If anyone is looking for high visual clarity and quality sunglasses then I can't recommend anything higher than Serengeti [0]. I have two pair (bought second only because I wanted polarized lenses too) and the world looks even better than without. Putting on Ban Rays or some other "luxury" brand after Serengetis is now awful.
A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
111–120 of 138 posts
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#112Europeans seem to wear glasses at a much higher rate than Americans. Is there is structural reason for the preference of glasses over contacts?
I don't feel there is a push to wear one or the other in the UK, both feel reasonably priced too.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#113If you're ever in Japan or Taiwan, have some glasses made there. JINS in Japan is ~$120 including lenses, lenses ready in 3 hours. Pick up same day. I heard there's a company in Taiwan with a similar business model as well. They're set up to handle tourists, and will handle duty free as well.
I came into the comments to mention JINS, and ask why a competitor with their business model can't start up in US?
JINS actually starts at $50 (price includes eye exam+frames+lenses, and you can drop by whenever afterwards to have them cleaned/adjusted), and when I had mine made it only took one hour. I saw the machines they have in the back that prepare the lenses on-the-spot. In effect lens 3D printers. Neat stuff.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#114The reason glasses cost so much is because one company owns: (1) nearly all brand name frames including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada eyewear, Armani eyewear and so on, (2) nearly all retail stores such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical and (3) EyeMed, one of the largest vision insurance companies. Luxottica retail brands: http://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands Luxottica eyewear brands: htt…
Yes this is all true, but the real reason glasses cost so much is because people buy vision, not glasses. And people value vision extremely high. I started a glasses company and when I'd tell people their $900 glasses cost the eye doctor less than $100, they would give me this blank stare like "so what? I can see."
I'm not sure about that. I value hydration more than vision (I could live blind, but not without water). But I wouldn't pay $900 for a bottle of water and say "so what?"
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#115The reason glasses cost so much is because one company owns: (1) nearly all brand name frames including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada eyewear, Armani eyewear and so on, (2) nearly all retail stores such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical and (3) EyeMed, one of the largest vision insurance companies. Luxottica retail brands: http://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands Luxottica eyewear brands: htt…
A friend told me about this monopoly while I was admiring his Hawkers sunglasses, a spanish startup. Prices are 15-40€.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkers_(company)
"In 2014 the company's revenue exceeded 15 million euros,increasing to 40 millions the following year, and in 2016 Hawkers projected 70 million euros in sales."
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#116The reason glasses cost so much is because one company owns: (1) nearly all brand name frames including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada eyewear, Armani eyewear and so on, (2) nearly all retail stores such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical and (3) EyeMed, one of the largest vision insurance companies. Luxottica retail brands: http://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands Luxottica eyewear brands: htt…
In Jan 2017, Luxottica announced a merger with the largest lens maker, Essilor. EU antitrust is reviewing, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-luxottica-essilor-merger/... In turn, Essilor has ownership in Shamir, Eyebuydirect, FramesDirect, Coastal, Coolwinks, Costa Del Mar, Elens, Eotica and Foster Grant, https://www.essilor.com/en/the-group/activities-and-distribu... If EU regulators allow the merger to go through,…
They also own lots of optical machine building companies as well as factories all over the world. It’s pretty much impossible to be in the optical business and not buy from Essilor.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
My theory is that ugly ties are there to sell the nice (simple) ties. I've had similar experiences with dress shirts as well. Plain nice shirts end up costing more than elaborate designs because that's the one people actually want
I've noticed this a lot in men's fashion. If you want a well made garment not covered in a giant logo/design, it's going to be more expensive. I always assumed that, when it comes to logo covered clothing, you were getting a subsidized price in return for "repping" e.g. Nike.
Perhaps some brands do it that way, but usually in the luxury goods industry (and quite often in fast fashion like Nike) manufacturers will create "accessible" pieces designed specifically with brand poseurs who can't afford the premium products in the portfolio in mind, with a larger logo/unique design to emphasise the acquisition of a brand's product.
I can't find the source online, but I remember reading in "The Luxury Strategy" [0] that the cars at the lower end of the Mercedes line-up had badges 2" larger than those on the premium cars (e.g. A vs S Class), and the LV on the lower end Vuitton bags was larger than the higher end ones - specifically so they could be seen more easily to heighten the ego of the owner.
[0] Kapferer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxury-Strategy-Break-Marketing-Bra...
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
Luxottica offered to buy Oakley, and Oakley refused.. said it was never going to happen. So Luxottica stopped distributing Oakley's products in Sunglass Hut, etc.. which deprived Oakley of the majority of it's revenue, causing their stock to crash. Oakley then accepted a buyout offer from Luxottica. So to answer your question, why are there not better Luxottica competitors.. because when someone produces a good produ…
> If Luxottica controls the distribution channel One could have argued similarly for Gillette. Then Dollar Shave Club went direct to consumers. Likewise, I referenced an independent distributor who stocked non-Luxottica frames. Margins in this business are wide enough that economies of scale, alone, are an insufficient explanation.
Unilever has owned DSC for over a year.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#119As I write this, I am attending SILMO 2017 optical trade show in Paris. I've been attending for a few years and what you see when talking to industry participants is that there is real aversion to business models that can disrupt the industry to lower costs. Frame suppliers that sell to brick-and-mortar shops will very often refuse to sell to e-commerce players, for fear of alienating their brick and mortar accounts…
I'm currently in Jena, Germany eating a steak and minutes away from entering the Carl Zeiss museum of optics.
Re: A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market
#120If you're ever in Japan or Taiwan, have some glasses made there. JINS in Japan is ~$120 including lenses, lenses ready in 3 hours. Pick up same day. I heard there's a company in Taiwan with a similar business model as well. They're set up to handle tourists, and will handle duty free as well.
$32USD complete pair. 100+ frames to choose from, done within a few hours or shipped to your door for $3.
I bought many over the last 5 years.
Sofia, BG.