What ProDesign International does

ProDesign International, operating under the legal name Pro Design Denmark, designs and manufactures premium eyewear frames founded in 1973 and headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark. The company is a core brand within Design Eyewear Group International A/S, alongside regional subsidiaries Design Eyewear Group Inc. (San Francisco) and Design Eyewear Group France (Paris). Its product portfolio is organized into collections spanning everyday essentials, Nordic heritage designs, premium titanium constructions, bold acetate frames, and avant-garde concepts, with materials including titanium, acetate, stainless steel, and aluminum.

ProDesign's technological differentiation rests on proprietary construction features: EXACT precision titanium frames cut from single blocks, PROFLEX flexible titanium temples (in multiple variants), CONNECT countersunk hinges for flush finishes, MECH no-screw hinge systems, and standardized 7-barrel hinges. The DANCE design lab brings together Danish and French designers to produce award-winning avant-garde concepts such as CENSUR, which won the SILMO d'Or 2024 in the sunglasses category.

The company operates a pure B2B business model, selling exclusively through authorized optical retailers and business partners via the Design Eyewear Group B2B webshop, with regional offices supporting distribution across Denmark, North America, and France. There is no direct-to-consumer e-commerce presence; end consumers are reached through independent optical retail channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no public listing, and reports no publicly available revenue figures. Leadership comprises Dion Eriksen (CEO), Rico Herrmann (CXO/CFO), and Hans Lillør (Sales Manager).

Name

ProDesign International

Legal name

Pro Design Denmark

Website

https://prodesigndenmark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ProDesign International is a Danish eyewear frame designer and manufacturer founded in 1973, operating as a brand under Design Eyewear Group and selling B2B to authorized optical retailers across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eyewear Manufacturing

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Prescription Eyewear Frames (Optical) (CRAAAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB), Luxury & Designer Eyewear (CRAAAKAD)

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Eyewear Frame Sales (B2B): ProDesign manufactures and sells eyewear frames to optical retailers and business partners through the Design Eyewear Group B2B platform. Products include optical frames and sunglasses sold under the ProDesign Denmark brand.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ProDesign International designs and manufactures premium optical frames and sunglasses sold under the ProDesign Denmark brand. The portfolio is organized into distinct collections — Essential, Danish Heritage, Axiom, Bridge Optical, Bridge Sun, Dance, and Suns — built with titanium, acetate, aluminum, and stainless steel and distributed exclusively to authorized optical retailers and business partners via the parent Design Eyewear Group's B2B platform.

Product overview

ProDesign International operates as an eyewear manufacturer with a unified product portfolio organized into distinct collections. The Essential collection serves as the broadest offering with diverse shapes and price points for optical frames. Danish Heritage celebrates Nordic design traditions with titanium and acetate frames. Axiom represents the premium technical line featuring advanced materials like titanium and aluminum with innovative construction. Bridge Optical and Bridge Sun offer bold, volume-driven acetate frames. The Dance design lab produces avant-garde limited concepts like the award-winning CENSUR. Suns provides dedicated sunglass lines. All collections share ProDesign's Danish design DNA emphasizing clean lines, minimalistic style, and intelligent construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Essential Collection Broadest ProDesign optical frame collection, offering the widest range of shapes, colors, and sizes for everyday eyewear customers shopping at authorized optical retailers.
• Danish Heritage Collection Optical frame collection celebrating Nordic design heritage, combining titanium and acetate construction for culturally conscious eyewear consumers seeking timeless Nordic urban style.
• Axiom Collection Premium ProDesign optical line featuring sharply designed shapes built with advanced titanium and aluminum construction, including proprietary EXACT, PROFLEX, BLOCK, MECH, CONNECT, and PROFLEX 5 concepts aimed at design-conscious eyewear buyers.
• Bridge Optical Collection Bold-volume ProDesign optical frame collection crafted from thick acetate in transparent or matte black finishes, offering statement styles for fashion-forward eyewear customers.
• Bridge Sun Collection Bold-volume ProDesign sunglasses collection sharing the thick-acetate Bridge concept, offering statement sunglasses in a wide range of colorways for design-conscious consumers.
• Dance Design Lab Collection Avant-garde sunglass collection produced by ProDesign's DANCE in-house design lab, where Danish and French designers collaborate on boundary-pushing concepts such as CENSUR (SILMO d'Or 2024 winner) for design connoisseurs.
• Suns Collection Nordic urban ProDesign sunglasses line combining stainless steel and acetate construction across FORTEM and EXTRUSION concepts, targeted at urban lifestyle eyewear consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• SILMO d'Or 2024 winner in Sunglasses category for CENSUR design
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Design Eyewear GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProDesign is part of the Design Eyewear Group family. As a business partner of Design Eyewear Group, the company benefits from shared collections of eyewear, high quality standards, and service support. Design Eyewear Group operates the global B2B platform and regional offices (Denmark, Northern America, France) that support ProDesign's distribution and business partner relationships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tom Ford Eyewear: Luxury designer eyewear brand produced under license by Marcolin and sold through premium optical retailers. Competes with ProDesign at the high end of the optical channel but with significantly stronger brand prestige and licensing-driven marketing.
• Safilo: Global eyewear manufacturer and wholesale distributor producing licensed designer and house brands at scale. Competes with ProDesign in the same optical retailer channel but operates at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio scope.
• Maui Jim: Premium polarized sunglass brand sold through optical retailers and specialty channels. Comparable to ProDesign's Bridge Sun and Dance collections in premium sunglass positioning and B2B distribution, though focused primarily on the sun category.
• Marcolin: Italian eyewear manufacturer with a portfolio of licensed designer and proprietary brands sold through optical retailers worldwide. Overlaps with ProDesign's B2B distribution model and optical channel presence, but at significantly greater scale and with luxury brand licensing as a core lever.

Direct peers

• Mykita: Berlin-based premium eyewear manufacturer specializing in design-led acetate and metal frames with proprietary construction techniques (e.g., screwless hinges). Overlaps directly with ProDesign's design philosophy, premium price positioning, and independent optical retailer distribution.
• Lindberg: Danish premium eyewear manufacturer known for minimalist design, titanium construction, and proprietary hinge systems. Directly competes with ProDesign's Axiom and Danish Heritage collections in the premium independent optical channel with a near-identical B2B distribution model.
• ic! berlin: Berlin-based premium eyewear manufacturer known for screwless hinge construction and lightweight metal frames. Closely comparable to ProDesign's MECH and Axiom lines in proprietary engineering, minimalist design, and independent optical channel distribution.
• Ørgreen Optics: Copenhagen-based eyewear brand with a strong Danish design identity, titanium and acetate construction, and a focus on independent optical retailers. Highly comparable in heritage positioning, materials, and B2B go-to-market to ProDesign.
• Silhouette: Austrian premium eyewear manufacturer famous for ultralight titanium frames and rimless designs. Competes in the same premium optical frame segment as ProDesign's Axiom line and serves optical retailers worldwide via a B2B model.
• Garrett Leight California Optical: Design-led eyewear brand built on heritage-inspired acetate and metal frames sold through independent optical retailers globally. Comparable to ProDesign in design-led positioning and optical channel focus, though with a more California-centric aesthetic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/prodesigndenmark
• Instagraminstagram.com/prodesigndenmark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProDesign International