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Nov
24
Why the Fashion Industry Loves Contact Lenses
Filed Under Brand Wave, Authenticity | Leave a Comment
Naturally, eyewear fashion has come a long way since the days of the birth control frames so common in your parent’s generation of Ray Ban Wayfarers, cool as those were. But there is something about a face unhindered by metal and glass that seems pure and beautiful and natural that is as irresistible as ice cream on a summer day.
Contact lenses, which were invented more than 100 years ago but perfected only within the last 15, are a gift to anyone who enjoys the timeless natural beauty of an unadulterated face. The fashion industry, though responsible for designing some of the most interesting and creative frames, often shies away from putting bespectacled women in their runway shows. Hence, the fashion world loves their contacts!
For the latest in eyewear fashion, nobody knows better that will be hot than Hollywood. Yet, it is precisely this clique that shies away from plastering their stars in the latest designer brands. Part of this could be that they don’t want to receive funding for product placements in their films, or it could be because they do not want to cover a recognizable money-making star’s face with something that could partially hide their identity. Regardless, the film industry is hesitant to put stars like Natalie Portman and Hugh Jackman behind their shades for any length of time in a film. Instead, the stars wear designer contacts, like those by Acucuve, to keep the star’s natural look.
Mar
4
An Ode to Horn Rimmed Glasses
Filed Under Authenticity, Celebrity Watch, Designer Eyeglasses | 1 Comment
Who is better known for their eyewear than Barry Goldwater, an iconic US presidential nominee whose Ray-Ban’s have become equally as popular? Like John McCain, Goldwater was a five term senator from Arizona who later ran for US president and lost. Sometimes touted as the founder of the libertarian-conservative party founder, Goldwater is better known for his revival of the traditional conservative movement in the 1960s, though with his traditional 1920’s horn rimmed glasses, the same style as his first pair of prescription eyewear.
Who talk about horn rimmed eyewear without mentioning Dame Edna, the comic hero of the UK, whose purple horn-rimmed glasses (custom made, I might add) have attracted a massive following.
What about Drew Carry, who, if he were to lose a bit of weight, could be a Goldwater look alike? His brand of horn rimmed is decisively Wayfarer.
Johnny Depp, an amazing actor and sometimes theorist, is also a fan of the horn rimmed style, though he is also a huge retro fan who wears tight leather jackets and summer caps.
Meanwhile, in American pop culture, the character Noah from Heroes is known by his nickname “the man with the horn-rimmed glasses.” While Tina Fey, who is always sporting her wayfarer prescription glasses, brings a touch of comic class to the design.
This ode, to the greatness and total lack of ‘nerdiness’ attached to the horn-rimmed design, proves that the horn rimmed design is sure to be as popular and retro in the future as it has been stable and iconic in the past.
Jan
14
Large Plastic vs. Small Metal Frames
Filed Under Authenticity, Fun with Eyewear, Celebrity Watch, Designer Sunglasses | Leave a Comment
There are two types of sunglasses frames, plastic and metal. Both have different benefits and appeals. Metal frames are more practical for everyday activities such as sports and hobbies and are more durable than plastic. Metal can handle more stress and can be shaped into more intricate designs. It has a more distinctive look of professionalism.
Athletes prefer brands like Oakley, for their durability and performance. The smaller metal frames are better for sports as they are tighter and fit closer to the head. The metal provides enough weight to stay in place without being an obstruction. Metal frames are sleeker; the ear and nose pieces hold the glasses on to the head, while large plastic ones put more pressure on the nose.
Plastic frames are the fashion more commonly worn in Hollywood. Celebrities like the lightweight and more flamboyant sunglasses to accentuate their personalities. The newest fashion right now is oversized glasses like D&G, Fendi and others, with actresses such as Paris Hilton and Drew Barrymore. Whether it’s blocking the harmful UV rays or paparazzi camera flashes, large sunglasses are necessary for celebrities to keep their status and individuality.
