In 2010 I laid a pair of Oliver Peoples atop my car while I was pumping gas at an Exxon station in Hilton Head and drove off without remembering. I actually blame the state of South Carolina for my loss as they are not a full-service gas station state. In 2011 I left my favorite frames at Neiman Marcus. While I nearly broke a shoe horn trying to squeeze my foot in the last pair of 9.5 Ferragamo’s, a lowly shopper fled the scene with a new, used pair of gold-plated DKNY aviators I laid on an ottoman. Just last summer, Blue Moon got the best of me and when I dashed into the Pacific Ocean to relieve my bladder, Mother Nature decided she’d have the last laugh by sending a wave to claim my Ray-Ban wayfarers. Considering my current rate of losing a pair of sunglasses per year, one would think that I might resort to $15 knockoffs from Urban Outfitters, but that would make too much sense. No summer poolside photo could be complete without a Solo cup, short shorts and designer frames. My pick this year is Warby Parker: vintage-inspired contemporary frames with a twist.
Starting at $95 a pop, I’m nearly inclined to buy a few pair for the hell of it. I logged onto their website with the plan to shop only for sunglasses, surprised by the option to buy optical frames starting at the same, low price (a price that includes anti-reflective prescription lenses). There are numerous points of attraction for the newish concept in eyewear and price is at the top of the list. Prescription sunglasses are also available; lens tints aren’t customizable for shades, but unless you’re planning to sunbath in the Sahara, you’ll be fine.
Point of attraction: Convenient Shopping
An attractive, easy to navigate website is always a plus. Then again, there’s a fun part to physically shopping for eyewear whereas the customer can roam from case to case and try on frames, admiring themselves in nearby mirrors but too uneffusive to ask the overzealous boutique employee: “how much are these?”
For those of us in, nearby or visiting one of the 12 cities where there’s an actual showroom, customer service representatives suggest that potential customers contact the showrooms they plan to visit to inquire about the availability of the frames they’re most interested in. Finally, the best shopping incentive since ASOS’ free shipping from Timbuktu is the Home Try-On Program. Free shipping included, customers get five pairs of glasses for five days so that a more responsible purchasing decision can be made. As there is no obligation to buy, it wouldn’t make sense to pass up the opportunity if you’re in the market to purchase new frames.
Point of attraction: Give Back
If you’re obsessed with the idea of giving back and doing good deeds for others, there isn’t a more selfish way than to buy a pair of glasses for yourself knowing that Warby Parker will donate a pair (optical or sun) to someone in need. The founders of Warby Parker have made it a point to address the fact that one billion people around the world lack access to glasses and therefore cannot effectively learn and work. Their noble gesture is to join non-profits to assure their initiatives will meet the demand of those in need of eyewear are met.
I think about how often I chat with my boys about how we can combine our creative geniuses to turn a profit while benefiting mankind and not bamboozling the customer. This group of guys from UPenn had the bravura to put their ideas into motion; frankly, I’m impressed.
-Brian Riddick
Author
