical confidence.
Alongside new frame releases, the booth gives opticians a chance to see how that history is being carried forward rather than simply displayed.
THE REASON → Few eyewear brands can connect a modern collection to a story this specific, authentic and culturally significant.
LOOK FOR → The new emblem and the way Erker’s is weaving the Lindbergh story into the identity of the current collection without turning it into nostalgia.
Be sure to discover the next chapter of Erker’s 1879 at: HALL 7 // B166
THE REST IS UP TO YOU
No list can capture everything worth seeing at SILMO Paris, and that is exactly the point. Part of the value of a show like this is still the unexpected discovery: the frame you had never seen before, the designer you had never heard of, or the tiny booth you nearly walked past.
This selection is where we would start. From the visually impossible to ignore to the technically obsessive, the commercially smart and the genuinely new, these are the brands we believe deserve a little more of your time.
Use the guide, make your route, then leave enough room to get distracted.
Because somewhere between Hall 6 and Hall 7, there is always one more frame waiting to change your mind.
Silmo Paris 2026 – International Eyewear Trade Fair
September 25-28, 2026
Paris Nord, Villepinte
SILMO Paris 2026 is the most exciting international eyewear and optics trade fair, held at the Exhibition Center Paris Nord Villepinte. This Silmo Paris eyewear show welcomes professionals from across the optical sector, serving as both a marketplace and an incubator of ideas. Each year, the fair reveals innovations, technological challenges, and future perspectives that help define tomorrow’s eyewear industry.
Key Facts – Silmo Paris 2026 Dates and Location
Square meters
Brands
Visitors
SILMO Paris 2026
THE PLACE TO BE, TO SEE, TO FORESEE!
Why Silmo Paris 2026 is the Place to Be:
From September 25 to 28, 2026, Paris Nord Villepinte will once again become the global stage of the eyewear industry. Welcoming thousands of professionals and leading brands, Silmo Paris international eyewear fair is where new collections are unveiled, business connections are made, and eyewear trends for 2026 and beyond are set.
This is not just an optical trade fair in France; it’s an industry-defining experience where daring creators, innovative manufacturers, and passionate opticians come together to share their vision of the future.
Registration for SILMO Paris 2026
Visitor registration for SILMO Paris 2026 is now open through the official SILMO Paris website. Optical professionals planning to attend the show can order their ticket online in advance and prepare their visit to Paris Nord Villepinte, where the event will take place from 25 to 28 September 2026.
"As the place to see, the Silmo Paris eyewear show showcases the very best in optics, all under one roof. From visionary designs and breakthrough lens technologies to sustainable materials and smart glasses, this is where visitors get a front-row seat to the future of eyewear. Every corner of the exhibition buzzes with discoveries, offering visitors a chance to explore the products and innovations that will soon define their own shelves and practices."
SILMO Next – Innovation Hub for Eyewear
At the SILMO Next innovation hub, visitors step into a laboratory of the future. Here, emerging technologies, digital solutions, and cutting-edge design concepts are showcased. From sustainable materials and smart glasses to AI-driven retail solutions, SILMO Next sets the tone for the next generation of eyewear.
Eyewear Trends at Silmo Paris 2026
The Trends Forum offers a curated journey through the season’s most influential eyewear pieces. Attendees gain insights into color directions, material innovations, and shape evolutions before they hit the mainstream. This section has become a key resource for professionals looking to anticipate the eyewear trends Silmo Paris 2026 will bring to the market.
Knowledge Sharing – Silmo Talks and Academy
Learning is central to Silmo Paris optical trade fair. Through Silmo Talks and the Silmo Academy, visitors engage with world-renowned experts. Topics range from clinical breakthroughs to retail strategies, offering knowledge that helps shape the future of the optical profession.
Celebrating Excellence – Silmo d’Or Awards 2026
SILMO Paris is also a celebration of creativity and achievement. The prestigious Silmo d’Or awards 2026 honor outstanding eyewear design and technological innovation.
