What better way to focus your customer’s attention and lift their spirits than by filling the windows this spring with optical and sun frames that are bold, bright… and even brazen.
You know that time of year – when the days get longer, there’s a hint of warmth in the air, buds on the trees… you’re itching to shed your coat, your tights (if you’re a woman) and your boots then slip into something a little lighter, brighter… perhaps even a little ‘out there’.
There’s no doubt your customers will be looking to do the same this September. So now is the perfect time to appeal to their seasonal aspirations and get the orders in place so that when spring arrives you can fill your windows with colour. To support the spring look, consider a splash of brighter paint in the practice, a colourful rug or boldly designed piece of furniture to complement the new season’s colours… then a new scent to fill the rooms with fresh appeal. The idea is to attract your customers in-store to experience your new look… then give them their own exciting new image to take away.
Don’t Be Shy
This is something that you, as an eye care professional, cannot afford to be shy about because it’s your job to give customers ‘permission’ to try something new and the confidence to commit.
It’s your job to give customers ‘permission’ to try something new…
With an objective eye and knowledge of stock and styles, you can analyse each face and personality that walks through the door then suggest a new frame and colour to suit. You are the one who can help them see past those shapes, styles and colours they’ve always gravitated towards just because they have been easy and comfortable to wear… and it’s you who can highlight just how great the new frame makes your customer look.
So go for it, get your customers to break away from the frame shapes and styles they’ve been wearing ever since they first crossed your threshold… you might just help them find a new sense of freedom. At the very least, you’ll help them have some fun.
Bold Australian Designers
There are plenty of Australian eyewear designers out there creating bold, bright and beautiful frames. Peter Coombs is one. This Adelaide eyewear designer, who has handcrafted eyewear for the likes of Elton John, has come up with the 4’O’Clock collection which was recently nominated for the prestigious Australian Good Design Awards. Made from titanium and sterling silver in a range of five bold styles and colour variants, these elegant frames have been described as ‘jewellery for the face’.
Frames designed by Melbourne’s Colin Redmond from Niloca are influenced by this designer’s background as an industrial designer. Quirky shapes and impeccable acetates, sometimes finished to a high gloss, sometimes left matte, sometimes both – the detail is there to be explored.
The iconic Paul Taylor continues to impress from his design studio in the hinterland of Byron Bay. Paul’s stunning, brightly coloured eyewear, with its strong lines, has gained an almost cult following – including celebrities and artists in Australia and overseas.
Sydney’s Sunday Somewhere, designed by Dave Allison, is preparing to dig deeper into the European market with the launch of an optical collection to complement its already popular sun collection for men and women. Fine lines in bold shapes, luminous metal finishes and elegant acetates are synonymous with this fashion label that is now distributed via over 500 fashion stores around the world. They’re looking to break into optometry practices locally.
Simon Ponnusamy is the creative behind the Sydney company AM Eyewear which has become an international cult brand. Simon says each frame takes about 14 hours to craft from Italian Mazzucchelli acetate. AM Eyewear is one of only a handful of brands that have been granted an exclusive co-branding agreement with Zeiss for lenses.
Then there’s COLAB, now an internationally recognised creative outlet for street artists, graphic designers, musicians and more who over the years have all contributed to the creation of limited edition COLAB eyewear. Some of the coolest and most innovative designers involved have been Antony Lister, the Presets, Will Sweeney and Elke Kramer.
That’s a pretty impressive line-up of bold and innovative Australian eyewear designers, though most will tell you they do the majority of their business overseas… perhaps it’s time to get behind them locally.
Brave International Brands
There are, of course, plenty of international brands catering to the bolder customers among us. Anne et Valentine with her beautifully crafted eyewear is a French brand that certainly appeals to the confident and sophisticated customer. Then there’s Blake Kuwahara, recognised as one of the preeminent designers in eyewear today, whose bold experimentation and innovation have gained him a following in the high
fashion media. Kuwahara describes his signature brand as “a collection of frames that are a mashup of my colliding aesthetics with special attention paid to sculpting and tactility. They are artful
but wearable… the juxtaposition of contrasting form and colour create a design tension that is thoroughly modern yet comfortably familiar”.
More mainstream is Luxottica which has a raft of bold frames under the brands Vogue, Oliver Peoples and Ray Ban to suit customers from all walks of life. Bonastar provides a more affordable alternative to bold and bright eyewear, with over-sized rectangular acetate sunglasses as well as more-rounded models with colourful contrasts. Highlife also offers bold designs for a younger more confident customer, then there’s Oakley for athletes with a need to be seen – whether that’s for safety or style!
Not Only for the Brave-Hearted
Bold and bright eyewear was once only for the brave-hearted. But in reality, every customer can be wearing a frame that makes them feel good and stand out from the crowd. What better time to give your customers a boost than the coming months ahead.
