Whats New

Jan
2003

What's New

Photographed by Nedjeljko Matura

New York Eye: YM Eyewear 

New York Eye targets teen market with YM
Under a licensing agreement with YM, one of today’s hottest teen magazines, New York Eye, A Hart Specialties company, rolls out a 23-piece ophthalmic collection targeting the teen market. The collection, which is characterized by sleek, narrow, modern feminine and unisex shapes in both plastic and metal, is in keeping with the strong sense of style today’s teens possess, New York Eye says. A sun collection will follow later this month.
PHILOSOPHY: “Savvy marketers know the teen market is key to their future. The YM brand is ideal because it reaches teens in every element of their daily life. There’s never been a better time or a better brand to help you tap into this powerful audience. And since the brand has such a long history, its appeal extends even outside teen demographics,” says Hart president Arthur Jankolovits.
MARKETING: Merchandising materials include a five-place Lucite display, countercard, logo plaque, messenger bag, one-year YM magazine subscription and six-panel brochure. Each frame comes with a hard case.
PRICE POINT: $$.
AVAILABILITY: Winter. For additional information, contact New York Eye/A Hart Specialties Company, (800) 221-6966; web site: www.newyorkeye.net.

Allison Eyewear: Zerorh+

Sports meets fashion in Zerorh+
With the challenges of watersport enthusiasts in mind, Allison Eyewear presents Zerorh+ Eyewear, a collection of 23 sunglasses and four ophthalmic frames, taking its name from the Italian sports-oriented fashion brand. The collection’s signature piece, the Nemo, a frame constructed of floating material, was worn by the Alinghi team during the America’s Cup competition in 2002. All of the sunglasses, including Nemo, are equipped with Sola Sea See lenses. Made of Flex Eyes, an extremely flexible, lightweight polyamide, the lenses have a specialized bi-toric lens surface with a horizontal base curve of 10 and a vertical base of 4.5, proprietary hard coating and hydrophobic treatment that allows water to slide from the lens. The lenses are also designed to filter direct sunlight or sunlight bouncing off water for increased visual acuity even in hazy conditions. Additionally, the lenses are non-polarized, enabling sailors to view digital readouts on navigational equipment. Frames include bold shield and wraparound styles in variations on rectangular and bowtie designs.
PHILOSOPHY: “Zerorh+ is a high-fashion, yet sports-oriented brand designed to give sport style entry into the fashion arena. Think Gucci meets Oakley,” says Allison president Adour Douzjian.
MARKETING: Merchandising materials include a one-place cube display, fishbowl display, poster, countercards and catalog. Each frame comes with a hard case.
PRICE POINT: $$$ to $$$$$.
AVAILABILITY: Winter. For additional information, contact Allison Eyewear, (877) 255-5757; web site: www.allisoneyewear.com.

The Lens Work: T2 System
by Swissflex

An advanced rimless eyewear concept
The Lens Work presents T2 System by Swissflex, a rimless ophthalmic and sunwear collection that combines a lightweight material—HTP (high tech polymer)—with a highly evolved mounting system. To insure stability, a prototypical pin system holds the lens in exact mechanical and esthetic position, preventing twisting and loss of mounting integrity over time. Frames come with straight and cable temples and interchangeable nosepads and are offered in an array of vibrant colors with a virtually unlimited choice of lens shapes. Specialty lens treatments include mirror flash coatings over Transitions lenses. T2 styles are also available with diamond, emerald and sapphire accents.
PHILOSOPHY: “In establishing The Lens Work, our long term objective is to utilize our experience in this business to create a company that will combine quality products with a sophisticated support system to bring a revolutionary approach to the optical market. By using the new HTP material, we are able to offer a rimless collection we feel is unsurpassed in its ability to provide strength, comfort and durability—all in a frame that weighs less than 1/10 of an ounce,” says Kelly Kim, president of The Lens Work.
MARKETING: Merchandising materials include a suspended countercard display and dispensing mat. Each frame comes with a hard case and circular micro-fiber cleaning cloth.
PRICE POINT: $$$$ to $$$$$.
AVAILABILITY: Winter. For additional information, contact The Lens Work, (800) 987-0735; web site: www.t2eyewear.com.

Visionaries Kids
by Shade Control

Opsales expands into kids’ clips
Opsales, known for its Visionaries by Shade Control clip-on sunlenses, introduces a collection of three styles designed for children between the ages of five and 11. The kids’ collection has the same features as the adult Visionaries. Both are made of stainless steel, have a patented spring-loaded mechanism for attaching clips to frames, functional rimlocks for easy replacement of scratched lenses, covered hooks and polarized lenses. Shapes in the new collection consist of a narrow oval, hexagon and rectangle in eye sizes ranging from 40mm to 44mm. Kids’ clips are offered in blue, cherry and bronze.
PHILOSOPHY: “We created the kids’ collection because we saw a need in the market for functional and stylish children’s sunwear,” says Cynthia A. Friedman, Opsales sales manager/optical North America.
MARKETING: Merchandising materials include a nine-place fitting kit and one-place display. Each clip comes with a case in fire engine red, lime green, electric blue or bright yellow.
PRICE POINT: $.
AVAILABILITY: Winter. For additional information, contact Opsales, (800) 423-7688; web site: www.clipons.com.

 

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