‘MORE IS MORE’ Camilla collection to colour the eyewear scene

Australian luxury label Camilla has turned to Sunshades Eyewear to bring its iconic designs to life in its first eyewear collection. Insight goes behind the scenes to discover the value the new range will create for optical practices.

As a three-practice independent optometry business, Central Coast Eyecare in NSW places significant value on having access to luxury eyewear brands that help set the family-owned practice apart. Through its long-term supplier relationship with Sunshades Eyewear, labels like Oroton and Gucci have been best-sellers among its patients who would have otherwise travelled long distances to Sydney to touch and feel brands of such vintage.

“On the Central Coast and places like Bathurst where I grew up, we’ve had many chain and department stores close or reduce in size, so the ability for people to get their hands on high-end branded products is decreasing,” says Mrs Lisa Hooper, operations manager for the business’ locations in Erina, Gosford and Killarney Vale.

“As an independent optometry business, it’s important we have a point-of-difference with the eyewear we stock that can also act as an entry point for many people seeking out those iconic brands; they may not be able to obtain the clutch or the handbag, but the sunglass or optical frame is more realistic option.”

With this in mind, Hooper is excited about the latest luxury brand to join the comprehensive Sunshades Eyewear stable. The Sydney-based company has secured the license to design, manufacture and distribute the first eyewear collection for Camilla, founded by one of Australia’s foremost fashion designers Ms Camilla Franks in 2004.

The brand, originally known for its bright kaftan designs, is revered globally for its artistic, innovative and intricate designs inspired by trips to exotic countries (at the time of writing Camilla and her team were visiting Egypt). It has grown into a global print house with a presence in 55 countries and loyal following, branching out into ready-to-wear garments, accessories such as jewellery, belts, clutches, as well as shoes and homewares.

Camilla’s entrance into the eyewear sphere is a unique proposition for independent optometry practices like Central Coast Eyewear (ProVision) who are excited to see the brand’s mission to “colour the world” translated into an eyewear collection. In fact, Hooper says her practice’s frame displays are arranged by colour, not by brand, and can see the range filling an important gap in the practice.

“I’m most excited by the use of colour – that’s the essence of Camilla. It’s just beautiful works of art,” she says.

“Camilla has such strong brand recognition, it will be a real drawcard and certain demographics just love their ranges. When it comes to choosing what to display, I’ll be packing in as much colour. The fact that we can now access a brand of this calibre in independent optometry practices is fantastic and I can’t wait – I’ve even left two windows vacant for [promotional materials] once we have the range in stock.”

Camilla Chooses A Trusted Partner

As a luxury label, Camilla has been interested in an eyewear collection for some time and it perhaps comes as no surprise that it has turned to fellow Sydneysiders, Sunshades Eyewear, who are experts in executing the end-to-end frame design, manufacture and distribution of licenced brands.

Sunshades Eyewear creative director Mr Hamish Tame, who has helped oversee the creation of the new collection, says both entities believe it’s the right time for Camilla’s arrival on the eyewear scene.

“In 2020/21, Sunshades Eyewear were looking at opportunities for the domestic optometry market – there was this demand for higher-end, European brands that incorporate a lot of colour and play with textures, but they do it in a very European way that doesn’t always translate to the needs of the Australian market,” he explains.

“We went back to Camilla and said this is how we think we can take the essence of your brand – that celebration of ‘more is more’ – to create something unique, and they were into the idea. It almost felt like the perfect dating partnership in that we were very familiar with one another and our offices are located just around the corner. It ticks all the right boxes for what we expect to be a great product in the local optometry market and internationally as well.”

For Tame’s design team, it’s been a fascinating creative process working with Camilla. Typically, they find themselves paring back designs for a more minimalistic feel, but Camilla has challenged them capture the founder’s free-spirit, wanderlust soul and adventurous heart by creating gilded frames studded with glittering accents and exotic details that are brought to life with vibrant colour, bold design and playful prints.

“It’s exciting to work with someone with such a love of product – the force of Camilla is that she loves to celebrate colour, life and travel, and you can’t help but be intoxicated by that,” Tame explains.

“That’s why the brand feels so special, because they’ve managed to create a unique perspective on design that not many international brands out there can achieve in the same way.”

