February 1, 2023 • 22 mins
Welcome to another enlightening episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast. In this edition, we have the pleasure of interviewing Ed Bird, the Founder of Bird Eyewear, a remarkable sustainable and ethical eyewear brand. At Bird, their vision goes beyond creating exceptional eyewear; their goal is to make a positive impact on the world we inhabit. They have reframed what truly matters by placing people and the planet at the forefront of their mission.
Join us as Peter Brooker engages in an insightful conversation with Ed Bird, delving into his background and the captivating founding story behind Bird Eyewear, a brand he established alongside his brothers. Explore the fascinating journey of financing the launch and growth of the brand, as well as the profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the industry. Discover how Bird Eyewear harnesses the power of virtual reality, and gain a deeper understanding of their commitment to product innovation and responsible manufacturing.
Bird Eyewear's dedication to social and environmental impact is truly commendable. As the first B Corp Certified eyewear brand in the UK, they have achieved the highest standards of sustainability and social responsibility, seamlessly balancing purpose with profit. Learn about their unique Share Your Sun partnership with SolarAid, where every pair of Birds contributes to distributing solar light to families in Zambia and Malawi, replacing the use of harmful fossil fuel burning lamps.
As we venture into 2023, be sure not to miss this captivating episode, where we unravel the story of Bird Eyewear. Gain insights into their vision of creating a better world through superior eyewear, their relentless pursuit of sustainable materials, including certified woods, bio-based acetate, renewable cork, and recycled aluminum. Explore their exciting plans for brand growth and expansion, as Bird Eyewear continues to make waves in the industry by driving positive change.
Join us as we delve into the inspiring journey of Bird Eyewear, a brand that beautifully combines style, sustainability, and a genuine commitment to making a difference in the world.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
PB (00:11):
Hello, welcome to another episode of the menswear style
podcast. I'm your host PeteBrooker and today on the show
we're talking to Ed bird, cofounder of bird eyewear, the
first B Corp certified eyewearbrand in the UK, pioneering
change in the fashion industry.
Their frames are made out ofcertified words by based
acetate, renewable cork,recycled aluminium, and they
(00:31):
create exceptional designs andfocus obsessively on quality.
And here to tell us more aboutbird eyewear is Ed bird.
Unknown (00:44):
So I'm Ed, one of the cofounders of bird eyewear
founded the brand with my twoyounger brothers, Lawrence and
Paul. And yeah, I guess in anutshell, our goal is to make
better eyewear for a betterworld. So me and my brothers, we
wanted to create a brand thatreally kind of moved the needle
(01:06):
in the eyewear industry. And weset about we wanted to do it in
a genuine, thoughtful, playfulkind of way. None of us are from
a fashion or eyewear, or even anoptical background. So like in
that sense, we didn't carry anybaggage or like prior knowledge,
(01:26):
which would be really nice,because it means that like, as
we've started this brand, ourapproach to eyewear has been
completely different to everyoneelse in the industry. So yeah, I
guess for like for me and mybrothers, we kind of describe it
as like we've gone from buildingdens to you know, building a
brand building a movement. Butyeah, our goal is to make better
(01:46):
eyewear for a better world. AndI'm happy to happy to unpack
that.
PB (01:52):
Just dial it back. What was your background before you
launch this? And did you haveany transferable skills at all?
Unknown (02:01):
I think a lot of transferable skills, my
background was education. So avery, very different industry.
And I'm also a musician, I'm adrummer, I still I still
moonlight as a drummer for mysins. But yeah, I've also been
involved in a lot of events andkind of growing, you know,
(02:22):
whether that's kind of growingprojects in educational
settings, or outside of thatdone a little bit of work with
Ted. So yeah, I guess all ofthose skills were very
transferable in terms ofstarting with an idea. And then
you're just kind of tugging onthe corners and seeing what
comes next year. You know,failing, failing fast and
(02:45):
learning as you go.
PB (02:46):
Did you have to do a TED talk?
Unknown (02:49):
No, no, no, I haven't done a TED talk. But yeah, I was
involved kind of on the in inthe event organising site.
