Anne et Valentin eyewear was created by two French ‘lovebirds’ – Anne and Valentin – who shared a passion for design and expertise in optometry.
Created with specific personalities in mind, Anne et Valentin pushes the boundaries of design yet never fails to find the perfect balance of ergonomics, technology, colour and style.
Anne et Valentin was a start-up brand borne into the 1990s out of necessity. Anne and her partner Valentin, both optometrists, felt there were no frames around that allowed mature, confident women to express their personality and individuality.
Working to the philosophy that, “if a frame suits everybody, in the end it suits nobody,” the two began designing eyewear with specific people in mind – in most cases women.
We start the design process by trying to identify the personality profile we have in mind…
They worked from a 15th century building at 9 rue des Tourneurs in the old town of Toulouse, southern France. The building’s shop front continues to be occupied by Valentin’s Opticienne.
Today, with an international market to supply, Anne et Valentin’s design direction is still defined by Anne, who is supported by three young designers, at their studio in Toulouse.
Anne says the approach remains the same as it always has been. “We start the design process by trying to identify the personality profile we have in mind with shapes, techniques, and colours.
“Each designer has his or her own brief and focuses on one element of the design concept but the decision making is shared,” she added.
Anne’s unrivalled strength has, and continues to be, her ability to define nuances of colours early in the design process. Eighteen months later, when the final product is taken to the market, these nuances never fail to excite consumers.
While Anne et Valentin creations are original, colourful and lively, they are, above all, “objects that combine ergonomics, technical requirements, and respect for those who wear them”. Or, as one Anne et Valentin customer in Australia expressed recently, these glasses are “Out there, but very wearable – glasses that work”.
A Unique Business Philosophy
Anne et Valentin’s General Manager, Christophe Gilabert said the founders’ unique approach to design is echoed in their broader business philosophy.
“This is not a brand that we have actively promoted to the public – and we never will. That’s because we do not target consumers who follow trends. Our frames are designed for people who want to create their own personality and sometimes they want to increase the power of their personality.
“Rather than being a brand to promote, we believe our collections are a tool to help optometrists to positively differentiate themselves in a crowded market and increase reputation and sales.”
A selective distribution strategy is maintained to ensure this is possible. Initially, optometrists are invited to invest in 50 to 60 pieces and then over time, as the practice’s sales of the brand strengthen, they are ready to take more on.
Being “a very good tool for word of mouth,” Christophe says Anne et Valentin wearers bring new business into practices. “On the streets they are identifiable. So a woman wearing our frames will be stopped complimented on her Anne et Valentin frame and asked where she bought it.
“Then, having been directed to a specific practice, the new customer walks in already trusting the optometrist… as you frame more and more people with Anne et Valentin, you get more and more customers in through word of mouth. And those people keep coming back,” said Christophe.
Adding Value to the Sales Process
Christophe has strong ideas on the best-selling strategy to adopt when working with high end frames such as Anne et Valentin. “You need to create a consistent visual code that reflects the brands you sell, from the window, through to the internal displays, the way your staff dress and even the way they speak with their customers.”
He said it was important that optometrists carefully select the brands they stock to ensure they don’t cannibalise any opportunities and stick to the selected brands. Additionally, being selective with the quantity of stock and the number of brands on display is important.
“Think of it like a menu in a restaurant. When it is 50 pages, you don’t trust that you’ll get great quality. When it is one page, you trust the chef will be focused and will create exceptional quality.
“Likewise a store with 50 different brands cannot be focused and will not offer competence in any of these brands.
“Many optometrists will have all of their frames on display – even high end optometrists do this. I believe you should just show a few good ones, and then sell by recommending frames you know will suit the person’s face shape, their nose, and so on.
“So when I sell, I will propose two or three frames that are not on display. This increases the value of the service – and as in any business, the prices can be justifiably high because the value is high”.
Anne et Valentin in Australia and New Zealand
The Anne et Valentin collection is currently made up of 18 design concepts with approximately 100 individual styles, each of which is available in six or seven colours. Around 60 new styles and many new colours are introduced every year, usually at Silmo and Mido.
Australia and New Zealand is Anne et Valentin’s third best market on a per capita basis. Distribution is very selective, with only 60 practices stocking the brand across both countries, the objective being to have depth in a limited number of practices rather than supplying to every store regardless of location, style and quantity in stock. Limited product is held in Australia, however product and spare part orders leave Toulouse every Friday for delivery in Australia the following Tuesday morning.
Anne et Valentin is distributed by Sydney based Eyemakers, which also represents ic! berlin and Blake Kuwahara eyewear. Anne et Valentin was Eyemakers’ first brand when the company started in 1995.
Contact: Eyemakers (AUS) 02 9960 7766
