MADE IN AMERICA
BORN IN THE USA
Learn which eyewear companies are kindling a domestic manufacturing revival that can fuel your bottom line
BY BARBARA THAU
From the top: Randolph Engineering takes off with a 23k gold plated aviator with a double bridge enhanced by an acetate bar—the style, Aviator II, is smaller and squared off for a fresh take on the classic model; Handmade in California, Capital’s Forrest in Havana is an acetate sunglass style with ZEISS lenses and a sweeping brow line with a keyhole bridge for a touch of retro; Shuron’s best-selling style for the past 40-plus years, the Ronsir, is a smart club master with distinctive rivet caps on the face front and a carved-out bridge for a stylish and timeless look; Hailing from Oregon, Shwood’s polarized sunglass style blends craftsmanship and artistry with a limited-edition version of line staple Canby, made from ebony with a glassy accent along the temples; State Optical's Armitage Whiskey is a translucent marbleized subtle cat shape with a built-up brow line that is substantial without being overly chunky, and stylized temple tips featuring perforations forming a pyramid shape; Another example of California-made cool, Kala Eyewear brings a burst of color to the scene with the rich blue acetate style Jones, a new color for the model, which is offered in sun and Rx. Styling by Amy Spiezio. Photo by David Douglas.
Craftsmanship, quality, cachet. The special tenets behind Made-in-America products are garnering the fast-growing sector an unprecedented allure with consumers today.
In fact, when considering similar products made in the U.S. versus China, the average American consumer is willing to pay up to 60% more for U.S.-made products, according to Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Center for Consumer and Customer Insight. This is apt to be even truer for millennials, who are more likely than other generations to purchase items that are associated with a particular cause.
Which is exactly why craft-focused manufacturers, from Detroit-based Shinola watches and leather goods to L.A.-based Buck Mason T-shirts—and even Made-in-America eyewear—are having a bit of a moment.
In addition, over the next five years, makers of American-sold goods plan to add more production capacity in the U.S. than in any other country, according to a recent survey of manufacturers across industries by the BCG.
Why? Businesses cited shortening the supply chain, reducing shipping costs, and being “closer to customers” as the primary reasons for moving production to the U.S. from overseas.
Executives leading the revival of Made-in-America eyewear echo these sentiments. While the presence of U.S. eyewear manufacturing evaporated in the 1980s as production moved off shore to lower-cost venues, today a handful of companies are fueling a mini Made-in-the-U.S.A. comeback.
And consumers are hankering for just that, manufacturers say.
“There’s a growing community of people in the U.S. who are looking at the country of origin of where a product is made,” says Peter Waszkiewicz, president and CEO of Randolph Engineering. As a result, there’s a much greater consciousness and appetite for Made-in-America products “versus [just] 10 years ago.”
That heightened awareness reflects, in part, the nation’s psychic shift since the Great Recession. For consumers today, buying domestic eyewear means “supporting their country and the need to put Americans to work,” Waszkiewicz says.
Eyecare Business caught up with three Made-in-America eyewear companies—State Optical Co., Randolph Engineering, and I Wear America—to learn more about their U.S.-made strategies and how those strategies can help eyecare professionals bump up their business.
State Optical Co.
(A DIVISION OF EUROPA INTERNATIONAL)
FOCUS: One-of-a-kind works of art as opposed to trend-driven, mass-produced consumer products—that’s how State Optical sees its niche in the growing category of Made-in-America eyewear.
And it’s forging new territory for frames made stateside: “We’re currently the largest acetate eyewear manufacturer in the U.S., producing a high-end, luxury product,” says Marc Franchi, State Optical president.
The company, which launched last year, started shipping 12 ophthalmic and six sunwear styles for men and women in January.
PRODUCTION: Frames are produced at State Optical’s state-of-the-art Independent Eyewear Manufacturing (IEM) factory in Illinois, which reflects a partnership between Franchi and Jason Stanley, formerly of Frieze Frames, and Europa International.
By definition, producing acetate eyewear is complex and labor intensive. Franchi likens the approach to custom-made furniture, rather than traditional assembly line manufacturing. Instead of automated equipment, the production of acetate frames requires significant, skilled handwork.
As a result, State Optical’s factory staff members are less like production workers and more akin to artisans, he says. The frames’ distinction lies in their craftsmanship.
APPEAL: State’s brand aesthetic was shaped, in part, by eyewear designer/optometrist Blake Kuwahara of Focus Group West. The designs have modern twists and “nuances of detail” on classic shapes. For example, each piece has detailed beveling around the frame perimeter.
