SOULFUL SPECTACLES

Shauns Enters Optical with Style and Substance

California-based Shauns combines fashion with a social mission with its new high-end line of ophthalmic frames, which follows the success of its luxury sunwear collection. The 12 styles are an assortment of all-acetate and metal/acetate frames handmade in Italy.

This collection puts a modern and sophisticated twist on classic shapes, such as retro rounds, cat-eyes, and squares, with gradient colors. Meaningful details include a braille “S” logo on each frame. The line has a suggested retail price range of $240-$330. Packaging includes a leather case and a luxury box.

Shauns is still committed to its charitable buy one/give one program, which for every pair sold donates a pair of eyewear to someone in need.

INFO: INFO@SHAUNSCALIFORNIA.COM, SHAUNSCALIFORNIA.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“Our retail strategy is very much a collaborative approach with our ECP partners,” says Shaun Paterson, Shauns founder. The company is offering in-store POP, content for websites and social media (including videos), and co-op advertising allowances for new accounts.

EVERY MAN IS A CHAMPION

L’Amy Targets Men with Well-Known Brand

L’Amy America has released the brand-new Champion men’s eyewear collection, which includes not only standard Rx and sunwear but also a line of extended-size ophthalmic styles for hard-to-fit larger men.

The Champion brand is well-known in North America, where it enjoys a 93% awareness level among consumers—and its broad product lines are ubiquitous in sports retailers throughout the country.

The new collection has nine standard Rx frames, 18 sunwear styles with polarized lenses, and four extended-size Rx frames with temple lengths up to 155.

The styling of the ophthalmic line is classically masculine, with semi-rimless metals, metal or combination rectangles, navigators, and squares. The sunwear line includes classic acetate wraps, navigators, and an aviator style.

INFO: 800-243-6350, LAMYAMERICA.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“Champion Eyes is supported by POP materials that include displays, product images, and distinctive product packaging. Our goal is to create eyewear that serves the needs of our broad consumer base.”

—NADINE HALL, PRESIDENT, CHAMPION NORTH AMERICA

INSIDE OUT

ic! berlin Debuts ‘I see exoskeleton’ Frame

German eyewear company ic! berlin has introduced ‘I see exoskeleton,’ a frame that embraces 3D printing. The polyamide front is created through innovative 3D printing techniques to resemble the molecular structure of plotic, ic! berlin’s innovative material.

While the frame front is 3D printed, ic! berlin also 3D prints the screwless hinge so that the temple connects organically to the frame front. The result: no separate brackets, clips, or screws.

Thus, the name “exoskeleton” (from the Greek éxō meaning “outer” and skeletós meaning “skeleton”) is fitting—the inside molecular structure is the inspiration for the outside design, creating an “outside skeleton.”

INFO: IC-BERLIN.DE/EN_GB

TO THE MARKET:

Plotic is a hypoallergenic plastic in the polyamide 12 group. Its molecular structure is similar to natural silk. At 30% lighter than cellulose acetate, plotic makes for a lightweight yet strong material.

A MODERN/VINTAGE MASHUP

Etnia Barcelona Debuts Vintage Collection

Etnia Barcelona has reinvented shapes from vintage trends to create a new collection of sunwear and ophthalmic styles that blend the brand’s modern vibe with old-school style. The Vintage Collection debuts with six sunwear and eight Rx styles, some with clip-ons. Each frame takes its name from a historic neighborhood within a well-known city—neighborhoods that embody cultural movements and have historical significance. Fitzroy (Melbourne), Florentin (Tel Aviv), Kreuzberg (Berlin), Malasaña (Madrid), Mission District (San Francisco), Montauk (New York), Shoreditch (London), and Williamsburg (Brooklyn) are all represented.

The entire collection is made from Mazzucchelli acetate, with each frame front in vintage colorations of Havanas and tortoises complemented on the interior by modern acetates developed for the brand and inspired by spikes, rays, and horn textures. Eye shapes include retro rounds, modified cat-eyes, and squares.

The collection boasts quality lenses on its sunwear styles, offering 17 options that work seamlessly with the vintage aesthetic and provide properties such as photochromics, polarization, and AR coating. Suggested retail prices range from $215 (sunwear) to $249 (Rx). Clip-ons retail for $125.

INFO: 888-553-8642, ETNIABARCELONA.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“The Etnia Barcelona team traveled to neighborhoods in search of the faces and histories to tell the story of the Vintage Collection. The result: naturalistic images of people linked to the culture, fashion, music, and art—people who breathe the histories that are still alive in each of these neighborhoods.”

—ETNIA BARCELONA THE VINTAGE COLLECTION