When it comes to iconic eyewear that’s truly stood the test of time, I’m not sure it gets much bigger than Superman – or, more specifically, Clark Kent before he transforms into our favourite superhero.
Last week, I found myself immersed in the super world of global brand licensing when I was invited to Warner Bros to discuss the new Superman film ahead of its release next year.
I really didn’t know what to expect. As some of you might know, I’ve enjoyed a long and varied career making eyewear for films all over the world. From niche French arthouse films to Bollywood movies and Hollywood blockbusters, I’ve been lucky enough to have done them all.
Working with the actors, strolling up the red carpets and seeing my creations on the silver screen all give me tremendous satisfaction. But I’m a designer and entrepreneur with staff and bills to pay – I need to make a living. And the aim of my movie tie-ins has always been to turn the partnerships into hard cash.
I managed this with The Matrix franchise. Having created more than 200 bespoke frames that featured in The Matrix Resurrections (for characters including Neo, Trinity and Morpheus), I made a range of Matrix glasses. I couldn’t seem to give them away to opticians. ‘Too risky,’ was the general feedback. But then the film came out and they flew off my shelves. I sold thousands and still do.
Then came the film Wonka. Almost no one thought it would be possible to make glasses which change colour in the sun or smell of giraffe milk. Somehow, I did both. But selling them? Well, that was a lot harder. Opticians didn’t buy them, nor did the public in any great quantity.
So, on to Superman. I’ve already made Clark Kent’s actual glasses for the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Superman remains one of the biggest brands in the world. Clark Kent himself is synonymous with eyewear. What can go wrong?
I arrived at Warner Bros HQ and walked through what looked like a secret door. I didn’t realise that there would be other people there, but they had put on a full visitor experience covering the history of Superman. A bit like the Science Museum but better. I was chuffed to see that they even had my own Clark Kent frames in one of the displays.
There must have been at least 100 brand licensees attending from all over the world. I was introduced to global heads of this and that and, after munching on some super cakes washed down with super smoothies (I wanted to swipe them to sell on eBay but managed to resist), we sat down in the cinema for the presentation.
I sat next to a person from a luxury watch brand that sells Superman watches – for £100k. That made me feel that I might be selling some expensive Tom Davies Superman sunnies. The presentation was amazing. The big number that popped out to me is that Superman is known by 97% of the global population. Ninety-seven percent!
That’s brand recognition beyond pretty much anything else. Then came their strategy on how they are attracting the younger generation to make sure they fall in love with Superman and all the other DC Comics characters in the future. I have to confess it made my own paltry efforts pushing out content on Instagram feel pathetic.
These global super giants love their brands but, most importantly, make sure they are loved by their audiences. There are tens of thousands of people involved in a brand like Superman. It’s more than just a summer blockbuster – Warner Bros is rolling hard into this for the entire year. A multibillion dollar spectacular.
At the end of it, I’d filled the super notebook they’d given me with all sorts of ideas. My heart was filled with Superman, mostly rekindling my childhood passions. I left wondering what I could do for my small contribution next year and sat in the taxi on the way home designing sunglasses and optical frames.
The big questions for me now are: can this excitement and passion reach opticians and then their customers around the world? And is this going to be a Matrix or a Wonka? We’ll find out next year. But I’m super excited to be part of it.
