Luxury Eyewear (continued from  )
"What has changed is that people are buying sunglasses seasonally in the same way they might buy bags or shoes," said Tracy Sedino, Linda Farrow's co-owner. "That's why the global market has grown by 40 percent."
In terms of growth, the eyewear behemoth Luxottica leads the way. It is the only fully integrated company in the spectacles and sunglasses business, operating 6,000 stores worldwide for the 27 top brands (including licenses) that it manufactures and distributes. It has a new retail operation, Ilori, to take advantage of the top-end sunglasses market.
"From our perspective, the higher part of the portfolio is increasing at a faster rate than the total sector," explained Fabio d'Angelantonio, Luxottica's group marketing director. "At the top end, the luxury product is there, and so are the consumers."
Luxottica opened its first Ilori site, a store covering 4,500 square feet, or 400 square meters, in the SoHo district of New York on Sept. 14, selling sunglasses that range from $250 to more than $10,000. Divided by trend and designer, Luxottica's own brand offering of licensees includes Tiffany, Chanel and a new upscale collection from its own Persol label called Collezione Suprema. A Beverly Hills store is set to open on Rodeo Drive in October, and there are plans to develop a 150-store chain across the United States. (This story continues on the next page)
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