PB (02:59):
All right. I was just thinking my mind wandered off
when you mentioned drumming thatare there any cool drummers that
wear sunglasses exclusively. AndI'm thinking nowadays, if you're
a drummer, you've got so muchmore going on, you got like the
click track, you might even havelike an operable programme drum
kit, electrical things that youneed to look at that you
(03:19):
wouldn't be able to see on stageif it's dark, and you got your
sunglasses on. So I don't thinkyou see. I mean, sunglasses are
now just for musicians when theyrecord music videos, not for
when they're doing live stuff,because they got so much stuff
that they need to see. That'stechnical, right?
Unknown (03:35):
I think so. Yes. Yeah.
I mean, a lot of the time whenI'm on stage, I can kind of
barely remember all of the allof the little kind of things and
paraphernalia and in earmonitors and things that I need,
let alone kind of remembering toput my put my shades
PB (03:53):
and then the game is up really when you have to take the
shades off to do all theprogramming and look at the
setlist it's like you're almosta charlatan up there. Anyway, I
digress already. Please, talk tome about I'm very interested in
how this got off the ground withregards to capital. Maybe you
can talk about how you raise thefunds first.
Unknown (04:15):
Yes, we first launched the brand, kind of as a side
hustle as many, many brandsstart back in 2016. And you
know, we were it was kind ofslow momentum at first while we
were making small iterations andjust kind of getting to grips
with how the industry works, howthe products work, getting
(04:36):
feedback on our designs, and soon. And it wasn't until 2019
When we launched the companythat year, and one of our frames
called a black cap, one frame ofthe Year at the optician Awards,
which is kind of like kind oflike the Grammys but I eyewear,
(05:00):
you know, so all of the all ofthe big, big big brands are
there. It's a global thing RickyGervais presenting. Yeah, that
that console brands. Exactly.
And so we we were nominated forframe of the year, we were up
against some very big brandsfrom Italy. And like LA I work
(05:21):
works from from the States. Butanyway, short story we, we ended
up winning. And that was areally kind of explosive moment
for us. You know, we were thiskind of small, that, you know,
part time team from Devon. Soyeah, that was really the
(05:43):
catalyst where we thought, okay,you know, I think we were really
onto something here, people arereally enjoying what we're
doing. They're liking thedesigns and the frames. So we
kind of set about creating ourinvestment deck and laying out
the story and our plans. And wereached out to a number of
people. And it was through aninvestment platform called worth
(06:06):
capital. We ended up we ended upgetting investments through
them, which was, yeah, which wasreally great. And that enabled
us to launch with a full timeteam in January 2020. So we
launched probably a month beforethe pandemic kind of hit
lockdowns hit. So that waseither perfect timing or really
(06:30):
bad timing. And we still wecan't quite work it out. But if
it's online,
PB (06:36):
but yeah, as an e commerce Store, if I'm right, then the
pandemic hitting will, I imagineeffect supply chains and traps.
People might be knuckling downand seeing where their money's
going, because they're notmaking as much if they're being
furloughed, etc. But at the sametime, you've got more people in
front of their computers. Youknow, we've itchy fingers. So
(06:57):
yeah, I guess it's it could be acatch as catch can 5050 on
whether that goes your way ornot?
Unknown (07:03):
Yes, I'd say it was a mixed blessing. It was good that
the online market kind ofexploded. But bad in the sense
that you know, people weren'tgoing outdoors much they weren't
going on holidays, so there wasless need for sunglasses. So we
we very quickly orientated thebusiness and we developed our
(07:25):
optical side much quicker thanwe were planning to. And we also
developed our home tryonservice. And we launched that in
early 2012. So
PB (07:34):
that when you have like four pairs of sunglasses that you can
try on for a quit.
Unknown (07:40):
Yes, though, so currently, it's only for optical
only for glasses. So that wassomething that we were we were
we were pushing that. So it wasvery simple for people to try on
frames when they couldn't get tothe high street because the High
Street was closed, we did openthat out for a short period for
sunglasses as well. But nowthat's just for optical. So
PB (08:04):
I've seen on some sunglasses, websites, that you
can actually have like a, Iguess an avatar or a 3d version
of the glasses on how they look.
I don't know the name of thesoftware. But is that something
that you've seen also, andsomething that you've
considered?
Unknown (08:21):
Yes, we have that option on on our website on on
almost all of our product pages,you will find a virtual town.
