Exclusive Frame Brand Now Goes To On-Line Optical.......................

[Chris Ryser]

Leading Online Eyewear Retailer Introduces New Line of Vuarnet Sunglasses

Austin, TX (January 2012) – Online eyewear retailer FramesDirect.com will be the exclusive U.S. seller of a new line of sport and fashion sunglasses by the iconic sunglass brand Vuarnet.

Roger Pouilloux and Joseph Hatchiguian launched what would become Vuarnet in the 1960s. The Vuarnet brand quickly gained popularity when its proprietary lens and distinctive frame design was worn by members of the French Olympic ski team, including gold medalist Jean Vuarnet, for whom the brand was eventually named. Vuarnet was an official sponsor of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where it gained truly international recognition.

In 2009, a controlling 75% stake in the company was purchased by trendsetting eyewear designer Alain Mikli, who revitalized the brand by introducing bold new frames that embraced not only ski, nautical and outdoor sports enthusiasts, but fashion and urban lifestyle as well.

The new designs gained quick popularity in Europe and have since spurred interest among U.S. consumers, many of whom wore Vuarnet sunglasses in the 70s and 80s and are eager to experience the new offerings of the beloved brand.
In response to an upswell in traffic to Vuarnet’s website over the past few months and floods of emails from eager U.S. consumers wanting to know where they can purchase new Vuarnet designs, Vuarnet is launching the redesigned line of sunglasses in the U.S. market.

“Every day I get tons of email from U.S. based consumers asking me where they can purchase Vuarnet frames,” Craig Dolloff, Vuarnet National Sales Director says. “Many folks are driven by nostalgia, they used to where Vuarnet in the 80s and 90s, but many are completely new to the brand.”

The new line of sunglasses includes proprietary lenses optimized for outdoor activity and many are designed by Alain Mikli.
Initially, the new line will be sold exclusively online by FramesDirect.com, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer.
“We’re very excited to be working with Vuarnet on this new launch,” says Clotilde Bedoya, FramesDirect.com Marketing & Product Manager. “They are an iconic brand with an exciting heritage built on quality and performance.”
About FramesDirect.com: Founded by Drs Guy Hodgson and Dhavid Cooper, FramesDirect.com is an Austin, Texas-based eyewear company that operates on the following core principles: 1) Excellent customer service, 2) Use only the highest quality lenses, 3) Provide the best selection of authentic name brand eyewear, 4) Sell eyewear at a fair price without sacrificing quality.
These principals have made FD one of the most successful online eyewear companies in the world with over a million customers since 1996.

The family of optical websites includes FramesDirect.com, FramesDirect.co.uk (http://www.framesdirect.co.uk/) and The Eye Zone ( http://www.framesdirectblog.com/), the company's official blog.



A well known brand in quality sunglasses goes to on-liners in exclusivity................what do you say ????????????

[Fezz]

I use to be excited about Vuarnet, but that was in the mid to late eighties.

They have been completely off of my care about meter since 1991! I wish them well with their new venture!

[Barry Santini]

Being exclusive with one online reseller makes no sense!
The internet is about wide distribution...not narrow.
For that matter, Vuranet should have gone direct to consumers themselves.
Like all other recent Vuarnet distributor arrangements, I beleive this one will also not stand the test of time.

I miis their excellent lenses, though!

B

[kat]

Haven't used Varnet's since the 80's.

[optical24/7]

Without us (ecp's) to display their products, who's gonna know what a "Vuarnet" is?

[Fezz]

Without us (ecp's) to display their products, who's gonna know what a "Vuarnet" is?

What is a Vuarnet?

A Vuarnet is a French Canadian family leaving deep in the Landrienne Quebec Bush!

A Vuarnet is a mediocre cabernet fermented with grapes from the WRONG part of France!

A Vuarnet is a snail topped culinary delight?

A Vuarnet is a uppity, snobbish way of saying varnish!

A Vuarnet is a stage name for one of Ru Paul's Drag Queens contestants!

[Uncle Fester]

They'll be making a mistake if they do not keep the classic nylon frame roundish shape- shoot the model escapes me but it was exactly like the Bolle 396 (same factory made the frame?).

