Pinfeel eyewear is to be 'reborn' through a tripartite agreement between Hoya, Riviera Rimless and Caseco.
Riviera Rimless, the Devon-based high quality glazing lab, has licensed the Pinfeel technology from Hoya and is working with its two partners to revamp the product and distribution.
The ultra-minimalist, rimless technology will see a collection of new designs to complement its classic range and a practitioner awareness campaign will coincide with Optrafair next April.
While new products have continued to be added to the Pinfeel global range, Hoya in the UK has been concentrating on its high technology lenses and coatings. Martin Batho, managing director of Hoya, UK, said the current range of designs hadn't been added to for five years but that was no reflection of the popularity or technical attractiveness of the Pinfeel technology. 'We weren't really bringing new designs to the market with Pinfeel. A lot of what we were doing were re-glazes. We got to the point of "what should we do with it?".'
Riviera's sales and marketing director, Neil Jones, said it had been offering Pinfeel glazing for some time and that the technology had a great following among optical practitioners and patients.
'This is something truly original and we are in a market where everything is the same but everyone is looking for something different.'
The new products have been tested in Japan to conform to Hoya's global Pinfeel standards and will be manufactured there.
'There's a wow factor with Pinfeel,' said Jules Clarke, sales director of frames and accessories distributor Caseco. He said his designers were working on 'Eurofied' versions of the global Pinfeel collection that would be: 'very modern, very trendy and very saleable.'
Pinfeel is a patented technology that allows the frame to be attached to the lens using holes drilled at the sides. This leaves the lens surfaces clear for improved vision and cleaning. The sales forces and distribution channels of all three companies will promote the new designs.