Children today want colourful and sophisticated eyewear. Mike Hale takes a look at some of the latest styles designed for a patient base of discerning kids, 'tweens' and teenagers
The rise of the celebrity mini-me has seen the children of the rich and famous decked out in designer gear from the cradle onwards. Think of Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz Beckham or Will Smith's children Jaden and Willow, whose apparel and accessories are selected as carefully as their parents'. This is indicative of a wider trend that sees parents increasingly expected to provide the latest fashions for their offspring. Crucially this includes eyewear, and opportunities abound for practices that can offer the eyewear that children, and purse string holding mum and dad, covet.
'In many ways the children's sector is one of the most exciting,' comments Neal Grimason, sales and marketing director at Continental Eyewear. 'Attracting the kids into a practice will automatically mean their parents will also have their eye examination carried out at the same place. Children visit the practice at least once a year and often need a change of prescription and frame. Thus it is essential for practices to constantly refresh the choice of frames they have available, therefore maintaining the excitement of a visit of children to see their optometrist. Children are very vocal when selecting their eyewear. Today they require stylish eyewear which means colour, boldness and sophistication.'
Segmented market
The children's market is best understood in three sub sectors: infant, tween and teenage. The boundaries between each vary according to the individual child's development but infants' frames typically appeal until around eight years, with tween styles then taking over until the teenage years are reached. Generally, children are developing faster than ever before so it is important to be attuned to the needs of the individual rather than having rigid rules.
'Children as young as four and five now know exactly what they want from their frames,' says Howard Librae, managing director of Brulimar. 'They know what colours and brands they like and are increasingly involved in the purchasing decision. From the age of eight, children want more sophisticated designs that emulate adult fashions as closely as possible, with more subtle, understated branding. This group of tweens needs to be catered for individually.'
Andrew Actman, of Optoplast Actman, underlines the importance of segmenting the children's market.
'It's important that kids, tween and teen styles interpret the latest trends in eyewear but there's more scope for kid's frames to diverge slightly with more fun elements,' he says. 'Tweens and teens frames are a little bit more serious so as to avoid being considered too young. Very fashion-conscious, teenagers like trendy designs - simply scaled down adult styles. The teen market is also very aware of brand names and they're attracted to the more affordable fashion-forward retail brands rather than premium designer. Even if there isn't a logo on the temple they're still assured that their eyewear is on-trend when they buy into a well-known fashion label.'
'It is essential that teens are treated differently from kids,' adds David Coe, marketing manager at International Eyewear. 'They are a different consumer group with different demands. Kids are drawn to the individual design of a frame, whereas the majority of teens will already know the style of frame they want before they have even entered the practice. Teens are more likely to want something which is trendy and eye-catching - they want statement eyewear!'
Distinctive temples
Danish frame brand Kliik, available in the UK from Distinctive Eyewear, accommodates teens and tweens in its range. KL-420 is a stainless steel, full rim frame with a rectangular eye shape that is said to be subtle with pops of colour. Another key frame in the range, KL-423 is a combination frame for girls with a stainless steel front and flexible TR-90 graphic print temples. The model is lightweight and comes in a selection of five trendy colours.
Luxottica's Ray-Ban brand's Junior collection is made to the same high standards as the adult counterparts with the supplied lenses exceeding industry standards. The two new optical styles RY1025 and RY1524 both reflect designs in the adult collection.
Brulimar's latest offering for teens and tweens is Pineapple Eyewear, a collection aimed at fashion-savvy females. The designs feature Swarovski crystals, day-glow pinks and musical motifs. The dance brand's funky and flirty attitude is reflected in the frames, which are aimed at young fashionistas with an eye for style.
Brulimar's Bench Kids portfolio caters for the tween market. Reflecting trends seen in adult fashion, the collection is designed specifically for smaller faces, giving opticians a way of increasing sales among this valuable and growing audience. The Bench Kids range features angular eye shapes, lightweight materials and the distinctive streetwear-inspired Bench colour palette, including gunmetals, pinks, blues and browns.
Continental Eyewear's Lazer Junior range for children includes frames constructed out of metals, plastics and combinations of both. The plastics are available in laminated colours, while the metals come in a comprehensive variety. The recent additions to the collection feature metal fronts with plastic sides and the sides are available with different patterns as well as different colours.
While the Lazer Junior range has styles and sizes available for infants up to teenagers, offering greater sophistication is Continental's Zenith Zest collection. Launched just over a year ago, Zenith Zest frames are aimed at teenagers and offer the styling features and detailing of adult frames but scaled down.
Sporting trend
Marchon provides options for children's eyewear with various Nike and Xgames branded frames. Nike Junior NK5556 features a metal front with double laminated acetate temples with spring hinges. The temples feature waffle tread patterns inspired by footwear designs and the frame is available in a range of vibrant colours.
