We are delighted to announce the addition of a new LOVE EYEWEAR AWARDS, Sponsored by Shamir. event for the sector. Taking place close to the venue for 100% Optical these awards will champion and promote eyewear amongst independent and major designers, manufacturers and retailers.
Entries for all award categories will be reviewed and shortlisted by a prestigious jury of eyewear bloggers and stylists.
The shortlist will then be open to a public vote with winners announced at the LOVE EYEWEAR AWARDS event on the evening of Saturday 25th January 2020.
Awards Charity Partner
CATEGORIES
Women's Frame of the Year
The winning frame for this category will be selected from any price point, and will be judged on the uniqueness of the design, the appeal to the consumer, and the design that sets the trend for 2020.
Kids Frame of the Year
This award will go to the best frame design for children. Judges will be looking for a frame that is comfortable for a child and durable, and that has been designed with to appeal to a younger generation.
Men's Frame of the Year
The winning frame for this category will be selected from any price point, and will be judged on the uniqueness of the design, the appeal to the consumer, and the design that sets the trend for 2020.
Luxury Frame of the Year
The luxury frame award will go to the design that encapsulates what luxury means in 2020. Judges will be looking for a frame that oozes style and panache, and that lives up to the luxury price tag.
Sunglasses of the Year
The award for sunglasses frame of the year will go to a design that breaks the mould, and matches comfort with practicality, this category will include sport and fashion frames, and can be from any price point.
Most Engaging Practice Window
The award for an optical practice that has shown how to drive sales of eyewear through a thoughtful and interactive approach to widow design. The winning store will be able to demonstrate an increase in sales as a result of their window displays.
Eyewear Retailer of the Year
This award is open to anyone who sells eyewear in the UK. Judges will be looking for attention to the range of frames selected for sale in store, how they have approached their visual merchandising, the initiatives they have run in the community to generate interest around their frames and anything else that makes them stand out as an eyewear retailer on the high street.
International Eyewear Retailer of the Year
This award is open to anyone who sells eyewear in UK and Internationally. Judges will be looking for attention to the range of frames selected for sale in store, how they have approached their visual merchandising, the initiatives they have run in the community to generate interest around their frames and anything else that makes them stand out as an eyewear retailer in their local area.
Luxury Eyewear Retailer of the Year
This category will be looking for the store that has pushed the envelope in luxury retail. Judges will be looking for unique store design, a broad range of luxury frames, visual merchandise initiatives and stand out initiatives to increase their sales.
New Designer 2020
This award is for new eyewear designers who have entered the industry in the last 3 years and have made an instant impact with unique and notable frame designs. The judges will be looking for someone who can become the next big international name in frame design.
JUDGES
Categories are reviewed and shortlisted by a prestigious jury of eyewear bloggers and stylists.
Maarten Weidema: International Optical Personality of the Year
Design engineer and optical journalist “Maarten Weidema” has been designing both eyewear as optical retail interiors since 1999, but now solely writes about his fellow eyewear designers within the optical industry. His mission is to publish interesting and beautiful content to the international optical arena, backed up by a large group of eyewear influencers and optical journalists from around the globe. He has recently been awarded “International Optical Personality of the Year” for his efforts to promote independent eyewear to a community of 322.000 eye care professionals on his online platform “TEF Magazine”
Ryan Leighton: CEO of Leightons Opticians and Hearing Care.
Grandson of H. O. Leighton, who established the family firm back in 1928. Ryan is passionate about developing a purpose driven culture to help people to see and to hear, and live life to the full. Ryan is also a big supporter of independent optometry and via The Hearing Care Partnership provides audiology services to a growing group of market leading practices across the UK.
Carole RIEHL: Editor of Les Lunettes Ecologiques Magazine
Carole RIEHL has over 20 years of experience as a qualified french optician.
Carole has been the editor of Les lunettes Ecologiques Magazine since 2013 and is also a digital eyewear influencer. She regularly puts forward ecobrands and different alternative solutions which respect the planet. For the last 5 years she has been living in a zero waste lifestyle and she applies these principles in her job. Her mission today is to influence the optical industry with her sustainability point of view and she firmly believes opticians can be the change to start ecological transition in the optical industry.
Eva Dave: Founder Eyewear Styling Academy
Eyewear styling expert, Eva Davé, is an award winning Optical Practice Owner, Optometrist, Image & Colour Consultant and the founder of Eyewear Styling Academy - the U.K.’s first e-learning certified Eyewear Stylist Course. Her current mission is to empower and equip optical practice owners, dispensing opticians and retail staff in how to boost their income, increase their average dispense value and transform their clients experience. Eva does this through her revolutionary and brand new eyewear styling programme, developed and launched through her e-learning company, the ‘Eyewear Styling Academy’.
Siu-Yin Shing: My Glasses and Me Blogger
MyGlassesAndMe (MGAM) was born 8 years ago out of my passion for eyewear and from working in the fashion industry. I found mainstream fashion magazines don’t feature optical glasses because they aren’t seen as “cool”. I’ve been a glasses wearer from a young age and feel this attitude needs to change so I decided to start blogging to share my thoughts on glasses with a fashion twist. In the past 8 years I have learned a lot about the industry, I know fashion, and as a glasses wearer, I know what people will be looking for in a frame.
Flora McLean: Head Designer Of House of Flora
Flora McLean (born 1971) is the head designer of fashion accessory label House of Flora. Inspired initially my Claude Montana, Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges to study fashion design, McLean undertook MA in Fashion Womenswear at the Royal College of Art in 1995, prior to establishing the House of Flora label. House of Flora specialises in avant-garde headwear for the catwalk, fashion campaigns and collectors. Working with couture houses and ready to wear, including Givenchy couture, Bill Blass and Diane Von Furstenberg, McLean is often chosen as a collaborator for her innovative ideas and techniques producing dynamic results and graphic impact. Her work has been worn by Rihanna, Kelis, Pauline Black, Roisin Murphy and Beyonce. The work has appeared in Vogue Elle and Instyle amongst others. Flora has recently shown her first menswear hat Collection Hofman she was in the Forbes list “...top 10 menswear labels to watch..” This year House of Flora started making makes hats and eyewear for American singer songwriter Erykah Badu. Erykah wore her pieces in recent world tour. Flora is also currently the senior Fashion lecturer in Footwear Accessories Millinery and Eyewear at The Royal College of Art in London. Her students have been part of 100% Optical fair now for some years.
Autianna Wilson: The Optical Goddess
The Optical Goddess Life is an eyecare professional oriented blog written by Autianna Wilson. Content within this site is geared towards eyecare professionals, eyewear lovers and fashion enthusiasts! Optician and independent eyewear advocate Autianna Wilson, known as “The Optical Goddess,” shares her exceptional skill in frame selection, lens knowledge, and uncensored opinions on eyewear and fashion with more than 10.8k+ followers on Instagram, and on her website which has developed into a trusted optical-insider source. She’s not afraid to be vocal about her passion for the independent eyewear community and to debunk misinformation distributed by online retailers.
Melodie Leung: Senior Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Architecture Editor-at-Large at Ala Champ Magazine.
Melodie Leung is a Senior Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Architecture Editor-at-Large at Ala Champ Magazine. She has been a leading designer within the practice for over a decade and responsible for a number of notable architectural, interior, product and furniture designs.