MARKETING: The company will preach its gospel by summoning the American mythology of pioneering and rugged individualism with its “New Originals” print, video, and social media advertising campaign, set to launch this spring.
New Originals will showcase disrupters and entrepreneurs who are shaking up the status quo across a variety of disciplines, such as a doctor who is using new techniques to battle epilepsy or a trumpeter making jazz relevant to a new generation.
The campaign will first showcase pioneers in its own backyard, starting with State’s hometown of Chicago.
Beyond the campaign, State Optical is working to “empower opticians, doctors, and owners of optical stores with an open invitation to visit our factory to see how our frames are made,” Franchi says, calling it a “powerful” educational tool for gaining insight the company can then pass along to consumers.
LINK: stateopticalco.com
Randolph Engineering
FOCUS: Randolph Engineering has been outfitting the U.S. military with eyewear since the 1970s from Randolph, MA. And when the frame manufacturing industry disappeared in the U.S. three decades ago, Randolph Engineering stayed put.
But it wasn’t until around 2009 that the company decided to expand its business beyond the military by selling its Foundry Collection directly to eyecare professionals amid rising consumer demand for U.S.-made products.
The move meant making a “hard-core decision to invest in the brand,” says president and CEO Peter Waszkiewicz. That required a commitment to being on top of market trends “in order to play in the fashion industry,” and investing in a marketing and sales budget.
APPEAL: The U.S. military is part of the company’s DNA and thereby reflected in its “classic American styling” design aesthetic. “We’re best known for our aviator, P3 sunglasses with the round shape that we’ve provided to the military for years,” Waszkiewicz says. Hollywood celebrities like Johnny Depp and Bradley Cooper have sported the frames. Hot sellers these days include gradient and mirrored lenses.
Randolph Engineering has carved a niche as the only company making competitively priced, high-end, metal eyewear at major volumes in the U.S., and is one of the few companies in the industry to offer customers a lifetime guarantee, he says.
PRODUCTION: To make that business model work, the company had to get creative with its manufacturing partners by tapping vendors outside the eyewear industry. “For example, our plating partner for the finish on our frames is located 40 miles down the road from us and is actually a jewelry plater for one of America’s leading jewelry companies,” says Sarah Fawle, director of global marketing.
MARKETING: The company helps ECPs tell that story to consumers with a suite of counter cards, brand plaques, displays, and logo blocks touting its distinct Made-in-America message. It has run TV and print ads, and has been featured in local and national TV shows, such as David Muir’s “Made in America” series, as well as content and videos it makes available to the three Os.
“So when an ECP buys a Randolph Engineering frame, they know they’re putting American citizens to work,” Fawle says.
LINK: randolphusa.com
I Wear America
FOCUS: Customizable frames at affordable prices, made in the U.S.A.—that’s I Wear America’s selling proposition.
With 70-plus years of optician experience between them, Ron Witt, director of design and development, and George Moody, director of business development, heard a rising chorus of consumer pleas for U.S.-made frames in their respective practices. So they decided to do something about it. “We wanted to keep the jobs here—that’s what this is all about,” Witt says.
The two joined forces with Tony Kayyod, partner and CEO, who brought 35 years of sourcing product components to the equation, to launch I Wear America last year.
I Wear America’s rimless style can be customized in hundreds of color, lens shape, and chassis combinations for unique options with lightweight appeal
The company views its market position as “the premier, competitive source for high-quality eyeglass frames that are 100% made in America, with American paid labor—that can be delivered within a week instead of 120 days,” Kayyod says.
PRODUCTION: With a Grand Haven, MI factory, the company can pull off that quick turnaround. “We make every component ourselves,” Witt explains, which enables I Wear America to be competitively priced—frames cost about $200 retail.
APPEAL: Its Freedom line of light, rimless frames features 12 colors and 12 lens shapes. Temple pieces, corner pieces, and bridge can be any color combination, amounting to more than 2.9 million customizable options.
“We’re like cobblers as opposed to a chain store,” says Moody. “We get [the] color, size, and fit [of your liking].”
The company is on a mission to grow I Wear America into a national brand. “There’s a story behind every frame that we sell,” Moody says. “When you purchase a product and know where it originates, all of a sudden, the customer gets it, and that purchase turns into a feel-good purchase.”
LINK: iwearamerica.net
MORE COMPANIES DRIVING THE M-I-A REVIVAL
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Barbara Thau is a contributing writer at Forbes.com, where she writes about the intersection of retail and consumer trends.
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