Eyewear Manufacturer Guilty of Fraud
Topic: Eyewear
The South China Morning Post reported that "the founding chairman of Moulin Global Eyecare Holdings and two other defendants have been found guilty in a fraud case involving the company that once boasted of being one of world's largest eyewear manufacturers."

Fans of Nashville Recording Artist Gokey Donate Old Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear
"Since early October hundreds of Danny Gokey fans have donated used eyeglasses and non-perishable food items at Wisconsin Vision stores throughout the state. In exchange for their donation, today those fans get to meet Gokey, the 19/RCA Nashville recording artist and 2009 American Idol finalist, when he shows up to contribute his own used pairs of eyeglasses at Wisconsin Vision's new Glendale location. Gokey's glasses will then be auctioned online to raise funds for a new program announced today by Wisconsin Vision and Sophia's Heart to provide free eye exams and glasses for children in need." That's the report from Wisconsin Vision's press release.

Consumer Reports Survey of People Buying Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear

Here are some of the results of a Consumer Reports survey:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10K New Customers in a Day
Topic: Eyewear
That's the claim of Canada's Coastal Contacts. "Coastal Contacts Inc., the leading online retailer of contact lenses and prescription eyeglasses, today provided an eyeglasses update that during a single twelve hour period in October, 2010 Coastal generated orders for more than ten thousand pairs of eyeglasses from new customers," says a report from YahooFinance.

Girls Who Wear Glasses May Not Get Passes but They Get Rewards
Topic: Eyewear

Safilo Reports Sales Gain in U.S.
Topic: Eyewear

"Safilo reported a 400,000 euro ($562 million) loss in the three months ending September, compared with a 50 million-euro loss a year earlier, the Padua, Italy-based, company said today in a statement. That beat the 11.2 million-euro loss average estimate of eight analysts on Bloomberg." That's the report that appeared on Bloomberg. "Sales rose almost 12 percent to 237.9 million euros, compared with the 230.3 million-euro estimate by 10 analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Sales gained almost 30 percent in Asia, 21.7 percent in the U.S., and 5.7 percent in Europe, Safilo said."

The reported increase in U.S. sales might hint at  the beginning of a turnaround in the U.S. optical market. 

Superfocus (TruFocals) Go Ballistic
Topic: Eyewear
A WSJ blog noted recently that "when NASA’s Shuttle Discovery blasts off into space this week, two of its six astronauts will be sporting...Superfocus glasses [formerly TruFocals]...Traditional bifocals and other glasses have long been used in space. But Dr. C. Robert Gibson, a vision consultant to NASA, suggested using the Superfocus glasses because they can be adjusted and give wearers a wide field of view. That’s especially important for astronauts who often have to look above them at monitors."

NPR "Features" Eyeglasses
Topic: Eyewear

Recently NPR's Ira Flatow delved into the top secret world of eyewear manufacturing on NPR's Science Friday. As with most stories from NPR, it's clever and informative. The show provides a link to download the show as an MP3 file. Post the links on your store's website and its pages on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Don't have those? Then email it to your customers.

Bioplastic Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear
The Katherine E Hamnett will launch an eyewear line made of entirely of heat-resistant bioplastic manufactured by Teijin Limited. The Katharine E Hammett, in which the "E" stands for ethically and environmentally sound production, was launched in 2004 by English designer Katherine Hamnett. YabushitaT Group Inc. will market the eyewear, seeling it in Hamnett and other retail stores throughout Japan starting in early December. Yabushita will exhibit the eyeglasses at the International Optical Fair Tokyo (IOFT 2010) from October 18 to 20.

New Licensing Agreements
Topic: Eyewear
The WallStreetJournal reports that "Luxottica Group SpA ...[will] make eyewear for Coach Inc. (COH) and that the deal should produce sales of more than $100 million a year for the U.S. brand." Coach-labeled eyewear will be sold at Coach stores, department stores,  travel retail outlets, independent stores, and Luxottica's retail chains.

In another deal, HMX Group signed "a worldwide licensing agreement with Signature Eyewear for its Hickey Freeman, Bobby Jones and Monarchy brands. Signature currently holds the license for Hart Shaffner Marx eyewear," according to WWD.

