Audrey Hepburn, John Lennon, Tom Cruise — These are just a few of names that have influenced eyewear styles in the last half century. And in today’s celebrity focused culture, the marketing hoopla continues. A star’s choice of eyewear is becoming increasingly important. From the supermarket to the airport, all the way to the red carpet, the frames celebrities wear can send a loud message — one eyewear makers hear at the cash register. We always get phone calls after celebrities are seen with our glasses and we have seen impact on sales in the days and weeks following,” says Giovanni Lo Faro, director of marketing and business
development at Modo Eyewear, which produces glasses for 3.1 Phillip Lim, Derek Lam and Fabien Baron as long as celebrities represent an aspiration to the consumer and as long as consumers look to them as
Roles models there will be that effect.”
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Lo Farosays firm enjoys the press that sightings such as Kate Moss in Fabien Baron eyewear or stylistcum-celebrity Rachel Zoe in Derek Lam garner, but is wary of overextending its presence in the media. We’re very selective about gifting,” says Lo Faro. “In some cases working with Fabien gets you directly to this kind of profile, and sometimes the glasses are a gift from Fabien himself. We don’t just send packages, that doesn’t give the best image of the brand. It’s a personal relationship and we’re happy to do it, but in general, celebrities are buying frames.” Similar to fashion houses, celebrities’ role at eyewear firms is often one that involves great planning and care. At Marchon Eyewear, senior vice president of global communications and advertising Robert Schienberg emphasized their importance in the firm’s overall marketing efforts. “These are people out there in the media influencing others. They have captured consumers’ attention,” says Schienberg. “It’s a very important part of our marketing plan, but advertising, traditional public relations — they all play a critical part. It’s a part of the whole and all of the pieces are important.” Marchon recently worked with Lady Gaga, an entertainer whose over-the-top ensembles have caused a stir with the public. “Musicians are great marketers for the category,” says Schienberg. “They show consumers how to have fun with it — it’s a personality thing. A consumer may not necessarily buy the same item, but these stars’ choices lead to bestsellers and trends.” Celebrities have certainly impacted eyewear trends over the last few years.
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According to Eden Wexler, P.R. Director for Safilo USA and Solstice Sunglass Boutique, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton jump-started the oversize “bug eye” craze by donning Dior Glossy frames. “Without their third-party endorsement, I’m not so sure that this style would have done nearly as well because of the unique size, shape and coloration of this frame,” says Wexler. The advent of the Internet, round-the-clock news coverage and competing gossip weeklies also has contributed to the celebrity marketing machine. Celebrities have become walking billboards for sunglass brands, and there are a wealth of opportunities to see them in their day-to-day lives. These multiple platforms offer brands more opportunities to get their names out.
“The Internet has changed a lot. It has created more competition among brands looking to market their point of view,” says Schienberg. “The importance of entertainers, singers, actors, being in the front row of fashion shows — this all evolved around the same time. As marketing grew, competition grew. Then business grew, then budgets grew. There’s a shift in the market now. We’re still doing marketing initiatives, but we’ve shifted priorities and are working tighter.” High-end eyewear boutique Ilori takes its celebrity presence so seriously, it recently hired Hollywood stylist Jennifer Rade to school on which styles are taking off in the celebrity world help them navigate current trends. “Jennifer has been instrumental in making our customers feel like celebrities,” says Michael Hansen, president and general manager at Ilori. “She discusses new brands, selects the newest trends, provides her styling expertise during events and, in some instances, during one-on-one appointments.”
Jack Krause, general manager at Sunglass Hut, cites Persol as a growing brand within the celebrity community, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Shia LaBeouf recently donning the frames. The chain also is using celebrity impact mixed with social media to link consumers to shopping. It recently introduced Social Sun, an interactive retail experience that connected viewers on Facebook to a live performance by Sean Paul at Sunglass Hut’s Herald Square location. Krause says the traffic the event generated on the store’s Web site was tremendous. “It was the perfect storm of celebrity, socialmedia and introducing customers to atotally new buying sunglasses,” Krause says.