The Xgames are often referred to as the Olympics of action sports like skateboarding and snowboarding. Xgames Eyewear reflects the attitude and style of the event, with progressive shapes and sporty, unique colours. A Flexon nose bridge and spring hinges ensure flexibility and endurance.
Minima Eyewear carries two key designs that allow children to enjoy the sophistication of its adult eyewear. Minima Junior is a direct descendent of the adult frames Minima 1 and 2. Made from a slightly thinner core titanium, it has been adapted for children's face shapes and is recommended as the ideal frame to cope with general day to day rough and tumble. Minima Junior is available in 15 colours and two bridges (approximately 14mm and 16mm).
A more sporty and casual look is offered by Minima Junior 22g. With a soft feel and its non-slip feature, this style, which is made of double wire temples, is said to be highly comfortable. Minima Junior 22 has temple sleeves that stabilise the frame on the face and the bridge (available in approximately 14mm and 16mm) is fitted with silicone mini nose pads to fit young noses comfortably. Minima Junior 22g is available in 17 combination colours on a base of polished titanium.
Danish firm Ørgreen Optics has two styles that are particularly popular with children. The Speedster frame is suitable for girls aged 8-12 years and features clean lines that are further optimised by the concealment of the rim lock in the hinge. Speedster is available in six different colour combinations from subtle hues to metallics against bright accents.
Part of Ørgreen's Helium collection, Eagle is a unisex youth frame aimed at a similar age range to that of Speedster. It is produced in an ultra-light, flexible, and strong beta-titanium alloy and employs a minimalist design. The lines are clear and distinct, while the overall ultra-thin design means the frames are extremely light.
Adidas Eyewear has recently launched its new smaller style for the Ambition range. Available in metal or SPX, the frames are tailored for young people and are said to combine technical expertise with colourful, stylish design that appeals effectively to young people.
The Swissflex SLR Kids and Swissflex Classic for Kids ranges, available from The Eyewear Company, are constructed from a lightweight and flexible high-tech polymer that is non-toxic and eliminates problems including slippage and skin irritations.
The styles are available both as full-frames and rimless models. The full-rim comes in three sizes that accommodate ages from baby to teen while the rimless can be constructed to any size and shape required. Both versions come with a choice of patented bridges to obtain optimum fit and are suitable for sports due to the light but strong construction material.
For the teens, International Eyewear offers Humphrey's eyewear, which is said to target a young and stylish clientele with a partiality for vibrant colours and stand-out fashion designs. A key example of the range is model 583002, which is available in black, brown or blackberry.
The Star Wars brand, with its instantly recognisable characters, is exceptionally strong with younger boys and International Eyewear supplies all frames from the range with a striking case. The company also caters for younger children with its Eyestuff collection, which features Swiss TR90 temples and a core wire in the tips ensuring that frames can be adjusted for an individual fit. The range is epitomised by Eyestuff MoneyBags, which is a metal full rim frame in a trendy eye shape.
Emporium Eyewear has a strong presence in the tween market thanks to its Hannah Montana licence. The Hannah Montana television programme is the most viewed show by tween viewers currently broadcast and the latest frames feature an image of the character's face lasered onto the temple. For older children, Emporium offers the BMX Teen range, which features modern styles with the types of shapes teens see their parents and elder siblings wearing.
Said to be appealing and witty, Safilo's Seventh Street optical frames are dedicated to the younger generation, with lively design and trendy colours.
The acetate optical frames feature rectangular shapes, personalised by the temple logo on models including S158. This frame also has flexible hinges and comes in cyclamen/wisteria, pink/lilac, lilac/pink and dark violet/light violet.
From the forthcoming autumn collection, a stand out frame is the S142, which features 1950s-inspired lines and a dainty, round shape. The frame is said to be ideal for youngsters aiming for an individual look.
The Animal Youth line from Inspecs is designed to echo the vibe of the brand's core collections for men and women. The frames come in specialist youth sizes for smaller faces and feature a variety of graphics and treatments. Frames include model Y04-007 and Animal Y06-061, which has surf inspired graphics for the teenage market. Y05-004 features a wearable sheet steel front in satin black finish with monochrome print acetate temple
For younger children, Optoplast Actman has recently developed glow-in-the-dark frames using illuminating materials on the sides. 'Glow-in-the-dark bats add the wow factor to a spooky-themed frame,' says Andrew Actman. 'Character branding is a great attraction and can bring frames to life for kids. Whether it's a fun character like Scooby Doo on the side of a frame or even a decal on the lenses they instantly relate to their favourite cartoon character.'
Also from Optoplast Actman, Oasis Eyewear is said to be an ideal brand for the teen market that features an aspirational high street fashion name. ?