And what I think what's greatabout the system we use, we work
with a company in France to todevelop it, and it does it in
real time. So rather than scanyour face or upload a photo you
(08:45):
can, you can be there live, andyou can try on a pair of frames,
and you can turn your head andsee what they look like. And the
sizing is kind of is accurate,up to about three or four
millimetres. So it's very, veryclose. So it gives people a
really good idea of what aparticular shape or style would
look. Okay,
PB (09:05):
that's interesting. So you can go on your site, I didn't
get down to I guess the thetrial outs or the virtual trial
ons, but you can you can do thator through your page. That's
good. What would you say is theUSP of the brand? And Ed I mean,
if you were to sum it up in anutshell, why yours is getting
the awards, and the notorietywhat would you what would you
(09:27):
put it down to at the moment?
Unknown (09:30):
Yeah, I would say. So.
Our kind of USP is that we liketo think that we're innovating
for good. And as a team, youknow, we love going the extra
mile and just kind of takingthings that extra step almost
unnecessarily at times, but justto really kind of prove to
ourselves and to others thatwe're kind of going above and
(09:52):
beyond to do things better. Sowhether that's like innovating,
like different kinds ofmaterials for our friends like
our we launched a children'srange that's made from Castor
beans last year. And they'vebeen super popular sold out
really quick last year. And wedo a lot of things with them
(10:12):
certified words and other bioplastics, renewable quarks
recycled aluminium. But yeah, Ithink for us, it's all about
just taking that extra step. Sojust to give an example are the
aluminium for our, for ourrecycled metal frames, we
sourced that in Norway, becausethe carbon emission footprint is
(10:37):
lower, because of the energyusage of the factory that
recycled that. And, and so allof this stuff, we plug into our
supply chain metrics, and wekind of, you know, we work out
all of the all of the emissionsacross our supply chain as well.
So we really kind of geek out onthose small details and on the
(10:59):
materials and like, we, we kindof extend that as well to
packaging. So it's not justabout the frames, you know, we
make great glasses, but we makebrilliant packaging as well. And
we're kind of innovating that.
And we we kind of extend thatethos right through the whole
company. And so yes, it's justabout finding, we call it the
(11:24):
birdnest. So like, Where'swhere's the birdnest in this,
and it's that kind of 5% Extrathat we're that we're looking
for.
PB (11:32):
And we spoke off, Mike about how you might be planning to
move some operations down towhere you're based down in the
south, there may mind talking usthrough that.
Unknown (11:44):
Yeah, so we've recently done over the last 12 months an
innovation project, which we'veworked in partnership with Devon
county council. And you know,we're fortunate to get some
innovation funding to reallykind of supercharge our plans
here in the southwest. So for usworking with manufacturers, we
(12:07):
have manufacturers all over theworld. And it's really about
finding the right man ormanufacturer for the right
material. But we've alwayswanted to do things closer to
home and create that kind ofcircular product economy. So
yeah, so this year, and in thein the coming months, we'll be
(12:27):
launching a new range ofproducts, which are made in
Devon, from waste that sourcedfrom Devon. So in that sense, it
will be a kind of completelycircular product, and then its
end of life, it can be sent backto us and recycled again. And so
it's just yeah, has a very lowcarbon footprint. And so that's
(12:50):
that's been a really excitingjourney for us just going
through the motions, trying tokind of match up local supply
from, you know, waste collectionthrough to processing through to
manufacture. And yes, we're,we're pretty excited about
having that
PB (13:05):
power. That's really cool.
But I mean, when you have to gothrough that kind of process, is
it a long process? I imagineyou're emailing councils, like
government? Typically nothingever happens and machinery of
government as well. So are youjust on the phone all the time
going? Where's my answer?
Where's my reply?
Unknown (13:27):
It's definitely a longer process than going to a
normal kind of manufacturergoing the typical supply chain
route where you can call them upand you can send them a CAD
design or a drawing or somethingand say, can you make this for
me? And they'll say, Yep, noproblem. So we've had to
approach it very differently,and almost kind of start from
(13:49):
just the initial idea, what'sthe material we want to use? Can
we make something with this? Isit strong enough, and then we do
a series of tests, and we'vegone through various prototypes
that first we 3d print to makesure that they're kind of the
right shape and style before wethen create the moulds so that
(14:10):
they can be injection mouldedlocally using waste material. So
yeah, and I guess having thehaving the local and having the
local councils involvement hasbeen really helpful. They they
bring something extra,obviously, there is a bit more
paperwork, there's morebureaucracy involved, as you can
imagine, but But it's beenreally helpful. And it's
(14:34):
something that we haven't been,we wouldn't have been able to
achieve it. I think otherwise,or at least not not as quickly
as we would have liked.