The frames, styles, and sizes of sunglasses all say a lot about the wearer; what they do, what they are like, and how they see themselves. Additionally, ones profession has a lot to do with their sunglasses choice; a company CEO will wear different sunglasses than a Californian model. It’s all about the statement being made. If you want a more care-free look, than the plastic large frames are for you, while the smaller metal ones are more for the hard working business types.
Aug
21
How to Determine if the Distribution Company you Order from is Legit
Filed Under Authenticity | Leave a Comment
When buying name-brand gear you need to ensure that the distribution company you are buying from is actually selling you real, brand-name stuff. There are several smart ways to
ensure you aren’t being duped. The most obvious thing to do is know the product you are looking to buy. A terrible fake is obvious, like the rip-off Duracell batteries in the image here, or the fake Tide laundry soap misspelled Tids, as in the image below. Know the end product you are purchasing and ensure you see a picture of the product. Don’t buy Doir sunglasses, for example, when you want Dior.
The website- A distribution company, to be profitable, will focus on one segment of the retail market, for example eyewear. When they focus on one type of product they should be able to focus all of their energy on delivering the highest quality of goods at the cheapest possible price to the end consumer—that’s how they make money after all, by undercutting everyone else who distributes the same product. You should check that the website is focused on one product or segment and then check that the company has sufficient information on their website about each product, including multiple models and colours. It would be very difficult and expensive to fake hundreds of brands in multiple colours, and in the end the distribution company would not make money on the venture.
Contact details- A legitimate company will have their contact details listed on their website. If you are nervous about your purchase, contact the company and ask a few questions. It is perfectly normal for companies to outsource customer service, so don’t be put off if the representative is not a native English speaker. However, you should be a bit wary if there is no means of contact on the website, especially no phone number. Ideally a company will list its headquarters address, phone number and often an online email form for posting questions. A company that has a form for your credit card information but no contact details is not one to be trusted, be wary of online identity theft scams and protect yourself by doing a bit of research before typing in your card number.
Reputation. There are countless website forums on the internet where one can find dirt on any number of companies. You will find negative feedback, more than likely, on every company you search for. Bear in mind that negative response theory is an aspect of human nature. Meaning, people are more likely to actively complain than praise as people are motivated more by anger than pleasure. When looking into a company’s history check things like ebay customer ranking, and Google finance to see if your company is listed on the stock exchange. You can also read through customer feedback on various forums to get a sense of what the customer service will be like, how fast shipping times will be, and other information of that nature.
Affiliations. Reputable companies try to give back to the community, and are recognized as responsible by being granted affiliations with various local or national groups. Some distribution companies will be directly affiliated with name brand companies like Versace or Dior. More importantly, check if your company any affiliations in the charity world, or if they do any type of charitable donation. A company that sells fake gear is unlikely to draw attention to itself with large donations. Similarly, you can see if your company in question has won any sales or customer service awards, or even national or international awards for distribution or equity growth. A good, legitimate company will advertise all of their successes and affiliations, so search for these on their site and on the web in general.
Aug
21
How to ensure your sunglasses are authentic
Filed Under Authenticity | 1 Comment
Many online shoppers worry about the legitimacy of the products they wish to purchase. This is a valid concern, and I highly recommend online shoppers check into the company ratings before purchasing anything from them. Additionally, and wherever possible, get a grantee or a refund option when purchasing online. What you should be worried about is purchasing a fake product and paying name-brand prices. Don’t dismay, there are tried and true ways to ensure that the package you receive in the mail contains the actual name-brand item you paid for.
Original wrapping- Ensure that the product you are buying comes with the original wrapping, including the barcode sticker of the manufacturer. Read my previous article on analysing bar codes if you are confused about how to read these, or why to demand them. Check, especially, that the holding company for your brand is included on the label. If your bar code sticker has a name you don’t recognize—don’t panic. In the financial world many companies can be held by one larger company with a name that is not as famous as the brands it carries. For example, the Lexottica group holds Polo Ralph Lauren. Do a quick internet search before calling your online seller.
Company literature- Name-brand items usually come with company literature in the packaging. Look for a document that is usually miniature in size, but multi-lingual. This document will usually include safety information about your product, which for sunglasses usually includes a safety number indicating if your sunglasses are safe to drive with, etc. Look in this literature for product specific information, and not just the brand name.