Other Awards and Recognitions
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Optical Design Contest – spotlighting young creative talent
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Responsible Company Award – rewarding sustainability and ethical practices
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International Optician of the Year Award – presented in collab with the IOA
Honoring Craftsmanship and Heritage
Visitors can explore the artistry of French eyewear making. From the skills of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France to exhibitions from the museums of Oyonnax and Morez, SILMO Paris celebrates the heritage and craftsmanship that continue to inspire the industry.
Staying Connected Beyond the Fair
The conversation doesn’t end when the doors close. With SILMO News updates and “The Right Optics by SILMO” podcast, the event keeps professionals engaged throughout the year, offering stories, interviews, and insights that extend the impact of the show Silmo Paris Paris Nord Villepinte.
More news on SILMO Paris 2026
SILMO Talks // Defining Independent Opticians
At SILMO Paris 2026, Alessandra Salimbene will challenge traditional definitions of the independent optician, presenting a new marketing perspective and unveiling a project created specifically for Europe’s independent optical sector.
SILMO d’Or 2026 // Meet the Nominees
The nominees for the 33rd SILMO d’Or have been revealed. Across 13 categories, the 2026 shortlist celebrates outstanding eyewear design, craftsmanship, innovation, vision technology and optical expertise ahead of the final judging at SILMO Paris.
SILMO Paris // One Month Until Eyewear Takes Over Paris
SILMO Paris 2026 returns from 25 to 28 September, bringing the international eyewear and optical industry together for four days of new collections, technology, trends, education and networking. From independent eyewear and the SILMO d’Or to smart glasses, AI and more than 60 conferences, Paris once again becomes one of the key meeting points of the optical calendar.
SILMO d’Or 2026 // Joachim Froment to Lead the Jury
SILMO d’Or 2026 places contemporary design thinking at the center of optics with the appointment of Joachim Froment as President of the Jury. The Brussels-based industrial designer brings a multidisciplinary vision shaped by technology, emotion, and systemic design, reinforcing SILMO Paris as a platform where the future of eyewear innovation continues to evolve.
SILMO Paris 2026 // Where the Industry Moves
There is a moment each year when the optical industry stops reacting and starts defining what comes next. SILMO Paris 2026 is that moment. From global brands to emerging innovators, from craftsmanship to technology, everything converges in Paris. It is where ideas gain direction, where conversations become collaborations, and where the future of eyewear quietly begins to take shape.
SILMO Paris // A New Vision Takes Shape in 2026
SILMO Paris is entering a new chapter. For the 2026 edition, the global optical trade show introduces a new identity and campaign built around a clear message: “The Season Starts Here.” As the industry prepares to gather in Paris this September, SILMO positions itself once again as the moment when innovation, design and new ideas begin shaping the next eyewear season.
Vuarnet // TEFtalk with Vuarnet Brand Director Giulia Zanzi
At SILMO Paris 2025, TEF Magazine sat down for a #TEFtalk with Giulia Zanzi, Brand Director at Vuarnet, to explore how this iconic performance eyewear brand continues to evolve under Thélios. Zanzi reflects on Vuarnet’s legacy of French craftsmanship, technological precision, and timeless style built for life’s every adventure.
SILMO Academy Bali // Vision Meets Paradise
For the first time, SILMO Academy heads to Bali for a three-day international congress from April 6–8, 2026, dedicated to visual health, research, and innovation. Hosted by SILMO Paris, this new edition brings together world-leading experts to explore themes such as Healthy Ageing, Light Management, and Future Advances in Optometry, all set against the tranquil and inspiring backdrop of Hotel Paradisus, Bali.
Optical Women’s Association // Empowering Global Voices at SILMO Paris
OWA Global Connection Event Celebrating Women in Optical Innovation The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) marked another milestone for global collaboration with its Global Connection Event at SILMO Paris, titled “Seeing Beyond: The Power of Women in Optical...
Design Eyewear Group // Lars Flyvholm on Creative Synergy and Trade Shows
At SILMO Paris 2025, TEF Magazine sat down with Lars Flyvholm, CEO of Design Eyewear Group, for an exclusive #TEFtalk interview on design collaboration, the Menrad acquisition, and the future of optical tradeshows. This Design Eyewear Group Lars Flyvholm interview reveals how creative teamwork and strategic vision shape one of Europe’s most dynamic independent eyewear groups.