As a result, the respective Camilla and Sunshades Eyewear design teams have collaborated to create a collection comprising around 120 pieces, evenly split between optical and sunglasses pieces. It’s a relatively large collection on par with other Australian brands like Oroton. For independent practices, Tame says the Camilla collection offers something for everyone. It’s segmented into three groups, with “unicorn” pieces offering colour, shapes and embellishments for people who want to stand out, mid-tier pieces that might incorporate an interesting acetate with a more classic design, and the core range of classic styles that are more subdued while still offering a point-of-difference.

“There’s a lot of analysis and ranging architecture that goes into producing something desirable and that, when it enters the optometry store, actually turns and sells and is a worthwhile commercial proposition,” Tame says.

For metropolitan independents – where many practices have a more boutique offering – Tame expects Camilla’s more expressive unicorn pieces to sit nicely alongside other Sunshades Eyewear-supplied brands like Cartier, Gucci and Balenciaga, offering similar levels of luxury at a more affordable price point.

“And when you think of regional areas like some of our great optometrists in Tamworth or the NSW South Coast, Camilla’s classic designs are sitting above brands like Ray-Ban, Vogue or Ted Baker. It can be more aspirational, but still classical,” he says.

“The great thing about Camilla is it’s not single-minded in terms of offering one solution to a particular type of customer. It’s more about what range you can tailor to that specific optical practice: are they seeking something that sits in that luxury sphere, or maybe something that becomes the pinnacle piece in their store?”

‘A RANGE FOR THE HUMANS OF THE WORLD’

When creating the eyewear range, Sunshades Eyewear has been tasked with committing to Camilla’s brand values: vibrant, free and diverse, always unexpected, and artisan spirit.

For founder Ms Camilla Franks, sunglasses and spectacles are the cherry on top of every great look.

“More is more, and I love having fun with accessories. Everyone’s invited to the Camilla party, so there’s a style of frame for every personality,” she says.

“Maximalist, minimalist, urbanist or adventurer, this is a range for the humans of the world. It’s for lovers of exploration, of late night escapades, and sojourns through ancient cities.”

Franks says “this is fashion for your face”. She believes the eyewear range is as unique as Camilla’s other collections and just like its garments, they will elicit a feeling when people place the eyewear on their face.

“The signature Camilla DNA is core to every project I work on and is imbued within this range of shades,” she explains.

“Elements like bedazzled arms, charms, and playful colours are evocative of joy. Everything I design is created with love, to make you smile. I hope you enjoy soaking up mother nature’s golden rays with a pair of my sunglasses this summer and beyond.”

LOCAL MINDSET, GLOBAL REACH

Sunshades Eyewear prides itself on being much more than a wholesaler. The company has been trusted with producing eyewear for other iconic Australasian brands such as Oroton and Karen Walker, providing creative direction through its in-house design team and high quality manufacturing through its eight factory partners.

In the case of Camilla, Sunshades Eyewear has engaged the services of a factory that has a more than 35-year relationship with that specialises in more boutique collections and understands the importance of intricate details, as well as look, feel and weight.

The company also has a comprehensive network of optical practices (independent and corporate) across Australia, and can help practices tailor their frame ranges for their demographics. Practices like Central Coast Eyecare also value the assistance they get with sales strategies and innovative promotional offers. And many of the sunglass ranges it produces can be found in fast-fashion/department stores like David Jones.

As such, the company has grown into an Australian eyewear powerhouse with global reach. However, many of the founding principles embedded by Ms Bette Lasse, the mother of current CEO Mr Rodney Grunseit who established the company in 1969, continue to drive the company today.

“When brands like Camilla partner with us, they get both ends of the spectrum; someone who can take their product to a global network of stores, but who’s also that family-owned company that’s nearby to help build genuine, friendly business relationships,” Tame explains.

“While we’re all about supporting the Australian fashion industry and working with like-minded people, it’s equally important for us to create product that resonates with an Australian consumer. We’re ensuring we partner with the most-forward thinking brands that offer a unique perspective and have a great brand following.”

Tame says once the Camilla eyewear collection is launched and established in Australia, Sunshades Eyewear plans to take it to global markets through its distributor partners.

“The focus for now is to ensure we make this work for Australia first, because we have generally found that if we can achieve that, then the success follows overseas.”