LINES & LAUNCHES
Brand New
The newest sunwear and ophthalmic eyewear collections from around the globe
SKAGA
MARCHON ROLLS OUT ITS LAUNCH OF THE SWEDISH EYEWEAR BRAND, SKAGA
Swedish brand Skaga was founded in 1948, and for more than 60 years it has been created by a number of renowned Swedish designers. Now owned by Marchon, the design legacy is still very much a part of the company and the aim of the team’s work is to create elegant Scandinavian designs with a contemporary feel.
Skaga is always focused on moving forward, company representatives note, and creating a classic collection both in fit and style. Blending a solid knowledge of craftsmanship with technology, and featuring only the finest materials, Skaga is a brand for consumers who consciously choose their glasses as an extension of their identity.
The new collection features thin titanium styles for men and women and is positioned for the high end. Designed in Sweden, the eyewear is produced in Italy. Point-of-purchase materials include: large and small countercards; large, small, and medium acrylic displays; and a brand book.
INFO: marchon.com
TO THE MARKET
Annamaria Rizzato, Marchon Eyewear’s vice president, Global Collection, notes: “Deeply rooted in Swedish heritage, we are thrilled to be launching here in the U.S. the Skaga collection from Scandinavian Eyewear. Drawing influence from designs dating back to 1948, Skaga frames are renowned for their simple yet elegant design solutions. Mixing traditional styles with contemporary edge, the new collection showcases sleek frames that are enriched with vibrant colors and trend-driven accents.”
VUARNET RETURNS
SPORTS AND LUXURY SUNGLASS COMPANY RETURNS WITH CLASSICS AND NEW STYLES
French sunglass company Vuarnet is bringing its timeless and contemporary sunglasses back to the U.S. market. A reorganized, renewed Vaurnet moves into the U.S. market working with NEO, a London-based private equity firm, with a strategy of launching new Vaurnet sunglass collections for men and women in retail and wholesale stores across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Positioned to re-emerge in the luxury segment with a focus on fashion, lifestyle, sports, and travel, Vuarnet will promote its heritage styles while launching new collections reflective of the brand’s unique DNA, Vuarnet’s representatives observe.
Vuarnet will include four eyewear product categories: Legend, Lifestyle, Sport (including goggles), and Clip-Ons (ophthalmic frames with a sun lens clip-on). The new collection will still feature Vuarnet’s lenses Polarlynx, Skilynx, and Citylynx, which are water- and oil-resistant, scratch-resistant, anti-fog, and feature anti-reflection.
INFO: vuarnet.us
TO THE MARKET
Vuarnet tints its glass to a blue base. The blue is a comfortable color for the eye and helps to enhance the colors eyes see naturally. In addition, Vuarnet’s tints will not fade over time. Genuine Vuarnet lenses have a signature “V” on a ski engraved on their surfaces.
MAGIC GLASSES
LUXOTTICA PRESENTS DISNEY EYEWEAR
Children will be able to get their fix of their favorite Disney icons including Mickey and Minnie, princesses, Tinker Bell, and “Cars” characters from Luxottica’s new ophthalmic eyewear collection for children ages four to 10.
The new collection features 14 styles between boys and girls (six male, eight female). There are three Princesses, two Tinker Bell, three Minnie, three Mickey, and three Cars styles, totalling nine plastic and five metal styles.
The collections include: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, one of the top character franchises in the world; Princesses, including characters such as Ariel, Rapunzel, and Cinderella; and Cars, one of the most popular movies for boys ages two to eight and a very strong focus for the category.
INFO: 800-422-2020; luxottica.com
TO THE MARKET
P.O.S. for the collection includes: a Disney eye chart, a kid’s eye exam certificate, cube displays with franchise characters, and bags for a gift with purchase.
VICTORIAN THEMES
KIRK & KIRK DEBUTS WITH VIVARIUM & SOLARIUM COLLECTIONS
Kirk & Kirk has released its debut collection, Vivarium, inspired by the Victorian obsession with science and nature, and with each frame named after a celebrated scientist of the era.
The eyewear is made from acrylic, allowing the creation of light eyewear in a palette of unique lustrous metallic colors including blue, bordeaux, anthracite, brown, green, and silver.
Each frame is decorated with a specially designed animal pin in either 925 sterling silver or 9 carat gold. The frames are handmade in France while the jewelry pins have been designed by creative director Karen Kirk and crafted in England. Their subjects—from a horse head to a house fly, plus more modern motifs—are thoughtful details and a subtle splash of luxury.
The sunglass collection, Solarium, is comprised of four acrylic shapes in six metallic colors with graduated mirror lenses. Once more there is a choice of animal sterling silver or gold pins, alongside the classic modernist pins.
“We are extremely excited to be launching this debut collection in Paris,” says managing director Jason Kirk. “We have had amazing industry support, for which we are very grateful, and have assembled a superb team to communicate our ideas.”
Reflecting on the new company and its first collection, he adds: “We have had the opportunity to work for and with other companies, designing collections, offering sales and marketing strategy advice, and taking a step back from our own business to take a broader overview of the optical arena. We have experienced and learned a huge amount.”
INFO: kirkandkirk.com
TO THE MARKET
Creative director Karen Kirk says: “We wanted to create something unique, something that would surprise our audience but at the same time be easy to wear. It is one thing to create a frame that stands out from the crowd, but an altogether different challenge to make it sellable for the optician.”
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