trends now
Picture This: Lens Trends for 2008/09
by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC
The EB editors recently attended an Accessories Council presentation by David A. Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group. Wolfe, a top fashion forecaster, discussed "The Big Picture: Now and Next." Many of the fashion trends he discussed can be translated to the lens marketplace.
FOR FALL 2008
Colors: Black and gray, all shades of brown, and antiqued metallics.
Lens colors: Gray tints of varying density, including gradients; all shades of brown tints with silver and gold mirrors.
Textures: Tweeds, bulky knits, and dramatic textures.
Lens textures: Stronger looks to accompany heavier textures, including dark tints.
Lens shapes: Dramatic and individualistic shapes; big is really big.
Fall's big note: Luxury! Rich colors, fabrics, and accessories; a brightened autumnal palette and techno and natural textures add interest to simple styles.
FOR SPRING 2009
Colors: Green and naturally neutral, plus bold, strong colors; a brightened palette. Shades of gray replace black.
Lens colors: Green, from sunlens G-15 to soft gradient fashion green tints; beige, rose, and soft-wash tints, plus shades of bronze, orange, and vermillion. Gray again, in every density.
Textures: Sheers, basic and classic, familiar (tartans, jeans, pearls), simple, clean, and modern neo-basics.
Lens textures: Cleaner lines, sheer treatments like AR, photochromic.
Lens shapes: Rounder, curvy styles, and the opposite: sharper corners (think 1980s sharp shoulders).
Spring's big note: Fresh start! Un-design—basic and classic (think Jackie O) replaces the pursuit of fashion "it" items and "higher-than-a-kite" fashion. EB
| Consumer Think |
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| According to The Doneger Group, consumers are spending in a whole different way. Here are current and near-future consumer touch-points. ELITISM: Beyond luxury, when consumers spend to move upward. Lens-centric: Personalized, customized, free-form lenses. TECHNOLOGISM: Gadgets rule, we can't live without them—they've become part of our everyday lives. Lens-centric: Appeal to the techno-trend by offering photochromics, high index, free-form single vision and PALs, and AR. EXHIBITIONISM: Show-off style: "So what if you gotta be crazy to wear it?" Lens-centric: Customized, multi-color lenses and lens treatments. ECO-AWARENESS: Green grows consumer consciousness and is the new chic. Optical outlook: Tout your practice's green efforts like recycling waste, including lens waste if you do your own in-office lens processing. PATRIOTISM: The pre-election rebirth of whole-hearted patriotism reenergizes America. Sporting fever mounts for the upcoming Olympics. Optical outlook: Sun and sports eyewear booms; look for a red, white, and blue theme. GLOBETROTTING: Emerging fashion markets in India, Dubai, Russia, and Asia are flavoring European and American fashion and challenging those two traditional fashion markets. Optical outlook: Look for more lens manufacturing and production to come from overseas sources. |
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