Interesting.
PB (14:44):
Well, you've, you've replenished my faith in local
council and sustainablegovernment system. Really,
that's really encouraging tohear. You switching gears
perhaps not so seamlessly, butwhen I think of, like Sunglow I
says I often think of likeactors and famous brand
ambassadors and iconic films andstuff like that. Do you ever
(15:06):
look at films and think, crikey,Daniel Craig looks good in X Y,
Zed or, you know, Cary Grant onthe train in North by Northwest,
how do we get something likethat on the go? Do you use any,
like cinema iconography toinfluence your designs at all?
Unknown (15:24):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there are Yeah, there are
so many iconic kind of filmstars. I mean, like, last year,
for example, the maverick filmThe Top Gun film with Tom
Cruise. We, we, we did a bigpiece on that with our aviator
style, our recycled aluminiumaviators, which, you know, for
(15:47):
those, we took very directinspiration from the aviation
industry when we were designingthose those frames. And and yes,
certainly when we're puttingmood boards together for seasons
and shoots or styles.
Invariably, there will be somekind of film imagery in there.
Yeah, and I guess in many ways,as well, like films, they kind
(16:13):
of help shape the zeitgeist offashion in terms of what's going
on, and what's current and soon. So yeah, I think that that
can be really helpful.
PB (16:22):
And are you conscious of like image rights and
protection, and IP and stufflike that? So for example, if
you did want to take SylvesterStallone from Cobra, which will
be a very deep pool. We love theglasses, but how do we can
wrangle it so that we don't getany red letters?
Unknown (16:43):
Yes, yeah, always have to be mindful of that stuff. But
yeah, that's fairly easy to kindof just check that you're not
treading on toes or like anykind of design inspiration
you're using is, you know, isn'tkind of infringing on others.
And I guess that that's, that'sall part of the process when you
(17:04):
have an idea, and you kind ofyou then look for, I guess, kind
of outside influences to helpdevelop the idea. But it's
always it's always a journeythat we will go on internally,
and we'll kind of validate italong the way.
PB (17:21):
I'm trying to think of the most famous drummer that would
be wearing sunglasses nonstop.
It I was gonna say Nikki six,but I don't think he wore
sunglasses live. I think he worethem all in the videos.
Unknown (17:36):
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think I think for most dramas,
it's it's video.
PB (17:42):
How often do we see? So this is one for the listeners? How
often do we see drummers wearsunglasses whilst playing live?
And I'm not talking about MTVvideos where they're playing
live to a studio audience andit's all pre recorded. They have
to see what the hell is goingon.
Unknown (18:01):
Exactly, yeah. Answers on a postcard for that one.
PB (18:04):
I mean, I just Googled like Rick Allen, Rick Allen from Def
Leppard lost his arm. He was adrummer. And he was one guy that
would never wear sunglasses onstage, because you know, you've
only got one arm you don't wantto be faffing around with, you
know, the prosthetic one tryingto get the sunglasses off so you
can see the song list. Anyway,meanwhile, back sorry, I had a
(18:26):
tangent there with drugs. Andmeanwhile, Meanwhile, back in
the interview. Edie, I want toknow about kind of, we spoke
about the project down there inDevon. Have you got any future
plans for exhibitions? Do you goto trade fairs, any bricks and
mortar pop ups on the horizon2023
Unknown (18:47):
So for 2023 No plans for bricks and mortar stores. We
are predominantly online DTC,but we do stock in kind of
fashion boutiques for oursunglasses and in a lot of
optical stores, mostlyindependent optical stores. Last
(19:09):
year, we took the decision toseparate out our DTC and b2b
ranges. So from February March23, we will have our online
styles which are only availableonline and then we'll have our
b2b styles which are onlyavailable to optical stores and
(19:34):
in that way it in that sense itwill enable us to kind of curate
a much kind of better fit forboth audiences because they are
very different, you know, peoplethat are shopping online for
eyewear versus people that aregoing into their local
independence. Absolutely needneed both and there's you know,
there's so many benefits in inhaving both, you know, the ease
(19:57):
of shopping online is isfantastic, but You know,
sometimes you can't beat goinginto an opticians and, and
trying lots of different pairson and having that face to face
service. So yeah, for us it'sbeen we've wanted to cater for
both, but do it really, reallywell. So that's something that
that we're looking to do
PB (20:16):
this year. Are you trying to pitch to like sell fridges or
John Lewis or anything likethat? Is that also thinking big?
