lines and launches
Runway Release
Amy Spiezio● Photography by Peter Baker
| Let the Sun Shine |
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MOREL ADDS FIRST SUN COLLECTION TO LIGHTEC LINE Lightec from Morel has rolled out its first-ever sun collection. With largely masculine details, all models in the new grouping are 100 percent screwless and weld-free. Bringing high-tech production to sleek life, the frames are produced by folding one piece of sheet metal. Endtips feature injected gray or black rubber inserted into the core. In keeping consistent with the entire Lightec collection, the sunglasses feature Lightec’s exclusive patented springless and screwless Alpha hinge. Constructed with polarized CAT 3 lenses, the sun collection currently offers six models available in gloss or matte galvanized finishes. INFO: 800-526-8838, morel-france.com 
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THE MCGEE GROUP PRESENTS BADGLEY MISCHKA COLLECTION
Representing old Hollywood glamour and ultra-feminine beauty, Badgley Mischka has spent more than two decades developing into a lifestyle brand with worldwide appeal. Mark Badgley and James Mischka occupy the rarified air of America’s top designers, building their reputation on creations featuring vintage styles and embellishments in ready-to-wear, red-carpet looks, and bridal apparel. The duo’s elegant styles cater to a young, modern, couture customer, and women of any age.
Over the course of their partnership, which started when they met at NewYork’s Parsons School of Design, Badgley and Mischka have established an immediately recognizable look. Drawing from retro and modern lines they have created a style ready for the runway, the red carpet or the wedding aisle with fans that cut across demographic lines, including Sharon Stone, KateWinslet, Queen Latifah, and Taylor Swift
Now Badgley Mischka is returning to the eyewear arena through a partnership with The McGee Group. The new collection targets women ages 29 to 60+ who appreciate fashionable, modern designs with elegant details and desire feminine, romantic, and luxurious eyewear.
“Featuring the latest in design techniques, the Badgley Mischka eyewear and sunwear collections are inspired by Badgley Mischka’s signature fabrics, layering, and draping. Custom colors through multi-layered transparent silkscreen and acetate generation heighten the exclusivity of the frame design. Swarovski crystals and European components create high-quality frames. Metal-casted, beveled, and sculpted temples and accents translate movement,” company representatives note. Jewelry-inspired with metal-casted décor, the ophthalmic collection features titanium and acetate frames, and the sun collection features double-gradient polarized and non-polarized lenses in fashion colors.
INFO: 800-966-2020, mcgeegroup.com
Tura Revisited
TURA BRAND RELAUNCHED WITH SUB-GROUPS
Tura Inc. is celebrating its 75th anniversary by re-launching the Tura Brand. Throughout this year, the brand will release new eyewear styles that incorporate its American design sensibility, with handcrafted details and heritage of innovation in a series of new groupings that make the product more accessible and easier for optical dispensers to order, company representatives say.
Tura was founded in 1938 as “The House of Levoy,” a dispensary on NewYork City’s Madison Avenue. Company founder Monroe Levoy was an early proponent of the blending of eyewear and fashion. “Tura promoted the concept of ‘wardrobing’ eyewear to match color schemes in clothing, and thus the modern concept of fashion eyewear was born,” company representatives note. The re-mastered Tura Brand includes ophthalmic and sun frames in acetate and metal for women and men in Tura Brand sub-groups: Intricates, Infinity, Elements, Mosaic, Simply Tura, Lotus, and Brilliance.
Tura is also launching a new marketing campaign that includes a revamped logo. The new logo is shaped like an actual eye and will be incorporated into all marketing collateral. Tura’s marketing colors are now turquoise, aquamarine, carbon, and pearl, selected to represent gemstones and showcase the association between Tura Collection eyewear and jewelry.
“While the Tura Brand has evolved over 75 years, we remain committed to designing quality eyewear that’s fashionable and distinctive in a way that enhances individual style,” says Tura Inc. president and CEO Scott Sennett. “The best way to celebrate our heritage is to re-invigorate our signature collection. This refreshed brand identity reflects Tura’s timeless yet innovative product design in a way that’s relevant to today’s dispenser and customer.”
