-
At pricepoints hundreds of dollars less than designer handbags, high-end sunglasses emerged as the newest “It” accessory—point of entry to designer brands. That said, across ALL channels of distribution (see bottom chart), the average price for a sunglass increased only 0.5% to $19.59.
-
Innovation and newness kept the upper tier red-hot. Luxury materials adorned sunwear like never before—including diamonds, horn, cultured pearls, exotic skins and wood elements, often in limited-edition collections.
-
At all pricepoints, basics underperformed. Even classic tones like black and tortoise was updated with “creative” classics like bamboo and Tokyo Tortoise.
-
New luxury licenses included Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Karl Lagerfeld, Pucci Balenciaga, Proenza Schouler, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Kenneth Jay Lane and Thakoon, to name a few.
-
With so many eyewear lines made in Italy, the weakened dollar against the Euro hurt the bottom line until levels stabilized.
-
Sunwear retailers, owned by sunwear companies,—Ilori (Luxottica), Solstice (Sàfilo), Sama (featuring its own lines of Sama, Badgley Mischka and Loree Rodkin) and Robert Marc (selling all Robert Marc lines)—continued their focus on upscale styles.
-
Exclusive brands and styles remained key for differentiation, particularly for sunwear specialty stores. One high-end chain increased its percentage of exclusive frames from 5% to 10%.
-
Luxurious shopping experiences were key for consumers spending triple, if not quadruple digits on their purchases. Precious metal sunwear (i.e., Sama’s gold frame with 5 carats of diamonds or Oliver People’s gold frame at $2,500) sold to the affluent.
-
Ilori opened 10 more doors in the U.S., more than doubling its penetration. Designer trunk shows and parties remain a key business model, attracting lots of buzz.
-
Vintage styling made a comeback, with Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer leading the way in far greater color assortment than ever before, while Persol (also Luxottica) and Carrera (Sàfilo) also experienced revivals and relaunches.
-
Ray-Ban revitalized the metal aviator frame.
-
Oversized retro frames remained fashion right, with “flat front” plastic frames and thin wave style temples. Fashion-forward customers loved plastic aviators.
-
Consumers wanted something different and unique (Prada’s butterfly and stained glass effect frames were huge hits).
-
Gradient tint lenses and frames had a timely ombre effect.
-
Logos went from flashy and ornate to understated and subtle.
-
At the moderate end in fashion, the berry tones—purples, pinks and red—performed, while green disappointed.
-
Celebrities continued to influence sunwear trends.
-
Plastics continued as the material of choice, but metal aviators, even enameled colors on metal, remained a hot trend.
-
At the more moderate priced levels, rectangular shapes were by far the best, growing to about 70% of volume, according to one major manufacturer, who also noticed growth in metal aviators for the first time.
-
Signature branded designs (Pucci’s swirls, Burberry’s plaid) moved from subtle inside temple prints to bold outside treatments.
-
Color drove solid plastics, with turquoise and yellow making inroads at the high end.
-
Juniors turned onto the plastic shutter-shade, popularized by musician Kanye West.
-
In eyewear, the retro show “Mad Men” created demand for thick geek-chic eyeglasses, often sold in plain lenses at junior chains.
