FAT Project

View the presentation Here.

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Issuu

Verdure Business Plan

Directory of Contacts

Dior shop assistant at Selfridges

Mui Mui shop assistant at Selfridges

Linda Farrow Shop Assistant

Phillip Retail Manager, Linda Farrow

Natalie Goodall, Linda Farrow

Lucy Rowland, Head of Design, Linda Farrow

Shop Assistant, Stella McCartney

Shop Assistant in Boutique, Cutler& Gross

Mark Amphlett, Sales & marketing Manager, Amtek Plastics

Harry, Hey Create laser cutting

Mark Brown, Sporting Hares

Barrow and Flux

Susan Lambert,  MoDiP

Originally established in 1970 in the UK by the fashion designer Linda Farrow, A luxury eyewear company was set up and put into storage. Farrow was the first designer to treat sunglasses as fashion; she felt the public was not yet ready to see her collections and decided to concentrate on family. In 2003, her son Simon Jablon relaunched the business along with Tracy Sedino, after discovering a huge selection of sunglasses in the family warehouse. Luckily the collection was found at a time when vintage appeal started to become a huge trend, let alone the stamp of classic individuality that now everyone holds within their wardrobe. Linda Farrow as a brand in the 2000’s had found its niche; large overpublicized luxury brands such as Dior & Prada were creating vulgar eyewear as just a way of holding more limelight. Linda Farrow was a breath of fresh air and brought in a unique approach to eyewear.

“Linda Farrow offers what most eyewear companies can no longer offer: innovation in the purest sense of the word.” (1)

By creating designs that were based on form and aesthetic appeal, rather than over branding. The era of ‘the Mega Brand’ was becoming exhausted, the luxury industry needed to bring back some basic elegance, good design and reduce its crassness. Linda Farrow was this statement without a label, of true luxury and grace.

Simon and Tracy decided to sell on this collection under the name of ‘Linda Farrow Vintage’. However after a few thousand pairs sold later, the vintage collection was running out. The company name is now “Linda Farrow’ showing the label continues to relate the collections to vintage for its inspiration, yet maintains to push forward into the future.

“The Seventies and Eighties were amazing years in terms of sunglasses. Those golden-framed, mirror-lenses aviators that are so synonymous with Seventies chic and the minimal black acetate-framed look of hard Eighties chic – those are references that we are drawn to again and again,”(2)

Linda Farrow describes itself as innovative, providing luxury eyewear that will not be found elsewhere. On an initial impression of this label, I couldn’t understand why the designs do not have much markings of the logo on the products. As a nation we are so accustomed to sunglasses being splashed with logo and large branding, I found Linda Farrow quite unusual in a slightly disturbing way at why they would not promote themselves further. Especially considering the brand being at a very high price point, perhaps the highest I’ve ever seen eyewear to be.

Linda Farrow does not have a ‘Classic look’ like so many other eyewear brands, such as Prada and the swirled arms or Ray-Bans with their box shape design. For these other brands, having a classic pair of frames has created huge advertising for themselves in an understated manner before the consideration of adding logos has been made. This method makes a label incredibly recognisable when worn by others, without the need for close inspection.

I suppose this is Linda Farrows’ idea of total innovation; to be constantly moving forward and not settling upon just one design feature. Holding a strong enough brand image and customer reputation has proven that Linda Farrow does not need large logos or a classic look in order to become a successful company.

“Timeless in design, uncompromising in quality, unabashedly luxurious, Linda Farrow takes sunglasses to the next level” (3)

The Linda Farrow logo is very simple, showing slim, contemporary sharp, black handwriting against a blank white background. This gives the impression that the brand is understated, timeless and clean cut. Other than this logo, they only seem to hold quick LF symbol on the products in obscure places around the eyewear, such as on the inside of the hinge and a tiny imprint onto the corner of the lense. These little extras help to give the customer more satisfaction, knowing that the design has been well considered and gives an element of surprise. Other than the hidden logos, Linda Farrow only has a unique selling point of being more exclusive than other brands.

LF holds themselves at the highest point on the luxury market, providing a price point that displays this. This is due to the materials that are used; no expense is spared and most extravagant fabrics are involved. A great example (below left) of this is a pair of aviator frames that have alligator skin to cover the frame, the metal components can be changed from rose gold, bronze, white gold or gold, all with complementing coloured lenses.

