By Jillian Urcelay

JU: How would you describe the Costa customer who your eyewear and sunwear is designed for?
HR: Costa was “Born on the Water” over 30 years ago and designed by avid offshore fishermen who wanted the very best polarized sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harshest Florida conditions and help them see more clearly. From this performance positioning and being the first to market color-enhancing lens technology came a devout fan base that has evolved into so much more. Today the Costa brand attracts BOTH avid “anglers” who see their Costas as essential “gear” for fishing and experiential Millennials who love the great performance and lifestyle Costa represents, along with the cause and conservation mindset that has long been a pillar of the brand.

Athleisure has been by far the biggest trend in the fashion
world recently. How has this trend impacted Costa?
Athleisure is the fusion of performance-inspired materials, designs and technology with relaxed, everyday style. Since Costa sunglasses have always been designed with these same attributes in mind, we couldn’t be happier that this trend is now mainstream. The Costa design aesthetic combines unique materials like beta-titanium metals that withstand the toughest environmental conditions, unique details like rubber grips on the nosepads and temple tips with water droplet features, and best in class lens technology to optimize the visual experience—in every light condition—all with the latest styling and design.

Why did Costa decide to transition into producing optical styles this past year?
The Costa Optical frame collection is for people who love our sunglasses and appreciate the quality and the great value they offer. We are blessed to have an incredibly loyal fan base—we call them our “tribe.” They’ve been telling us for years that they wanted the same performance-inspired frames for everyday use as they had come to love for sun. This was an interesting and exciting challenge for us to develop an optical frame without the sun lens technology we’re known for, so we took extra care in creating a line that reinforced Costa’s heritage. ■