As far as fashion accessories go, shades top the list in glamorising your look. It has become a shield for some celebrities, a part of their arsenal in hiding from exuberant fans as they tend to wear it both day and night; but hey! Who wouldn’t want to flaunt a pair of N50,000 shades at any time of the day?
According to Larry Leight, founder and creative director of cult sunglasses brand Oliver Peoples, “a woman should consider owning a pair of sunglasses for any type of activity that she does, the same way she would with shoes.” Shades as fashion accessories, are here to stay as they keep evolving along with the look of the day or decade.
House of Lunettes, HOL, an online sunglasses boutique, that boasts of over 28 brands of exotic designer shades, made its debut in October 2014. Its’ phenomenal growth is a reflection of Nigeria’s love for luxury items and of course as Leight says, “A great pair of sunglasses is a pair that makes you feel good. You should be comfortable in them and love the way they fit and feel on your face.”
Leveraging on the country’s population of over 160 million and the climatic conditions with longer days of intense sunshine, House of Lunettes realised a potent need in terms of access to authentic designer sunglasses and plunged right into the e-commerce space via its website providing customers with a wide selection of styles and prices from global brands. Prior to House of Lunettes’s operations in Nigeria, the only source of sunglasses were replicas from vendors or limited selections at high end boutiques.
“This is one of the major reasons we are in business as overwhelming feedback received from the market place indicates a positive response to our product offerings and prices,” enthused Akin Olaoye, the CEO.
According to him, HOL sunglasses are sourced from authorised wholesale distributors in United States and Europe which include brands such as Armani, Carrera, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Versace, Ray-Ban, Versace, Burberry, Chloe and more.
“All our sunglasses are accompanied with the authentic designer case, manufacturer’s card and wipe cloths. We are focused on customer satisfaction, so we make sure that the styles and selections we carry meet the high taste of the Nigerian market,” Olaoye said.
This web-front store provides customers with the option of purchasing designer eye-wear online and having it shipped to an address anywhere in the country for free.
Based on the styles trending in the fashion industry, customer choices have varied widely in regards to the styles being sought after, like an analysis of orders placed showed an increase in demand for Ray-Ban Wayfarers and Club-Masters.
Also noticeable are the requests from ladies seeking over-sized sunglasses particularly in our Jimmy Choo, Fendi and Prada design selections. The original Ray-Ban aviators are a classic choice, though the Clubmaster’s popularity shows no sign of slowing down. Some designs by Emporio Armani take their cue from teashades, injecting the sixties appeal into their latest collections.
Olaoye says HOL’s designer sunglasses are sourced directly from the brand distributors and are 100 percent authentic with UV protection. Customers enjoy the assurance that purchasing their favourite designer sunglasses from HOL guarantees authenticity with no worries of having cheap designer replicas.
All HOL sunglasses are priced in a way that they ensure value proposition to the customer and compete with the market prices in the US, UK or UAE. With prices for these beauties ranging from NGN19,000 to NGN30,000 for Armani Exchange, Ralph Lauren and Carrera Sunglasses. Its mid-tier designer shades range between NGN30,000 to NGN50,000 for Hugo Boss, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Ray-Ban and Marc Jacobs.
Tom Ford, Prada, Gucci, TODs and Jimmy Choo are some of the most expensive brands in HOL’s collections.
Tom Ford: In April 2005, Ford announced the creation of the Tom Ford brand. In that same year, Ford announced his partnership with Marcolin Group to produce and distribute optical frames and sunglasses, as well as an alliance with Estee Lauder to create the Tom Ford beauty brand.
Both the eyewear and beauty collections have been hugely successful and rank in the top 3 brands at speciality stores worldwide, winning him two ace awards from the US accessory council (2001 & 2006) in recognition of his new sunglass line.
Prada: The iconic Prada Triangle logo enriches the new pilot style of spring/summer 2014 eyewear collection. Founded in 1913 in Milan, Prada glasses are among the most coloured, shiny and eccentric, garnering a wide range of patronising faithful as it is a great collection for who wants to show an aristocratic elegance.
Gucci: Gucci glasses are one of the most luxury accessories you can possess. The shades take its inspiration from the Gucci’s clothing, which has a ninety year heritage and experience.
TODs: Collection is characterised by a range of contemporary designs that have a classic, timeless spirit. Tod’s products are created with a unique process in which Tod’s artisans, specialists that perpetuate a unique tradition by using the best materials available.
Jimmy Choo: Popularly known for its bespoke shoe designs, this 21st century luxury accessories brand offers an empowered sense of glamour and a playfully daring spirit. Since the opening of its first store in London in 1996, Jimmy Choo has grown to become a leading luxury brand. It has a unique, powerful brand which is globally recognised.
Apart from its fashionable appeal, an authentic polarised Ray-Ban eyewear will definitely provide a longer use in effectively combating reflected glare, which provides better vision and comfort.
A cheap eyewear purchased by the roadside will not provide the same comfort to a driver over the long term. The sun’s UV radiation can cause cataracts or other eye conditions such as cancer of the eyelids or photokeratitis; which is a painful but temporary sunburn of the eye’s surface. A designer eyewear is easy to verify as being 100 percent UV protected when it is accompanied by the proper documentation and serial number to verify its authenticity.
For such luxury goods, how will the recent devaluation of the naira by the country’s apex bank affect it? “Our items are sourced directly from wholesale suppliers and stored in our warehouse all year round to ensure we do not run out of stock.
“The retail prices offered to our customers is fixed regardless of the fluctuating foreign exchange market. We run frequent sales promos to deliver price offerings unmatched by competition to ensure that customers are excited about purchasing their designer sunglasses through HOL,” says Akin
Olaoye, while sharing his perspective on the luxury market in Nigeria, says it is one which is under-served when considering the rising middle class and population expansion in major metropolitan areas.
“Nigerians love luxury and are willing to pay for items that provide value. With the growing wages, luxury retail commodities are widely sought after which makes HOL well placed in the e-commerce sector.
“Due to the low cost associated with its operating strategies, HOL is able to translate this to cost savings for its customers, who are afforded a number of options to complete their payment process upon check out using the Cash on Delivery, Gpay platform that processes Visa/Mastercard or Naira debit.
Anyway you chose to go, you can try on a pair of Carven by Dolce & Gabbana, a chic show of cool artistry with its floral feline chic, introducing a new favourite phrase to trend lovers.
Mabel Dimma