Talking of the aviator collection 307;

“They are all made of titanium, which makes the eyewear very lightweight. They are then coated in 22 Carat gold. The lenses are then are then dripped with gold, but not the 22 Carat, that’s what gives them the reflective look.”(4)

Another great example (above right) of the material Linda Farrow uses is a cat eye frame made from acetate but the arms are covered in lavender snakeskin, which corresponds to the colour of the lense.

Using these materials has surprisingly not made any impact on the public or press due to the ethics behind sourcing such exotic skins. Many other large companies get their products slated for using animal products, but perhaps the public have become more acceptable to high-end brands using unique especially sourced materials. Linda Farrow are not concerned with environmental ethics, when questioned they responded;

‘As a company, we are trying to cut down our footprint but we don’t look at eco-friendly materials. We would love to work with Stella McCartney, it would add a whole new concept to eyewear” (5)

Linda Farrow source all their manufacturing in Japan, where the country holds a strong reputation for good, well made products and therefore quality assurance can be monitored carefully.

Packaging used by this brand is also of the highest of standards. The formal navy outer box is set out like a jewellery box and intends to be kept as a souvenir. Inside are a velvet lining and the pair of sunglasses wrapped in a leather sheath that can then be removed and reused as a protective cover. The entireties of the extras alongside the sunglasses are carefully considered with no expense spared, especially colour, simple hues are more elegant and give a more luxury appeal. Bright colours are associated with high street labels due to their packaging, giving off an overall rough immodest appearance.

“We aim to be the ultimate in luxury, but also understand that we want all people from different demographics to experience luxury. That’s why we do collaborations with different brands. Therefore the eyewear can be sold at a different price point relevant to the brand we have merged with” (6)

As a way of spreading the Linda Farrow name in a dynamic, secluded way, collaborations were made with other luxury apparel brands. The first collection created as a collaboration that Linda Farrow did was with Dries Van Noten and Jeremy Scott. The main reason behind creating collaborative collections was to make the brand more accessible to the mass market by lowering the price point. This proved to be a huge advancement on the Linda Farrow brand, with the collections in music videos and names as large as Lady Gaga wearing the eyewear. The ‘Mickey’ frame with hinged lenses seemed the most successful and by providing them at a third of the average price of a Linda Farrow product at only £285.

        

Until the last 18months, customers have had to buy the products through Liberty’s and a few exclusive companies. Only recently have they launched a website and retail shop where the consumer can purchase. As a company they find the majority of their sales are online due to the majority of customers being situated abroad. However they are trying to change this by making the retail side more attractive. They hope to hold more stores in cities worldwide but they are concerned that the brand may become diluted in its luxury approach by holding too many stores and lacking control. Also they believe this is a huge risk by going into retail as it is incredibly costly to portray the luxury image well.

 “It’s a culture thing. Middle easterners like the golden, shiny collections as it suits their skin tone much better than us pallid Brit’s. They find the platinum too masculine, but they prefer the rose gold frames”(7)

The products are unisex, some of the designs have more of a sway towards one gender or the other, which can depend on the size of the lense or width of frame. Linda Farrow believes their average customer to be largely Middle Eastern based. This could be due to many factors; as there is a large Muslim culture in the Middle East, due to their attire, the only way of creating individuality is through eyewear. Another reason could be as this is a price point that they find reasonable, with many affluent families living in the wealthy capital Dubai. Many of the designs within Linda Farrow have been tailored to suit this customer, with a price point ranging from £300-£1000.

By holding their products within Liberty’s department store, Linda Farrows competitors increase. Widely known as a place to source the most exclusive items, surely Liberty’s must be full of competition. When visited in the Liberty’s store, Linda Farrow is not set apart from the other sunglasses and blends in very well to the other eyewear.  As a brand, which sets itself above all other eyewear companies, they do not believe they have much competition.

‘No I don’t believe we do have a main competitor because we are such a niche. In terms of money, in Selfridges our big competitor is David Clulow.’ (8)

This said, David Clulow does not manufacture their own eyewear; instead they are a franchise, which sells large brands such as Oliver Peoples, Ralph Lauren, D&G and provide optical care and services alongside. This does not mean they are a competitor as Linda Farrow holds their own line of products and shall hold an entirely different mission.