Unknown (20:27):
Not currently we are.
We are joining some slightlybigger optical groups, and we've
got some bigger, kind of b2bwholesale opportunities on the
horizon. So this year, we'realso we're looking to do another
investment raise to kind of helpus with that next step as we as
we scale things up further. But,uh, yeah, most of the time, it's
(20:50):
stores that come to us, and theysay, We love the product, you
know, these fit really well withwhat the consumer is looking for
in terms of, you know, beingmore environmentally friendly,
and so on being a bit different.
And so yeah, most of the time,it's stores that are that are
(21:10):
coming to us, rather than usactively seeking out
PB (21:13):
awesome, Ed, thanks so much for jumping on. It's been
fascinating listening to themakings of the business app,
find your birds is where you'rehanging out on Instagram. Is
that where you hang outpersonally? Is it you behind the
scenes there too?
Unknown (21:29):
Yes, what you'll find myself and my team they're at
Find your birds. Very easilyfind me on Instagram or
LinkedIn, as well. But yeah, atFind your birds, that's for
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagramas well. And you can keep up to
keep up to date with everythingthat we're that we're doing and
everything in the life of thebirds.
PB (21:51):
And that's a website also find your birds.com Great, yes,
where we can go and do someshopping. Brilliant. All right,
Ed. Well, thanks for jumping onand until next time
you've been listening to themenswear style podcast be sure
(22:13):
to head over to menswear styledot code at uk for more menswear
content and email info atmenswear style.co.uk If you'd
like to be a future guest on theshow. Finally, please help
support the show by leaving areview on iTunes or wherever
you're listening to thispodcast. Until next time
Hello, welcome to another episode of the menswear style
podcast. I'm your host PeteBrooker and today on the show
we're talking to Ed bird, cofounder of bird eyewear, the
first B Corp certified eyewearbrand in the UK, pioneering
change in the fashion industry.
Their frames are made out ofcertified words by based
acetate, renewable cork,recycled aluminium, and they
(00:31):
create exceptional designs andfocus obsessively on quality.
And here to tell us more aboutbird eyewear is Ed bird.
Unknown (00:44):
So I'm Ed, one of the cofounders of bird eyewear
founded the brand with my twoyounger brothers, Lawrence and
Paul. And yeah, I guess in anutshell, our goal is to make
better eyewear for a betterworld. So me and my brothers, we
wanted to create a brand thatreally kind of moved the needle
(01:06):
in the eyewear industry. And weset about we wanted to do it in
a genuine, thoughtful, playfulkind of way. None of us are from
a fashion or eyewear, or even anoptical background. So like in
that sense, we didn't carry anybaggage or like prior knowledge,
(01:26):
which would be really nice,because it means that like, as
we've started this brand, ourapproach to eyewear has been
completely different to everyoneelse in the industry. So yeah, I
guess for like for me and mybrothers, we kind of describe it
as like we've gone from buildingdens to you know, building a
brand building a movement. Butyeah, our goal is to make better
(01:46):
eyewear for a better world. AndI'm happy to happy to unpack
that.
PB (01:52):
Just dial it back. What was your background before you
launch this? And did you haveany transferable skills at all?
Unknown (02:01):
I think a lot of transferable skills, my
background was education. So avery, very different industry.
And I'm also a musician, I'm adrummer, I still I still
moonlight as a drummer for mysins. But yeah, I've also been
involved in a lot of events andkind of growing, you know,
(02:22):
whether that's kind of growingprojects in educational
settings, or outside of thatdone a little bit of work with
Ted. So yeah, I guess all ofthose skills were very
transferable in terms ofstarting with an idea. And then
you're just kind of tugging onthe corners and seeing what
comes next year. You know,failing, failing fast and
(02:45):
learning as you go.
PB (02:46):
Did you have to do a TED talk?
Unknown (02:49):
No, no, no, I haven't done a TED talk. But yeah, I was
involved kind of on the in inthe event organising site.
PB (02:59):
All right. I was just thinking my mind wandered off
when you mentioned drumming thatare there any cool drummers that
wear sunglasses exclusively. AndI'm thinking nowadays, if you're
a drummer, you've got so muchmore going on, you got like the
click track, you might even havelike an operable programme drum
kit, electrical things that youneed to look at that you
(03:19):
wouldn't be able to see on stageif it's dark, and you got your
sunglasses on. So I don't thinkyou see. I mean, sunglasses are
now just for musicians when theyrecord music videos, not for
when they're doing live stuff,because they got so much stuff
that they need to see. That'stechnical, right?
