Proliferation of designer brands in frame lines: good? bad? ugly?

[rolandclaur]

I have been in the optical industry for almost 11 years, but have only been dealing with frame lines for about 3 years. Everytime I look at optical magazines or shop around optical boutiques and stores, I can't even begin to keep track of how many frame lines are out there.. And it seems every week, a new brand is being released on the market. My question is, is this a recent trend or has this been happening for a long time? How does this impact the credibility and sell value of those lines that have existed for a long time. How do we as optical professionals distinguish between what is quality and what is crap? What frame lines do you guys currently carry and have always had good experiences with? What manufacturers put out the best product? Are name brand frames worth their value or are they ticketed at a high markup to maintain the power of the logo recognition.

And ultimately, is this trend of more and more brand names finding their niche and coming out with their own frame styles a good or a bad thing for the optical industry as a whole?

[mirage2k2]

good for the customer because more competition means lower prices, but not good for the customer if new lines change as frequently as fashion clothes lines ... and then 2 months after purchase an arm breaks and you can't get a replacement!

[Chris Ryser]

Are name brand frames worth their value or are they ticketed at a high markup to maintain the power of the logo recognition.

And ultimately, is this trend of more and more brand names finding their niche and coming out with their own frame styles a good or a bad thing for the optical industry as a whole?

A brand frame can come out of..... 20...30...different frame manufacturing companies which might not all have the same quality standard or original price.
These frames are purchased by a distributing company, who has the license for the the brand name, who then sells them to the retail market.

There will be a moment in the future when some manufacturer will create his own line and sell it as made by.........................

[JERRY HUANG]

I feel like to manufacture self-magnetic-metal-casting-logos with different brands names and different plating colors. Just stick on magnetic logos upon request!

----Save space!
----cut down inventory!
----Have all the "names"!

[fjpod]

Somebody is going to take away the consumer's money by selling branded goods whether it be handbags, shoes or sweaters.

If you do away with designer branded eyewear, you can kiss goodbye to al least 1/3 of sales. So, I guess for the ophthalmic industry, the proliferation of designer goods is a good thing.

For the consumers...well somebody is going to get their disposable income anyway. They are not going to put the money they save by not buying designer eyewear, into their retirement fund.

[For-Life]

I don't know about a lot of you guys, but I flip through the magazines and joke around with co-workers about the brand names. Show them a generic, boring frame and say that we must stock it because of the brand.

Why aren't brand names designer leaders anymore?

[DocInChina]

I don't know about a lot of you guys, but I flip through the magazines and joke around with co-workers about the brand names. Show them a generic, boring frame and say that we must stock it because of the brand.
Why aren't brand names designer leaders anymore?

This thread seems to pop up a couple of times a year. When I was in practice (in the US) we would import product from Japan and Hong Kong. The styles and colors were great and the POP was eye catching. Our patients/customers really enjoyed seeing product not found in every other optical. Many patients would come in weekly to see if we had received any new product from overseas. This kind of consumer excitement was great for business and it also kept our employees motivated and excited. The financial benefit was that we had great product that was impossible to price shop.

This past year we have seen alot more companies ordering private label eyewear. We have had seen a big demand for wood eyewear, cow horn and Italian plastics and the demand for bread and butter products has also increased. I assume the companies ordering these products are looking for unique eyewear that will also give them better return for their money.

I think it is very difficult to eliminate the big brand names from your inventory. It is important to have the brand names because many consumers ask for certain brands by name. IMHO, a good business strategy would be to have a representation of brand name product and have your own branded product or imported branded product that will help increase your bottom line.

Doc

[optigrrl]

We carry a balance of the mass-produced name brand frames and a good selection of the "boutique" lines that cost a manufacturer a little more to make. People in our neck of the weeds are drawn to names like moths to a flame but once I explain frame construction and materials it's a no-brainer for them to cough up another $100 on a beautifully handcrafted piece of art.