A large competitor of Linda Farrow is Cutler and Gross, otherwise known as C&G. The company is an independent boutique based in Knightsbridge, London, C&G pride themselves on their large eyewear museum within the store. Established since 1969, Cutler and Gross hold a reputation for their contemporary and highly innovative use of materials and unique design.

This product (below) is a classic design that has been handmade within Italy using acetate and can be sourced in many other colours. The range is suited to their customers who like to express their individuality. Each design is a bold statement and gives an impression of true British design.

“Cutler and Gross is a visionary British luxury eyewear brand that has been creating sunglasses and opticals for the discerning client with a sense of individual style for 46 years. The brand produces the highest quality frames, all finished by hand with the most meticulous attention to detail, using a wealth of traditional artisanal eyewear craftsmanship in its own factory in Cadore, Italy.” (9)

Conclusion

Linda Farrow is still a very young company with it’s name growing as every collection and collaboration is made. The social media popularity behind the brand is expanding rapidly, with its presence trying hard to keep an opulent and extravagant image.

The future for the Linda Farrow brand is to become more retail based and tangible. Tactile features are a huge importance behind a luxury company, showing that quality and substance are behind the product. As the majority of Linda Farrow clients are abroad and buy products mostly online, this puts a hesitation on buying something incredibly expensive and most probably hinders sales. As the company plans to open more retail stores globally, this shall help to improve sales and customer satisfaction.

Bibliography

The quotes

(1),(3) the Linda Farrow website;

http://uk.lindafarrow.com/

(2) Article based on the Linda Farrow brand;

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/in-the-frame-linda-farrow--brains-behind-sunglasses-brand-delving-into-our-shady-past-8784182.html

(4),(5),(6),(7),(8) All taken from an interview with the Linda Farrow Shop Assistant.

(9) The Cutler & Gross website;

http://www.cutlerandgross.com/legacy/

The Final Design

This is the design that as a group we felt represented Verdure best and would suit our customer. It has elements of classic shaping and colouring that will make the pair timeless. The cat eye shape tends to suit most face shapes and the gap between the frame and lense helps to tone down the marble effect.
the centre has the logo embedded into the frame work, making the design easily recognisable.

Materials and creating this design in an eco-friendly manner

I have recently discovered an eco-friendly material that can be injection-moulded into any shape. Arborform uses wood pulp alongside a natural resin, i would use this for the frame. I would then cover the frame in a lacquer that would produce the marbled effect. Arborform can stand intensely high heat and therefore will be perfect for holidays.

For the lenses, i would use an eco-friendly acetate, which is only slightly more expensive than a normal acrylic. The tint will be black and shall provide UV protection.

The Chain and weight can be made from a silver that is sustainably sourced and is regarded as highly ethical.

Illustrator Versions

These are illustrator versions of the designs made by Kelly. This is so that the collection has a correlated and flowing imagery. By doing this, it gives a clear impression of the true design and our intentions behind colour, materials and shape. It also produces a much more realistic image of the potential behind the item. I love the last design. I feel the shape is brilliantly classic but is maybe too mainstream and will be easily replicated.

Kellys Designs

These are designs by my co-designer, Kelly. 

We really like the simple shapes and the spacing between frame and lense. In reality this will make the item a lot weaker and will not help to portray a high quality brand. This can be avoided if we can find a good way of ensuring the durability, such as using invisible thread made from a plastic substance to hold the lense in place.

I really like the idea of the chain and weight for a way of balancing. It will give the brand an individuality and an extra niche. This also means the metal must be eco-friendly and must be sourced without too much cost.

Initial Designs

These were my initial designs; building up from just a marble base, adding black lenses, then giving an extra luxury appearance of a rose gold metal wire. We found this extra to be too much of a hazard to the customer and unnecessary. Simplicity is key in creating a classic item. I really like the cat eye shape in the central design, it will suit many faces helping to accentuate cheekbones. 