INFO: tura.com
| BRAND MANAGEMENT |
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Revamping and relaunching a 75-year-old brand as something fresh that still reflects the rich history of Tura was a massive task taken on by Debra Forstenzer, Tura Inc.’s vice president of product development. Here she shares insights on the experience and the results. Q. What was your goal in relaunching Tura Brand as a group of collections? A. My objective was to change the perception of the company. I looked at this and said it’s one of those great American brands. How do we get to the essence of that and move forward? We are looking to make a design more contemporary in thought and style that’s young at heart. Just because a person is getting old doesn’t mean they are less fashionable. Q. What are the new collections and how is each different? A. Tura is a very broad line, we hit so many customers across the U.S. That’s in a very broad spectrum, so I began to classify our collection. Intricates: The distinctly feminine appeal of lace is reflected in the Tura Intricates Collection. Delicate, finely detailed, and subtly embellished, this curated collection showcases Tura’s sophisticated craftsmanship and technical expertise. Simply Tura: Timeless design elements of America’s iconic jewelry lines including roping and braiding grace the Simply Tura Collection. Brilliance: Glamour and elegance abound in the Tura Brilliance Collection. Similar to fine jewelry, these designs combine sparkling crystal embellishment with handcrafted detailing. Q. How does this shift impact the historic Tura collection? A. Doing this tightened Tura as a unified brand. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t have to have a logo on eyewear, you should look at it and say that’s a Tura. We have not walked away from our core customer. We have customers throughout the U.S. who want larger shapes. We will take a frame that has some of our new styling and offer it in a number of different ways to hit everyone in the broad spectrum. Q. At the end of the day, what makes Tura Brands a unique buying proposition for ECPs? A. The fact is that Tura has an American design sensibility. It was an American company and the designs came from that American jewelry design, authentic and important. We’ve renumbered everything in a way pulled from merchandising. Now there’s a broad range of styles within the collection that allow the optician to make a presentation and we have given them the opportunity to buy collections, not just individual styles. |
| Glamour Revisited |
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L’AMY UNVEILS BALMAIN COLLECTIONWith American author Gertrude Stein waving the banner for his New French style, Pierre Balmain epitomized high-couture style in post-war Paris. Launched as a fashion house in 1945, the house drew supporters and dressed such gliteratti as Ava Gardner, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and Brigitte Bardot. Over years, the house has thrived with designers such as Oscar de la Renta manning the helm. Today, Balmain is under artistic direction of Olivier Rousteing, and it is partnering with L’Amy America to bring Balmain Eyewear to the U.S. The eyewear collections reflect quintessential Balmain design elements such as architectural details with sophisticated glamour and elegance, as well as rock-n-roll edge and sexy glamour. Featuring details like rivets, chains, contemporary frame shapes, gloss, and matte affected colorations, L’Amy and Balmain have created complete sunglass and ophthalmic collections for both men and women. Deftly blending materials in eyewear designs, including acetates, titanium, leathers, and lacquered metals, each style represents Balmain’s luxe, sophisticated, and edgy aesthetic, L’Amy America representatives note. Each sunglass and ophthalmic frame is packaged with a cleaning cloth inside a softfinish, leatherette clam-shell case that is embossed with the design house’s classic Balmain Paris logo. Sunglass cases are further boxed for gifting presentation. A full range of visual merchandising tools are available with frame collection purchases of 12 pieces or more, such as logo plaques, countercards, window banners, shopping bags, and three-piece window displays. INFO: 800-243-6350, lamyamerica.com |
Putting the Pieces Together
The Velvet collection embodies the style and creativity of its founder and creative director, Cynthia Hussey. Starting out in her garage in California focusing on fashion sunwear for the sports retail world, Hussey grew the brand until selling it in 2003. Continuing on in eyewear, Hussey followed her fashion instincts to NewYork and reconnected with Velvet again, purchasing the rights to the Velvet name worldwide. Today, Velvet focuses on clean trend-setting designs, beautiful high-quality materials, fashion-forward yet wearable colors, and affordability.
Its newest line, the Mosaic sunglass collection, features Optics by Zeiss sunglass lenses, Mazzucchelli acetate and hand-crafted, hypoallergenic monel. Designed in NYC, the eyewear is manufactured in Italy. Velvet Sunlens exceeds every International Sunglass Standard and offers 100 percent UV protection.
The color in Velvet Eyewear products is fade resistant and the lenses offer a scratch-resistant hard coating.
INFO: 888-511-9696, velveteyewear.com
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