Specsavers has thrown its weight behind a complete revamp of in-house fashion frame collection Osiris.
The entire Osiris range will be replaced by new designs in mid-August as part of efforts to make the brand more fashionable and better quality.
Stig Hansen, global frame range developer for Osiris, said: ‘Osiris is one of the biggest eyewear brands in terms of volume in the world. The old range has been phased out to revamp the whole brand so this is a new beginning for us.
‘Osiris was a bit behind so we made the decision to make the quality even better, more on-trend and better value for money.’
Sixty skus (stock-keeping units) have been designed for the 2013 collection, all by Danish designer Jørgen Simonsen, known for work with brands including Valentino, Chanel and Givenchy but creating his first eyewear collection.
‘We wanted a designer with a different view on it, and we wanted to raise the bar,’ Hansen told Optician. ‘When we took the decision to make Osiris more coherent I contacted Jørgen and said to him there were no limitations to the designs.’
Specsavers has tested 16 skus of the new range through a silent launch in Australia and the Nordics, reporting a 30 per cent sales climb on other Osiris frames. ‘It is a good indicator this will work in the UK,’ added Hansen.
Specsavers booked the top two floors of The Gherkin building in London to stage a high profile launch of the product last week, attracting celebrities including Tim Vincent, Diana Vickers and Pixie Geldof.
Richard Holmes, Specsavers marketing director, said: ‘The Osiris launch is our largest ever investment in a designer eyewear collection. We are investing heavily in the future of the Osiris brand.’
By Joe Ayling.