Unknown (03:35):
I think so. Yes. Yeah.
I mean, a lot of the time whenI'm on stage, I can kind of
barely remember all of the allof the little kind of things and
paraphernalia and in earmonitors and things that I need,
let alone kind of remembering toput my put my shades
PB (03:53):
and then the game is up really when you have to take the
shades off to do all theprogramming and look at the
setlist it's like you're almosta charlatan up there. Anyway, I
digress already. Please, talk tome about I'm very interested in
how this got off the ground withregards to capital. Maybe you
can talk about how you raise thefunds first.
Unknown (04:15):
Yes, we first launched the brand, kind of as a side
hustle as many, many brandsstart back in 2016. And you
know, we were it was kind ofslow momentum at first while we
were making small iterations andjust kind of getting to grips
with how the industry works, howthe products work, getting
(04:36):
feedback on our designs, and soon. And it wasn't until 2019
When we launched the companythat year, and one of our frames
called a black cap, one frame ofthe Year at the optician Awards,
which is kind of like kind oflike the Grammys but I eyewear,
(05:00):
you know, so all of the all ofthe big, big big brands are
there. It's a global thing RickyGervais presenting. Yeah, that
that console brands. Exactly.
And so we we were nominated forframe of the year, we were up
against some very big brandsfrom Italy. And like LA I work
(05:21):
works from from the States. Butanyway, short story we, we ended
up winning. And that was areally kind of explosive moment
for us. You know, we were thiskind of small, that, you know,
part time team from Devon. Soyeah, that was really the
(05:43):
catalyst where we thought, okay,you know, I think we were really
onto something here, people arereally enjoying what we're
doing. They're liking thedesigns and the frames. So we
kind of set about creating ourinvestment deck and laying out
the story and our plans. And wereached out to a number of
people. And it was through aninvestment platform called worth
(06:06):
capital. We ended up we ended upgetting investments through
them, which was, yeah, which wasreally great. And that enabled
us to launch with a full timeteam in January 2020. So we
launched probably a month beforethe pandemic kind of hit
lockdowns hit. So that waseither perfect timing or really
(06:30):
bad timing. And we still wecan't quite work it out. But if
it's online,
PB (06:36):
but yeah, as an e commerce Store, if I'm right, then the
pandemic hitting will, I imagineeffect supply chains and traps.
People might be knuckling downand seeing where their money's
going, because they're notmaking as much if they're being
furloughed, etc. But at the sametime, you've got more people in
front of their computers. Youknow, we've itchy fingers. So
(06:57):
yeah, I guess it's it could be acatch as catch can 5050 on
whether that goes your way ornot?
Unknown (07:03):
Yes, I'd say it was a mixed blessing. It was good that
the online market kind ofexploded. But bad in the sense
that you know, people weren'tgoing outdoors much they weren't
going on holidays, so there wasless need for sunglasses. So we
we very quickly orientated thebusiness and we developed our
(07:25):
optical side much quicker thanwe were planning to. And we also
developed our home tryonservice. And we launched that in
early 2012. So
PB (07:34):
that when you have like four pairs of sunglasses that you can
try on for a quit.
Unknown (07:40):
Yes, though, so currently, it's only for optical
only for glasses. So that wassomething that we were we were
we were pushing that. So it wasvery simple for people to try on
frames when they couldn't get tothe high street because the High
Street was closed, we did openthat out for a short period for
sunglasses as well. But nowthat's just for optical. So
PB (08:04):
I've seen on some sunglasses, websites, that you
can actually have like a, Iguess an avatar or a 3d version
of the glasses on how they look.
I don't know the name of thesoftware. But is that something
that you've seen also, andsomething that you've
considered?
Unknown (08:21):
Yes, we have that option on on our website on on
almost all of our product pages,you will find a virtual town.
