ITALY - UK PARTNERS

BUSINESS WORLD | 09 www.italchamind.eu distance setting. The technology is built on the main features included in regular modern smartwatches, allowing the watch’s owner to read messages from different apps, such as WhatsApp, Mail and Messenger. ICC: There are plenty of competitors in the watch market. Does the combination of innovation and styling still present itself as a good business opportunity? AF: Since we started, our mission has been to revolutionise the watch experience in the world combining tradition and innovation. The luxury watch market is highly competitive, and many brands are approaching the wearable sector to meet the growing demand for innovation. In 2018, we launched a highly elegant and innovative watch on the market that was a great success because we gave people the opportunity to own a stylish product without giving up the technology that now surrounds us in everything. ICC: Which feedback have you been receiving in the past two years, after the launch of Epoché? AF: Epoché was launched on the market in January 2018 through our e-commerce www.epochewatch.com and before the end of the year we had already run out of stock, selling our products in 5 countries around the world including the UK. We understood how the market needed a new, elegant and beautiful watch. Following the feedback and suggestions we received, in 2019, we started working on some technological and design improvements that we will present at the end of 2020. ICC: Where do you see Epoché in 5 years? AF: I would like Epoché to become the benchmark in the development, production and design of hybrid watches for the luxury market. The goal is to introduce new models of watches with different features and create a true Epoché ecosystem of services and products for our customers. ICC: What about next challenges, ambitions and expectations? AF: Start-ups are fortunate to evolve rapidly and, as mentioned before, I would like to make Epoché a real reference brand for the market of watches and hybrid accessories and, above all, to create an international ecosystem of prestigious services for our customers. Imagine owning an Epoché watch and seeing an incoming call on the watch’s display. You will not have to take the smartphone out of your pocket, because our idea is to answer it with our Bluetooth headset. Thinking even bigger, we would like to implement a package of services and benefits for Epoché’s owners. Our customers would have our “Privilege Card” and would be able to attend luxury events, enter airports’ lounges, purchase limited-edition items or have exclusive discounts. I think this is our biggest ambition and London could be our starting point. Hopefully some readers can help us! ICC: After your experience in SMAU London 2018, do you think the UK could be an interesting market for your business? AF: We are a start-up born in Italy but with an international vision and London has always been the best city for start-ups. When we participated in Smau London in 2018, we realised how the start-up ecosystem moves much faster than the Italian one and this allowed us to create many business relationships. The London experience was fundamental and exciting, we met plenty of people interested in our watches and many incubators and accelerators in the fashion-tech sector; thus we do not exclude to open an office there. ICC: Speaking of Brexit, do you think that the UK is still attractive as a market? AF: I think that the UK will always have a strong and attractive mentality for new businesses. Leaving the European Union can bring advantages and disadvantages, while creating a closed ecosystem would damage the British economy. Start-ups are the future and must always support new adventures and investments. · Photography courtesy of Epoché