WORDS: SARAH JOSEPH
The Precision Piece
Co-Founder & CEO of Akoni, Rosario Toscano discusses creating iconic pieces through an incredible attention to detail 102 emirateswoman.com
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What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? My mind remains active even when I’m sleeping, so when I wake up, the first thing I do is exercise in order to integrate my mind and body. Starting a new day with clarity and positivity is an important part of my daily practice. I’m a firm supporter of breakfast being the most important meal of the day, so my post-exercise routine includes a protein shake with bananas and blueberries – which are high in potassium, vitamins B and C, and antioxidants. Of course, I’m Sicilian, so no morning ritual is complete without an espresso from my traditional Bialetti Moka pot. What was the catalyst for starting your own brand and how did you align with your Co-Founder, Salma Rachid? Akoni Group is a progressive Swiss luxury enterprise whose prime goal is to create beautiful, timeless, high-quality products using materials and methodologies that respect humankind and our natural environment. The company was founded in 2019 by me and our Creative Director, Salma Rachid, to advance our shared values, interests, and passions – from social and environmental responsibility to preserving traditional craftsmanship and the heritage of eyewear as a distinct art form. In addition to being friends for more than fifteen years and sharing a similar world view, Salma and I complement one another in ways that make us a perfect team. I’m a businesscreative who has spent most of my professional life in the eyewear industry, whereas Salma’s creative-business mind stems from a family that has been forerunners in the fashion and personal care industries for generations. Salma adds rich layers of value across the board and there quite simply couldn’t be an Akoni Group without her. Akoni designs, manufactures and distributes luxury eyewear worldwide with a commitment to craftsmanship, expertise and quality. Are these values that were clear from the outset as the vision of the brand? Salma and I chose the name Akoni – meaning inestimable, priceless, worthy of admiration – because it represents the standard we set for our product, our brand, and ourselves. From the very start, we were clear that incomparable quality, an abiding respect for people and the environment would constitute our company’s overriding values. Which is to say, we’re every bit as concerned about the why and how of what we do, as we are about the what we do. Key factors differentiating luxury products such as ours from other offerings include superior materials, engineering, craftsmanship, level of fit and finish, and unmatched quality control. We manufacture exclusively in Japan, which is the eyewear equivalent of manufacturing wristwatches in Switzerland – recognized globally as best-in-class. The resulting differences in quality are tangible and profound. To borrow a phrase from Latin, “Res ipsa loquitur” – the thing speaks for itself. What was the first piece you created and how challenging was it to build a precision team? I’ve worked in the business, as opposed to the design end of the luxury eyewear sector for many years.
F E AT U R E
9/30/21 1:20 PM