And what I think what's greatabout the system we use, we work
with a company in France to todevelop it, and it does it in
real time. So rather than scanyour face or upload a photo you
(08:45):
can, you can be there live, andyou can try on a pair of frames,
and you can turn your head andsee what they look like. And the
sizing is kind of is accurate,up to about three or four
millimetres. So it's very, veryclose. So it gives people a
really good idea of what aparticular shape or style would
look. Okay,
PB (09:05):
that's interesting. So you can go on your site, I didn't
get down to I guess the thetrial outs or the virtual trial
ons, but you can you can do thator through your page. That's
good. What would you say is theUSP of the brand? And Ed I mean,
if you were to sum it up in anutshell, why yours is getting
the awards, and the notorietywhat would you what would you
(09:27):
put it down to at the moment?
Unknown (09:30):
Yeah, I would say. So.
Our kind of USP is that we liketo think that we're innovating
for good. And as a team, youknow, we love going the extra
mile and just kind of takingthings that extra step almost
unnecessarily at times, but justto really kind of prove to
ourselves and to others thatwe're kind of going above and
(09:52):
beyond to do things better. Sowhether that's like innovating,
like different kinds ofmaterials for our friends like
our we launched a children'srange that's made from Castor
beans last year. And they'vebeen super popular sold out
really quick last year. And wedo a lot of things with them
(10:12):
certified words and other bioplastics, renewable quarks
recycled aluminium. But yeah, Ithink for us, it's all about
just taking that extra step. Sojust to give an example are the
aluminium for our, for ourrecycled metal frames, we
sourced that in Norway, becausethe carbon emission footprint is
(10:37):
lower, because of the energyusage of the factory that
recycled that. And, and so allof this stuff, we plug into our
supply chain metrics, and wekind of, you know, we work out
all of the all of the emissionsacross our supply chain as well.
So we really kind of geek out onthose small details and on the
(10:59):
materials and like, we, we kindof extend that as well to
packaging. So it's not justabout the frames, you know, we
make great glasses, but we makebrilliant packaging as well. And
we're kind of innovating that.
And we we kind of extend thatethos right through the whole
company. And so yes, it's justabout finding, we call it the
(11:24):
birdnest. So like, Where'swhere's the birdnest in this,
and it's that kind of 5% Extrathat we're that we're looking
for.
PB (11:32):
And we spoke off, Mike about how you might be planning to
move some operations down towhere you're based down in the
south, there may mind talking usthrough that.
Unknown (11:44):
Yeah, so we've recently done over the last 12 months an
innovation project, which we'veworked in partnership with Devon
county council. And you know,we're fortunate to get some
innovation funding to reallykind of supercharge our plans
here in the southwest. So for usworking with manufacturers, we
(12:07):
have manufacturers all over theworld. And it's really about
finding the right man ormanufacturer for the right
material. But we've alwayswanted to do things closer to
home and create that kind ofcircular product economy. So
yeah, so this year, and in thein the coming months, we'll be
(12:27):
launching a new range ofproducts, which are made in
Devon, from waste that sourcedfrom Devon. So in that sense, it
will be a kind of completelycircular product, and then its
end of life, it can be sent backto us and recycled again. And so
it's just yeah, has a very lowcarbon footprint. And so that's
(12:50):
that's been a really excitingjourney for us just going
through the motions, trying tokind of match up local supply
from, you know, waste collectionthrough to processing through to
manufacture. And yes, we're,we're pretty excited about
having that
PB (13:05):
power. That's really cool.
But I mean, when you have to gothrough that kind of process, is
it a long process? I imagineyou're emailing councils, like
government? Typically nothingever happens and machinery of
government as well. So are youjust on the phone all the time
going? Where's my answer?
Where's my reply?
Unknown (13:27):
It's definitely a longer process than going to a
normal kind of manufacturergoing the typical supply chain
route where you can call them upand you can send them a CAD
design or a drawing or somethingand say, can you make this for
me? And they'll say, Yep, noproblem. So we've had to
approach it very differently,and almost kind of start from
(13:49):
just the initial idea, what'sthe material we want to use? Can
we make something with this? Isit strong enough, and then we do
a series of tests, and we'vegone through various prototypes
that first we 3d print to makesure that they're kind of the
right shape and style before wethen create the moulds so that
(14:10):
they can be injection mouldedlocally using waste material. So
yeah, and I guess having thehaving the local and having the
local councils involvement hasbeen really helpful. They they
bring something extra,obviously, there is a bit more
paperwork, there's morebureaucracy involved, as you can
imagine, but But it's beenreally helpful. And it's
(14:34):
something that we haven't been,we wouldn't have been able to
achieve it. I think otherwise,or at least not not as quickly
as we would have liked.