Colour Palette

For our first collection, we wanted a range of sunglasses that portray a sense of classic luxury. By creating such products, we shall be understand how customers respond to them and determine whether the range should continued and used as a basis for future collections.
From the research we collected on the London trip, we understood that there is huge demand for tortoiseshell eyewear. Tortoiseshell is reminiscent of a classic 1920's look, when eyewear was made of a much higher quality than the majority of glasses currently on the market. The supply of tortoiseshell eyewear, we feel, has been met. Verdure would like to push this idea further and produce eyewear with an even more classic feel by using the appearance of a much more timeless material, Marble.
After visiting London and the Linda Farrow showroom, we found the majority of their designs had a rose gold tint. This suits the majority of skintones and gives a high luxury appearance. As a group, we agreed it really set the eyewear apart from other designs.

MODIP

Museum of Design in Plastics

After a meeting with Susan Lambert, Head of MoDIP, I discovered the potentials of eco-materials as plastics. There are very few that are eco and durable at the same time. Injection moulding seems like a route that we may be able to find a solution. 

Most sunglasses are made out of cellulose acetate however this does not biodegrade well. 

Another idea for creating the frames, might be through using 3D printing.

A product that Susan showed me was a Tom Dixon picnic set, made entirely out of biodegradable materials which can be placed within compost waste at the end of it's necessity. The colours do not necessarily have to be black. the marbled effect we are looking for could be achieved through using different water soluble resins. Although the products can be dissolved in water, they are able to withstand water for a short time. therefore if the sunglasses are dropped in the pool on holiday, they shall be safe. As the crockery is able to stand boiling water, they too shall be able to withstand the heat of the sun.

The only problem i have found from using this material is the weight. Eyewear has to be lightweight and this bamboo resin isn't the lightest, however this can be compromised if the frame is minimal and slim.

I especially like the shine and feel of this material.

Gucci

Gucci and their commitment to environmental responsibility;

Gucci merged their eco-friendly ideas for an eyewear collection with another eyewear brand 'Safilo'. Safilo group are the men behind the production of the majority of luxury eyewear on a worldwide basis. Above is the end result of this collaboration.

 Since 2010 Gucci have produced eco-friendly packaging especially for their eyewear collections. The only mention of materials are the use of FCS-certified paper for the shopping bag.

Cradle to Cradle

This term is a design approach that considers economically, socially and industrially, systems that are efficient but more importantly waste free. The entire cycle is constantly in motion and has no end point, proving that the product will always be in use and shall provide an advantage to whichever stage it is at. The play on words is taken from the phrase 'from cradle to grave'; instead cradle to cradle gives a much more positive view and shows the ability to recreate new product life through products that have finished their use to the customer.

This can be shown through a cycle diagram as shown below;

There are many companies that try to use this method. An exciting example of this is an unfamiliar substance; "Mushroom Materials' which is as you would assume, taken from mushroom fibre and other waste products within agriculture. These composites create a 'high performance, biobased home compostable alternative to expanded plastic foam'. This material is then used as an eco-friendly version of packaging.

C2C is a factor that we must consider within the design of our own eyewear. How the materials shall be sourced, hopefully locally to reduce CO2 miles, and the way that the customer shall dispose of them. We shall consider the use of the eco-material and its durabilities, hoping to giving a long product life. Another thing to consider is packaging; many luxury companies use an extortionate amount of wrapping just to give the product an extra touch of luxury. Cardboard is the most widely used packaging material for eco-friendly companies as it has a large strength, absorbing impact and can biodegrade quickly compared to plastic.

Barrow and Flux

Local brand Barrow and Flux pride their selves on handmade, wooden sunglasses made within the UK. All based within Dorset, each piece is made through demand. This eliminates the need for over producing or creating waste, however it also doesn't give the customer an idea of price or aesthetics (other than wood). This factor must make a vast difference to their sales. Barrow and Flux must want the customer to feel involved in the creation of the products, giving a personal touch and potentially creating higher customer satisfaction.

'We hand select the wood - choosing locally sourced materials, to make our own veneers. Each pair are beautifully crafted, unique & are the combination of years of experience and attention to detail. We use locally produced textiles, optics & paper - all made in England.'

This is an example of their packaging. I like the use of the wood, continuing the brands' theme. I also feel this brand has so much more potential. As a uniquely made pair of sunglasses, the packaging doesn't not look made as a one off and resembles more of a wine box. This box also seems way too bulky to be able to carry around daily with the eyewear inside. 

These are all considerations that Verdure must test; learning what the customer wants and needs.

To view their video on the production of the eyewear, follow the link below;

Barrow and Flux