lines and launches

Purely Fun

Maui Jim Rolls Out PureAir Suns

Maui Jim has introduced the PureAir series of sunglasses. The collection combines the company’s ultra-light MauiPure lens technology with an ultra-light frame technology.

“When you’re in the sun for a long time, the weight of your sunglasses can become a big factor,” says Richard Walker, Maui Jim’s director of product development.

He adds, “Until this point, the only way to lighten a frame was to remove material from its construction. This had the potential to weaken the frame. We now have the ability to produce a thin, yet tough, frame that is extremely lightweight and flexible.”

PureAir sunglass frames use Grilamid TR90LX, a thermo-plastic plastic material that is flexible and lightweight.

All PureAir frames feature Maui Jim’s proprietary MauiPure lenses: hybrid, injection-molded, de-centered, and light lenses with an ABBE value of 50.

MauiPure lenses are not available in prescription. However, consumers who want Rx lenses can opt for Maui Evolution or polycarbonate.

INFO: mauijim.com

Working Style

Ann Taylor Presented by L’Amy America

Founded in 1954, Ann Taylor is synonymous with iconic style and fashion for modern working women. The Ann Taylor brand attracts trend setters, including United States First Lady Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Angelina Jolie, Diane Kruger, Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, and many more. Today, Ann Taylor operates 275 stores across the United States.

L’Amy America has launched Ann Taylor eyewear to optical retailers in the United States and Canada. For the first time, the ready-to-wear ophthalmic frames and sunglasses will be available beyond the brand’s own distribution channels. Sunglasses, which launched last May, were previously only available in Ann Taylor stores and on anntaylor.com.

The eyewear collection, developed and manufactured with L’Amy, is designed to complement modern women’s chic lifestyles, and is a natural extension for the brand as it continues to outfit women head-toheels for every facet of their busy, brilliant lives,” L’Amy representatives say.

Eyewear will come with a white protective case embossed with the Ann Taylor logo.

INFO: lamyamerica.com

Coming to America

Daas Luxury Optics Imports Tavat Eyewear

Daas Luxury Optics has introduced Tavat Eyewear to the United States with an exclusive distributorship agreement. Handcrafted among the foothills of the Dolomites in Northern Italy, Tavat features unique technologies with the company’s tactile and ex-cam hinges, as well as state-of-the-art melanin lenses, Daas representatives note.

The eyewear’s tactical hinge represents luxury with traditional quality, refined workmanship, and authentic Italian style, characterized by minimal design, beauty, and originality.

Tavat Lens Technology (TLT) also features melanin lenses to improve visual performance and long-term eye protection. Company representatives say the lenses answer researchers’ findings that blue light rays seem to quicken the development of AMD more than other rays of the solar spectrum, and their recommendation that sunglasses protect against both blue/violet and UV light. “Melanin, a naturally occurring pigment found throughout the human body, serves to protect against sunlight damage by filtering ultraviolet (UV) and high-energy visible (HEV) light, better known as ‘violet-blue light,’” Tavat representatives add.

“We are eager to deepen Tavat’s presence across the USA, bringing unique Italian elements to the marketplace which are not only fashionable and functional, but provide unparalleled protection with unique hinges and melanin technology,” says Alex Feldman, CEO of Daas Luxury Optics.

INFO: alexanderdaas.com

Risqué Business

EASTERN STATES EYEWEAR LAUNCHES CHANTAL THOMASS

Eastern States Eyewear’s latest collection, Chantal Thomass, is an extension of a French lingerie brand, created by the eponymous designer, noted for its feminine, risqué designs. The initial release contains 11 styles, with six acetate and five metal models.

The styles feature wearable shapes that play on a cat-eye influence as well as a mix of modified rectangle and ovals in a pink-and-black theme. The silhouetted brand logo artwork is feminine and distinctive, and from its shapes and cuts to its color scheme, the collection features a variety of ’40s and ’50s vintage influences.

Merchandising materials include a large poster, countercard, three-piece display, and a mirror display, all with the collection’s signature pink and black Chantal Thomass silhouette artwork.

Each case features a tiny bowtie on it and contains a cleaning cloth.

INFO: 800-645-3710; eseyewear.com