ROLF SPECTACLES // C-TALK WITH CHRISTIAN WOLF

The pandemic… celebrating its First Year of Existence among us. Multiple Lockdowns. Eyewear Fairs cancelled. Brands struggling. Others thriving. Collections are being re-evaluated and often reduced. Everything is different. We’ve learned to focus on essentials. The daily struggle is on, and some small independent brands are fighting to survive while others reinvented themselves or used the time to make necessary changes. One year in, we wanted to find out how the independent brands are doing at the moment. In our new segment C-TALK (Corona Talk, but without the C-word), we visit brands to get an idea about the current mood. Starting off, Christian Wolf from Austrian Brand Rolf Spectacles who talks about what 2020 felt like and his hopes for 2021.

Hello Christian! How are things going at the Headquarters at the moment?

We are quite satisfied. Our consistency over the last few years has definitely paid off. All products are produced regionally and correspond exactly to the needs that have emerged as a result of the crisis. Our new Substance collection appeals to a younger audience and carries us nicely through the crisis. The year 2020 has turned a lot upside down. Internally, we have optimised a lot and are entering the new year with less ballast and with room for new ideas.

For many brands, the current situation has brought to light problems that have been burried for a long time. Did you feel the same way?

Many processes are dragged along for a long time. Corona forced us to study many things in detail. Many of these processes no longer exist or have been optimised together with our staff. The cohesion within the team and also the cooperation with our customers is taking more space. We have set up one of our stands in the hall as a meeting point – with a mask and plenty of distance, we try to strengthen togetherness even despite Corona.

What has actually changed at Rolf Spectacles since the beginning of the pandemic? Where did you have to rethink?

I’m a fan of optimising processes to free up more time for creative tasks. We want to look at all our collections from a new angle and reorganise them. A lot of time is going into this and the first results are very positive. We see rethinking things as an added value. You have to be creative, innovative, humble, focused and trust the right people. That’s what gets us through these challenging times.

The missing eyewear fairs for over a year is really tough. Is it possible to go without them or do you miss them a lot?

Of course we miss the fairs. We meet our customers there, exchange ideas and come home with new ideas and plans. Since we do everything ourselves, from building and setting up the stand to handling the trade fair, the trade fairs also give us intensive days in the team – that’s what brings us together.

Which development since the beginning of the pandemic do you consider positive?

That we are acting and acting more consciously and that we can also feel that it works with less hectic and stress.



What innovations does Rolf SPECTACLES have in store for the new year? What inspired you?

As already mentioned, we have all collections on our agenda. Especially our wood collection Evolved gets more attention. New wood combinations give the collection new momentum. We are also integrating the stone and horn models into the collection. Seven new models and two new colours complete the Substance collection.

You decided to become part of the FAVR family, what convinced you to do so?

We like the idea of bringing together independent eyewear labels for the end consumer in a well-curated and up-to-date way. FAVR captures the current zeitgeist very well, bringing together people with the same ideas and visions and bringing them into the world.

Any wishes for 2021?

We’d love to be able to plan ahead more and we hope to hug our loved ones again soon!


Thank you for your time Christian! Best of Luck!

Brand Profile at SPECTR. The Brand ROLF SPECTACLES is also available on FAVR!

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