TRENDSPOTTING

10 BIG Trends From VEW

international Vision Expo & Conference West 2016 (VEW) wrapped up on Saturday, Sept. 17, to increased attendance numbers and reports of strong sales from exhibitors, according to The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions. In addition to more than 320 hours of education, VEW delivered 180,000 square feet of exhibit space with more than 100 new fashion brands debuting fall lines, accessories, and new eyewear trends.

New show features were also debuted, such as the highly successful Pop-Up Talk series, the Visionaries champagne toast featuring DJing by eyewear designers Coco and Breezy, and show floor lounges for catching up on business and relaxing. Eyecare Business’ Erinn Morgan presented a Pop-Up Talk on “Fall’s 5 Biggest Eyewear Fashion Trends,” which also featured trend boards and informal modeling of key eyewear and sunwear styles for the Fall/Winter 2016/17 fashion season.

Social media activity also reached new heights at VEW, with an impressive 700% increase in Facebook engagement over the 2015 show. The official show hashtag, #VisionExpo, was used more than 4,500 times during VEW, and more than 20,000 people viewed the official Vision Expo Snapchat filter.

The Eyecare Business editorial team combed the show floor for three days to pin down our industry’s biggest, most notable trends. Here, on this and the following pages, we outline 10 of these big trends—with a focus on those that can and will impact your business.

VEW TRENDS: EYEWEAR + SUNWEAR

Spectacular style was abundant in the aisles, as VEW exhibitors served up an enticing and highly saleable mix of gorgeous new eyewear products and noteworthy new brands.

TREND: OPULENCE, ABUNDANT

Over-the-top opulence is a key fashion trend for Fall 2016, and eyewear delivers the perfect lavish accessory with frames that are crusted with crystals, layered in leather, swathed in linen and velvet, and popping with bold, head-turning colors. We spotted wild prints at Dolce & Gabbana from Luxottica, leather at Jimmy Choo from Safilo as well as at Tom Ford and Balenciaga from Marcolin, linen at Alternative/Plan B Eyewear, and even handcrafted, threaded techniques at Pugnale & Nyleve from Prisme Optical. Frames amped up with glitter were also front and center, including Bon Vivant from OGI and STYLE by Timex from Kenmark.

Shimmering and festive gold is also a key hue in this trend, and rich, metallic looks in eyewear hit the mark. We found glittering gold specs everywhere from Michael Kors from Luxottica to Serengeti and Vera Wang from Kenmark.

Eyecare Business’ Erinn Morgan (right) presented a Pop-Up Talk at VEW on “Fall’s 5 Biggest Eyewear Fashion Trends,” which also featured informal modeling of key eyewear styles for the Fall 2016 season

Glimmering gold + pure opulence with abundant crystals on Roberto Cavalli optical style RC5001 from Marcolin

TREND: IS PINK THE NEW BLACK?

From pastel hues to brights, pink was prevalent as a frame and lens color in eyewear at all price levels. Not your typical fall hue, pink was also popular on designer runways for Fall 2016.

Rose lenses also cropped up in sunwear this season. We found pinks in lines ranging from Vuarnet and Fysh from Westgroupe to Miu Miu from Safilo and GUESS from Marcolin.

Gradient frame and lens colors plus rich, jewel tones—sometimes showing up as a “dipped” look color pop on frames—also make the palette for fall, with neutrals such as beiges and camels in the mix to balance the season’s brighter hues. Neutrals cropped up in collections from Cole Haan from Altair to Robert Marc’s New York color line.

Zyl lamination techniques also took a new turn with a process that enables two different color plastics to be fused together on a temple without overlapping colors.

TREND: AVIATORS, EVERYWHERE

Aviators and aviator-inspired eyewear and sunwear showed up at nearly every frame exhibitor’s booth. Even cat-eye and rectangular shapes got into the game with aviator brow bar accents. Optical aviators are also now much more prevalent in lines across the board, from Lindberg to Ray-Ban.

In aviators and beyond, flat 0-base lenses are still in vogue for sunwear (especially with a flash mirror coating), but we noticed a movement to a 2-base “flat” lens that still offers the flat lens fashion look, but can now be Rx’d.

Aviator-inspired brow bar accents upped the cool factor on eyewear at VEW, such as this sunglass style from MCM from Marchon

TREND: DEEPER LENSES

One more truly notable, new direction in eyewear is a move toward deeper lens shapes in frame design. Teardrop shapes with deeper silhouettes cropped up in lines ranging from Fysh from WestGroupe to Tom Ford from Marcolin.