Dare you to stretch it 1mm! (Do I smell burning fingers!)

[Chris Ryser]

A Vuarnet is a French Canadian family leaving deep in the Landrienne Quebec Bush!

A Vuarnet is a mediocre cabernet fermented with grapes from the WRONG part of France!

A Vuarnet is a snail topped culinary delight?

A Vuarnet is a uppity, snobbish way of saying varnish!

A Vuarnet is a stage name for one of Ru Paul's Drag Queens contestants!

Vuarnet (French pronunciation: [vyaʁnɛ]) is an eyewear brand, owned and manufactured by Sporoptic Pouilloux, S.A.^[1] based in France. The brand was developed from the invention of the Skilynx lens in 1957 by French opticians Roger Pouilloux and Joseph Hatchiguian. The sunglasses were originally marketed under the name Skilynx Acier, and were provided to the French Ski Team.

After alpine ski racer Jean Vuarnet of France won the gold medal in the Downhill at the 1960 Winter Olympics, an agreement was reached in 1961 to market the sunglasses using his last name the brand name.^[2] Vuarnet later became an official corporate sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.


America discovers Vuarnet sunglasses. Hordes of American tourists invade French opticians demanding " Warnay " glasses. Weathermen on Californian radio and television coins the " It's a Vuarnet day today " catch phrase, forecasting a sunny day.
Vuarnet is official sponsor for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. This is a real breakthrough for Pouilloux and the Vuarnet brand. Since then, more than 1 million pairs of sunglasses have been sold each year world-wide. The first move to diversify the brand is made in the US garment business. Revenue from the Vuarnet tee- shirts, shorts and caps raises rapidly to reach US$ 32 million.

[Johns]

“Every day I get tons of email from U.S. based consumers asking me where they can purchase Vuarnet frames,” Craig Dolloff, Vuarnet National Sales Director says.

Yes, and I'm sure they expect to sell "tons" of them! What a load! Everyday...Tons? Yeah right!

Anyway, this would be a good test if they weren't already a has-been, washed up brand, but I'd really like to see a brand new line come on the scene and try something so stupid. W/out the sucker B/M retailers touting all the brands, the onliners wouldn't have a chance.

[Barry Santini]

I disgree, Johns. I don't think Vuarnet is a washed-up brand. If they were available to me, I'd put them back in in a heartbeat. Their PX5000 lenses were non pareil for those ultra sensitive to glare.
But I don't understand why they didn't set-up a direct to consumer site, just to tap into those tons of emails/demand. Just what is FD bringing to the table of value in an ONLINE that they, with a little self-initiative, couldn't do themsleves, and pocket double the profit?

B

[Chris Ryser]

But I don't understand why they didn't set-up a direct to consumer site, just to tap into those tons of emails/demand. Just what is FD bringing to the table of value in an ONLINE that they, with a little self-initiative, couldn't do themsleves, and pocket double the profit?

Pouilloux SA is now a subsidiary of Alain Mikli International which seems to be a Chinese Company

Alain Mikli 東京都港区。めがねフレーム・サングラスなどの輸出入・小売。ミクリブランドや店舗の紹介。mikli.com

Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. manufactures goggles and sunglasses for teenagers and sportsmen. The company markets its products through a network of opticians and point of sale locations in France and internationally. Sporoptic Pouilloux was incorporated in 1957 and is based in Paris, France. Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. operates as a subsidiary of Alain Mikli International.

Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. does not have any Key Executives recorded.

http://investing.businessweek.com/re...capId=83431771

Mikli is probably selling plenty of frames to Essilors Frames Direct and found it easier to give them the exclusivity. Must be corporations politics.

[Johns]

I disgree, Johns. I don't think Vuarnet is a washed-up brand. If they were available to me, I'd put them back in in a heartbeat. Their PX5000 lenses were non pareil for those ultra sensitive to glare.

If they're not a washed up brand, they are sure acting like one!

Had I know these were such a hot commodity, I would have purchased the whole display of them from the TJ Max store last summer. They were going for $8.99, with a case.