The case- If you order sunglasses or glasses online they should always come with a nice case, especially if you are buying name-brand merchandise. The case will almost always carry the brand name as this is more advertising for the company and adds branding value to the product. Ensure before buying your eyewear that it will arrive fully protected in a name-brand case. The case should include at least one lens cleaning cloth, and sometimes even a short guide on how to care for your glasses.
Distribution company items- It is unlikely that you will order eyewear online directly from the manufacturer. Instead, the manufacturing company will ship products to a distribution company. Sometimes the distribution company will include extra products for brand building and name recognition. For example, a lense cleaning cloth with the distribution company’s name and logo. Do not be concerned if you see merchandice of this nature, it does not mean your eyewear is a fake, it only means that the distribution company is trying to establish its name. In fact, this is a good sign, as it lends credibility to the distributor.
The glasses- Make sure that the name and model of the item you are buying actually exists in the name branded catalogue. This can usually be done quickly online through the company’s website. So, search for Dior sunglasses and then search by product name or number. You can usually find designer sunglasses and glasses online from a distribution company for cheaper, but make sure the product name and details match exactly to eyewear on the brand company’s site. For added safety, check that the colour you want is actually manufacturer by the name brand company in question. This may take a few extra minutes of your time, but in the end its worth it to verify the validity of your product.
Aug
18
A Universal Product Code, or a UPC is the barcode and number series located on nearly every retail product. A manufacturer must first apply to the Uniform Code Council (UCC) in order to enter the UPC system. Once in the system, the UCC assigns each manufacturer an identification number that is six digits in length. On any given bar code there are 12 numbers, the first six therefore represent the manufacturer’s identification code. For the remainder of this article I will use a barcode from the Luxottica Group, which owns 8 house brands and 17 licensed brands of prescription and protection glasses, including such large names as Bvlgari, Chanel, Colce & Gabbana, Prade, Versace and Polo. Notice above the barcode the name of the Luxottica Group.
Each manufacturing company employees personal to manage their UPC data, the UPC team can range from one person in a small company, to hundreds in a corporation. The UPC team assigns specific numbers to specific products that are five digits in length. Each product has its own number, and the number can never be reused with the same manufacturer ID number. For example, the image above shows that Luxottica Group’s ID number is 715799, or- the first six digits on the barcode. The next five digits represent the product specific code, so 13739 is this product’s code.
Finally, the last number is the check digit, which is calculated by the UPC team as a measure to ensure product legitimacy and accuracy, as well as to help the UPC team keep track of their numerous products.
The processing for creating the check digit is as follows:
- Add the value of all digits in odd positions, ie- the first, third, firth, seventh, ninth and eleventh digits. (7,5,9,1,7,9 in our example above, =38)
- Multiply the number from step one by the check digit (38 X 3 = 114)
- Add the value of all digits in even positions, ie- the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth digits. (1,7,9,3,3 = 23)
- Add the total from step three to the value in step two. (23 + 114= 137)
Determine what number is required to make the sum of step four a multiple of ten, that number should be the same as the check digit. (137 + 3 = 140) Therefore, three is the correct check digit.
There is additional information on most legitimate barcode stickers, which delivers more specific information about the product in question. See the example here from the Bvlgari sunglasses packaging, the same barcode used above. The first set up code, OBV 653B represents the product code (not to be confused with the product specific bar code number). This code is used as a product number with clients, and internally as an organizational and labelling tool. The number directly below it, in this case 939/87 is the colour code, indicating which tint the frames are. The number below that is the prescription code, if any, in this case 01/40. Moving to the right in the image above you’ll notice a market of *3N which is a sunglasses specific code meaning category three tinting on the lenses.
If you are worried about the legitimacy of your recently purchased glasses or sunglasses, checking out the barcode is one way to ensure that the product actually came from the company you ordered it from, or is a licensed distributor for the company. If you receive a package without a barcode sticker, it is a good indication that you’ve recently purchased a fake. Be aware that the barcode may be on the packaging, as in the image above, and ensure when ordering your glasses that it be packaged in original wrapping.