—Erinn Morgan + Kerri Ann Raimo

Deeper lens shapes made their mark on frame styling at VEW, shown here in the Bon Vivant Amelie optical style from OGI

VEW Trends: Lenses + Technology

Blue light and digital eye strain remain the big stories in the spectacle lens field, as they were the focus of discussion and messaging at seemingly every booth, with a new emphasis on outdoor blue light (yes, from the sun).

TREND: ON THE FAST (AND BLUE) TRACK

While this show may have been light on major product launches in the tech field (owing to the fact that there were so many launches at Vision Expo East in April), there was still plenty of focus on ways ECPs can educate patients about blue light. The onus on education also extended to lens solutions for the eye strain that occurs when working on computers and digital devices.

New demo units showing exactly how much blue light is emitted from devices and blocked by lenses were plentiful, and patient education materials on blue light were everywhere.

Shamir also used the show to get feedback on its new concept of using virtual reality headgear to “show” patients why—and how—eye-strain-reducing lens designs like its Workspace lens can provide clear vision at specific work distances.

Notable Launches: New blue-light-related lens products include the next-generation Tech Shield Blue from VSP Optics Group and Vitaris finished SV lenses from PFO Global. HOYA expanded its trifecta of lenses designed for office/computer/mobile device views—Screen, Space, and Zoom—by making them available in HOYA’s popular ID lens design. And, Vision Ease celebrated the launch of a new poly photochromic product line.

TREND: EXPLORING NEW AREAS

Beyond blue light, exciting advances continue to occur in the variable optics category, as Adlens revealed the new styling of its Focuss Rx eyewear, which changes power with the touch of a finger.

Creative thinkers from VSP’s innovation lab, The Shop, made a splash by giving attendees a sneak peak at Level, wearable technology that employs health, movement, and other bio-data tracking technology nestled in the temple of a lightweight, Rx-able frame.

TREND: LAB TECH AIMS TO PLEASE

In-office lab equipment continues in its trend of offering smaller, easier, and better ways to finish lenses in-house. Next-generation products abounded at VEW, with special emphasis placed on creating all-in-one finishing solutions.

Easier is now also better—and, more adaptable to lens trends, such as the ever-increasing options for custom-placed bevels for high wraps and any lens shape that the patient desires.

Notable Launches: Something new for your retail lab or dispensary, Asahi Vision’s aLC-100 Lens Checker breaks into the tech space. This magnification device shows (on a big screen) scratches and other lens surface defects—which is great for quality assurance checks or to educate patients about the important role that lens quality plays in good vision.

On the equipment front, Coburn Technologies also released its next-generation Expert edger, the HPE-8000X, offering even more high-tech features and bevel options.

—Susan Tarrant

Lenses, lenses everywhere! Even as a backdrop at the ZEISS booth

Style + Substance

Vision Expo West serves up fashion, function, and lots of fun

the latest launches, essential continuing education opportunities, and exciting and exclusive parties all took place at International Vision Expo & Conference West (VEW), held last month from Sept. 14-17 in Las Vegas.

Here, we display a snapshot of the extravagance that was on tap at Expo.

The VSParty at the Paris Hotel Pool had an appropriate theme. Can-can you feel the excitement?

(l-r) Marcolin USA Eyewear Corp.’s Chris Robinson, CEO Fabrizio Gamberini, and Tom Carberry at Marcolin’s Guess party at TAO Beach

Models show off the luxurious Silhouette Atelier Collection in an exclusive showing in the Venetian Suites

Director Kris Koenig, left, with Jens Boy, president of ZEISS Vision Care North America, at the world premiere of “Sight: The Story of Vision,” held at Lagasse’s Stadium

Celebrating at the De Rigo REM party at LAVO: (l-r) Gilda Mehraban, Donna Gindy, Jessica Goebert, and Nico Roseillier

Holly Rush, CEO of Costa, gives a presentation on the future of the brand as it launches its new ophthalmic collection

Eyewear designers + unstoppable twin duo Coco & Breezy (Corianna and Brianna Dotson) DJ for the Visionaries Toast in the Galleria Lounge

ZEISS celebrates the 200th birthday of Carl Zeiss with a customer appreciation dinner and a trip to see the Blue Man Group. Some of the ZEISS crew gathering at the dinner are (l-r) Veneeta Eason, Summer Bouchedid, Karen Roberts, Claude Labeeuw, Bernadette Hiskey, Michael Racioppi, Jon Goldberg, and Jens Boy

The fountains of Bellagio served as an elegant backdrop as Marchon commemorated its launch of Columbia eyewear with Eyecare Business at an exclusive event held on the terrace of the Bellagio’s Picasso restaurant

Inticately made + ornate Roberto Cavalli sunglasses from Marcolin on display