Go style GPS/F for Sama Eyewear. Top by Byblos. Bracelet by Chanel.

SUNSTYLE
Revving Up for Sun
Find out what sunwear styles are speeding into the fast lane for 2002.
by Marcy Bruch

Want to change gears and sell more sunwear this year? In light of changes that are impacting the sunglass specialty retail arena, increasing your sunwear assortment may be just the ticket to boost business. There's other reasons to add more sunwear as well. Since the public has become better educated about the benefits of polarized lenses, and manufacturers continue marketing sunwear as the ultimate status accessory, getting consumers to buy sunwear as a second pair to ophthalmic eyewear has become easier than ever.

That's what Sandra Scott, optician for Seacrest Optical in Delray Beach, Fla., claims. "About 40 percent of my sales come from sunwear. Just three years ago, it was only about 10 percent of my business," she says. Scott credits part of the growth to the increasing demand for polarized lenses. "When more eye doctors started recommending polarized lenses, it turned sunwear into a medical necessity."

Still, Scott points out that simply displaying her three polarized brands is not enough. "I always take the time to walk my customers outside and have them look at the chrome or hood of a car with and without polarized sunglasses. The best advice I can give someone who wants to increase their sunwear sales is to start doing more hands-on demonstrations with their polarized brands." Because many of Scott's retiree customers are golfers and boaters, she admits that function takes precedence over fashion among her clientele.

At Modern Optical in West Palm Beach, Fla., however, owner Bruce Prince says many of his customers want sunwear that's of the fashion moment. Companies that didn't have rimless shields last year are now offering them, but they're smaller versions of last year's models, making them more wearable. "The clear shields with just a hint of gray and a light, silver flash mirror coating are the hottest rimless shield styles right now," he claims. "They're especially popular among the South Beach crowd because you can wear them outdoors or indoors, day or night."

Paula Donnelly, product development director for Luxottica Retail Group (Sunglass Hut and LensCrafters), Coral Gables, Fla., says she agrees. "I believe the transparent gray shields with a light, silver flash mirror coating will be the best-selling sunwear style going forward throughout 2002." In terms of fresh details and accents, Donnelly says that jewelry-like logo initials that float on the temple are trending now.

	Chlo� style 459 for Marcolin. Dress by Missoni.

Monochromatic mania

In plastics, more manufacturers are featuring clear, crystal plastics with just a hint of tint. "Many have lenses that are tinted the same color as the frames for a clean, monochromatic look," Donnelly says.

In keeping with the consumers' desire for more complete UV protection, Donnelly says sporty, six- and eight-based wraps have taken a decidedly urban twist.

"Customers are buying wraps and shields because of the greater sun coverage they offer," says Sonia Campbell, owner of Spectacular Shades in Palm Desert, Calif. "People who are recovering from lasik surgery especially like them," she notes. However, she's quick to add that many shields have limitations. "Because if they are made with one solid lens sheet, most of them aren't Rxable."

Spectacular Shades carries about 1,500 frames, and of those, 75 percent are sunglass frames with 80 percent of sales coming from prescription sunglasses.

Marrying function and fashion

At Optical Shop of Aspen in Aspen, Colo., manager Brad Hoppie observes that both wraps and shields in fashion brands such as Romeo Gigli and Kieselstein-Cord are in demand among the vacationing jet set because they have a sporty look without the "racer-boy techiness." "Truth be told, there are a lot of people who only do a couple of runs down the slopes a day and spend the rest of their time hanging out on the sun decks socializing. A pair of plain ski goggles just doesn't look as sophisticated as a sun shield in a designer brand. So in a sense, these sun shields really do marry fashion with function," he says.

Focus on lenses

"Today, most of the color and design interest in sunwear is focused on the lenses," says Bill Roach, co-owner of Robert Marc, New York City. Flash mirror coatings look better on rimless shields, aviators, and metal styles. "With all the fashion lens options trending now, opticians have an opportunity to increase profits by offering gradient flash mirror coatings and gradient tinted lenses in prescription sunglasses," he says. "They're giving their customers up-to-the-minute fashion in custom eyewear."

	Alexander Mulqueen style 42-0030 for Murai America, Inc.

The comfort of classics

Erin Kirby, an optician for Metropolitan Optical in Washington, D.C., notes that her female clientele gravitates toward classic tortoise sunglasses. "We have done particularly well with the Kate Spade sunwear collection because it has a large selection of updated tortoise frames," she says. "I think some people who have been shaken up over the nation's recent tragedy are less willing to buy frames that are outrageous. Now they're drawn to styles that remind them of their past. It's like yearning for comfort food on a bad day."