The Perfect Storm: Finding Myself As An Entrepreneur

I’ve always been an avid sunglasses wearer for as long as I can remember. Some of my college friends recently reminded me of the many times they would complain of my tardiness when we were going out because I had to go back to my dorm to get my sunglasses. I couldn’t leave home without them.

Although my profession is law, I’ve always felt my creative talents were underutilized. During my childhood, when I wasn’t outdoors playing sports, I was always creating, whether it was drawing, writing songs, or coming up with a new business venture. I thought I was destined to be an architect, until I ran head-on into advanced geometry.

Now, looking back, I think I was meant to be an entrepreneur.

After several years of running a boutique law firm and representing clients in court, I thought it was time to finally put my creative background to use. Upon meeting my husband, I discovered we both were entrepreneurs at heart. We both loved sports and art, and to top it off, he also wore eyeglasses. After being introduced to our eyewear manufacturing partner, the idea for our new eyewear business began.

We soon realized entry into the eyewear industry was going to be very difficult as just a few companies take up a large amount of industry. But we were determined and very fortunate to have established great manufacturing partners.

I soon noticed that, although my sunglasses were from different brands, they were basically variations of the same styles in the same monochromatic colors – black or brown and sometimes tortoise shell.

While still conceptualizing how I wanted the collections to look, I recognized a void of uniquely designed frames with abundant colors in the sunglasses industry. So for me, this was an opportunity to help fill the design gap.

After working with our manufacturing partner, attending industry trade shows, and learning about the business of eyewear, we discovered it would be possible to create a more sustainable brand through our domestic, manufacture-on-demand model. This allows us to create limitless frame designs and colors without producing excess waste from pre-designed, unsold inventory.

This was a great opportunity to create a brand where I could bring together my shared love of sunglasses and art. 

Then the perfect storm occurred. Our Brooklyn neighborhood was transforming into one of New York City’s hottest art scenes. This became a great launching pad for our new art-inspired sunglasses brand and led to launching our first artist collaboration with one of the mural artists from our neighborhood.

After months and months of planning, creating designs and working with our mentors, we launched our independent sunglasses brand that infuses art and design into its frames. Our mission is to inspire confidence through artistic and colorful eyewear and build community through creative expression. 

We also curate limited edition collections with artists, creators and designers who have their own stories to tell. Through our collaborations, eyewear becomes a new canvas and a walking piece of the conversation started by the original work.