Eyewear/Sunwear: 2007 Key Retail Trends

• Sunwear is rapidly becoming the new status accessory with luxury frames selling best and high-end fashion or accessories designers rushing into eyewear with logo-inspired designs.



• While retail sales of plano (non-prescription) sunwear increased 7.6% (12ME Sept '07 over the previous year); units sold increased only by 3%, over the same period, according to VisionWatch; a study conducted by Jobson/VCA. Average retail sales price increased by 4.4%; with a 9.7% increase against 2005 in the same periods.



• Sunglass specialty stores showed the largest growth in high-ticket items (increasing by 14.3% in dollars but 8.7% in units, according to the study). Conversely, department stores grew by 15.7% in dollars, but 24.5% in units, exhibiting more movement at the lower end.



• Sales polarized, with triple-digit retails flaunting designer logos and low-end merchandise at drugstores and mass merchants selling heaps in volume. In units sold 12ME Sept '07, grocery/drug/convenience/variety/mass sold 78.3 million units versus the 16.8 million sold at sunglass specialty and department store combined.



• At the high end, demand grew for precious metals and stones (i.e., gold and diamonds) at such companies as Cartier, Chrome Hearts, Fendi and Judith Leiber. Exotic skins such as alligator and snakeskin also drove up retail pricepoints and offered exclusivity.



• As sunwear specialty stores continue to thrive, Ilori, an upscale sunwear chain owned by Luxottica, made its debut this year in New York. Up to 150 locations are planned domestically over the next few years.



• In terms of materials, plastics continue to drive the market, with oversized glamour looks the hottest trend. Large shields also remained hot, exhibiting status and luxury in styling. Flat-fronted plastics looked fresher than more traditional curved frames.



• Vintage was, and continues to be a key word in sunwear for ’07 and looking ahead to ’08—be it retro-styled cat eyes and rounded frames, or literal vintage prints applied to sunwear temples (i.e. Emilio Pucci's famous prints).



• Cosmetic colored tints added a fashion boost to oversized frames, also offering a softer, less "mask-like" look for large shapes.



• Limited-edition brand collections provided "must-have" urgency as well as higher-ticket prices. Luxury materials such as exotic skins, horn, and unique materials made news (like Ray-Ban's new Ultra line of titanium, beta-titanium and gold retailing up to $485; Fendi's gold-and-diamond line for $3,000 to $6,000); and numerous lines with sterling accents.