Eyewear Is Hot!
Topic: Eyewear
It's gotta be true. The HuffingtonPost announced it yesterday: "This fall, the eyes have it -- not just a medical need, eyeglasses and sunglasses have become accessories in themselves. And a number of retailers and opticians are ready to help you look your best." This is news?

Autocorrecting Glasses Wins WSJ Tech Award
Topic: Eyewear

The Wall Street Journal  named Zoom Focus Eyewear  as one of its 10 winners of the WSJ's 2010 Silver Innovation Award. The Van Nuys, CA, company's TruFocals impressed the judges. A "wearer can manually adjust to give clear, undistorted vision whether reading a book, working on a computer or looking into the distance. The judges [also] praised the potential large-scale benefit of TruFocals. Richard S. Lang, one of the judges and a physician at the Cleveland Clinic, called the technology a paradigm shift in the way it addresses a problem 'that has been handled the same way for many years.'"

Two Designers Sign Deal
Topic: Eyewear
WWD (Women's Wear Daily) is running the following story: "Two cutting-edge names in fashion – Maison Martin Margiela and Cutler and Gross – are finally seeing eye-to-eye."

Geek or Fashion Accessory
Topic: Eyewear
Once eyewear equalled geek for teenagers. Apparently that has changed, at least in Great Britain, according to ContactLenses. "Teenagers are increasingly focusing on eyewear in order to showcase their fashion nous, one source has noted. According to a post on Guampdn.com, one of the best ways of displaying a person's individuality is through their eyes and as a result teens are buying sunglasses to enhance their appearance."

Marchon Tricks Out Its Lines
Topic: Eyewear

Vision Monday reports that "in January 2011, the Lacoste eyewear licence will be taken over by Marchon Eyewear, Inc."

EyeSmart noted "Marchon Eyewear, Inc., will design, produce and sell the LACOSTE sunwear and optical collections under the control of LACOSTE S.A.. The new collections will debut in retail in January 2011 and will be presented at the LACOSTE Spring-Summer 2011 Fashion Show in September 2010."

In addtion "Altair, a division of Marchon Eyewear, has been appointed to design a line of Bebe-branded sunglasses and other eyewear for launch next month," according to LicenseMagazine.

Who Makes Artificial Eye? PBS Knows
Topic: Eyewear
"What could be good about losing an eye? Nothing can make up for this tragic loss, but artificial eye makers Christy Erickson and Todd Cranmore combine artistry, skill and compassion to rekindle hope for their patients and families." That's the description of "A Healing Art" PBS will air tomorrow. You can also see it online starting Oct. 9.

Eyewear from Movie Reels
Topic: Eyewear

Two Hungarian brothers are making eyewear from old movie reels. See the story on Reuters. You will have to tolerate a 20 second commercial from a Reuter's customer first.

Smart Phones. Why Not Smart Eyeglasses?
Topic: Eyewear
Augmented reality. If we augment reality, are we seeing reality? That's a question for philosophers. The question for opticians: Will I be selling augmented reality in the near future? Reuters.com noted: There could be a time when "eyeglasses might use a hidden camera on the inside of our glasses, visible only to us, to identify people and tell us their names and when we last met them." It does take polycarbonate lenses a step further, now doesn't it?

Yum! May I Have Another--Plastic Please!
Topic: Eyewear
"A North Dakota inmate was not afraid of making a spectacle of himself when he grabbed another suspect's glasses and started to eat them. Burleigh County Sheriff's Maj. Les Witkowski says the 42-year-old inmate at the county detention center became frustrated Aug. 1 when he was not able to talk to the chaplain, so he swallowed both lenses and a piece of the metal frame." So reports SouthFlorida.com.

Actors Make Specs Sexy
Topic: Eyewear
That's the claim of the British newspaper, the Daily Mail: "Spectacles - the bigger and bolder, the better - are having a fashion moment: Madonna and daughter Lourdes, Myleene Klass, Alexa Chung, Kelly Brook and Britney have all been snapped in statement styles recently."