04 February 2026
Sandra Battistel, design director at Mondottica Group, is an eyewear and jewellery expert.
Battistel gave OT an insider view of eyewear design, the unique approach at Mondottica, and her own vintage collection.
How many pairs of spectacles and sunglasses do you own?
A lot. I collect vintage pieces, so those are added to an already-wide collection of my own designs that I have put aside throughout the years. I often refer to these pieces when thinking of new concepts, and I look to reinterpret some of them. I normally look for a particular construction or material combination, so that I can translate that to a different design, to create something new.
What frame shapes, colours, or styles do you usually opt for?
I am open-minded and adventurous. I am happy to experiment. Eyewear is so unique, in that it defines our personality, so it’s easy to get attached to a shape or colour that we feel defines us, yet we do change with time, and I like to think that eyewear should as well, to reflect our individual evolution.
Can you describe your favourite pair?
The frames I am wearing – Vivienne Westwood ‘VW1029’ in crystal peach. I like the warm caramel colour.
Who would you describe as your style icon when it comes to eyewear?
My mum, who wore these very large acetate sunglasses with khaki lenses in the 70s.
How long have you worn spectacles for, and what prompted you to go for your first sight test?
I was 19 at art college and realised I couldn’t see properly during life drawing classes.
What does vision and eye health mean to you?
It means a lot, and I always encourage my friends to have their sight tested and make sure their prescription lenses are correct and up to date.
How important is eyewear to reflecting your personality?
Eyewear is essential when making a first impression, and we can have fun styling with eyewear – as much as we do with everything we wear.
What inspires your work at Mondottica?
My team, and the interactions I have with so many stakeholders in the business.
How do you balance manufacturing knowledge and commercial awareness with design inspiration?
It has become second-nature to me now. Having been a product developer, as well as a designer, I learned that technical knowledge helps achieve some of the most complex designs, and it shouldn’t hold back creativity. Manufacturing and product development should be encouraged to innovate as much as possible.
What would you like optometrists to know about the eyewear design process?
I would like to highlight the research process; the risks we take when championing new designs and the contribution we make to bringing new and exciting products to the market.
What is unique about the approach Mondottica’s designers take to developing new pieces?
The design team at Mondottica is unique compared to major players in the eyewear licensing world because our designers are also colourists. This means they consider colour and material combinations from the very beginning of the design process. This creates much stronger storytelling and is also why each of our brands has such a distinct identity – far more speaks about a brand than just a logo on the temples.
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