Interesting.
PB (14:44):
Well, you've, you've replenished my faith in local
council and sustainablegovernment system. Really,
that's really encouraging tohear. You switching gears
perhaps not so seamlessly, butwhen I think of, like Sunglow I
says I often think of likeactors and famous brand
ambassadors and iconic films andstuff like that. Do you ever
(15:06):
look at films and think, crikey,Daniel Craig looks good in X Y,
Zed or, you know, Cary Grant onthe train in North by Northwest,
how do we get something likethat on the go? Do you use any,
like cinema iconography toinfluence your designs at all?
Unknown (15:24):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there are Yeah, there are
so many iconic kind of filmstars. I mean, like, last year,
for example, the maverick filmThe Top Gun film with Tom
Cruise. We, we, we did a bigpiece on that with our aviator
style, our recycled aluminiumaviators, which, you know, for
(15:47):
those, we took very directinspiration from the aviation
industry when we were designingthose those frames. And and yes,
certainly when we're puttingmood boards together for seasons
and shoots or styles.
Invariably, there will be somekind of film imagery in there.
Yeah, and I guess in many ways,as well, like films, they kind
(16:13):
of help shape the zeitgeist offashion in terms of what's going
on, and what's current and soon. So yeah, I think that that
can be really helpful.
PB (16:22):
And are you conscious of like image rights and
protection, and IP and stufflike that? So for example, if
you did want to take SylvesterStallone from Cobra, which will
be a very deep pool. We love theglasses, but how do we can
wrangle it so that we don't getany red letters?
Unknown (16:43):
Yes, yeah, always have to be mindful of that stuff. But
yeah, that's fairly easy to kindof just check that you're not
treading on toes or like anykind of design inspiration
you're using is, you know, isn'tkind of infringing on others.
And I guess that that's, that'sall part of the process when you
(17:04):
have an idea, and you kind ofyou then look for, I guess, kind
of outside influences to helpdevelop the idea. But it's
always it's always a journeythat we will go on internally,
and we'll kind of validate italong the way.
PB (17:21):
I'm trying to think of the most famous drummer that would
be wearing sunglasses nonstop.
It I was gonna say Nikki six,but I don't think he wore
sunglasses live. I think he worethem all in the videos.
Unknown (17:36):
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think I think for most dramas,
it's it's video.
PB (17:42):
How often do we see? So this is one for the listeners? How
often do we see drummers wearsunglasses whilst playing live?
And I'm not talking about MTVvideos where they're playing
live to a studio audience andit's all pre recorded. They have
to see what the hell is goingon.
Unknown (18:01):
Exactly, yeah. Answers on a postcard for that one.
PB (18:04):
I mean, I just Googled like Rick Allen, Rick Allen from Def
Leppard lost his arm. He was adrummer. And he was one guy that
would never wear sunglasses onstage, because you know, you've
only got one arm you don't wantto be faffing around with, you
know, the prosthetic one tryingto get the sunglasses off so you
can see the song list. Anyway,meanwhile, back sorry, I had a
(18:26):
tangent there with drugs. Andmeanwhile, Meanwhile, back in
the interview. Edie, I want toknow about kind of, we spoke
about the project down there inDevon. Have you got any future
plans for exhibitions? Do you goto trade fairs, any bricks and
mortar pop ups on the horizon2023
Unknown (18:47):
So for 2023 No plans for bricks and mortar stores. We
are predominantly online DTC,but we do stock in kind of
fashion boutiques for oursunglasses and in a lot of
optical stores, mostlyindependent optical stores. Last
(19:09):
year, we took the decision toseparate out our DTC and b2b
ranges. So from February March23, we will have our online
styles which are only availableonline and then we'll have our
b2b styles which are onlyavailable to optical stores and
(19:34):
in that way it in that sense itwill enable us to kind of curate
a much kind of better fit forboth audiences because they are
very different, you know, peoplethat are shopping online for
eyewear versus people that aregoing into their local
independence. Absolutely needneed both and there's you know,
there's so many benefits in inhaving both, you know, the ease
(19:57):
of shopping online is isfantastic, but You know,
sometimes you can't beat goinginto an opticians and, and
trying lots of different pairson and having that face to face
service. So yeah, for us it'sbeen we've wanted to cater for
both, but do it really, reallywell. So that's something that
that we're looking to do
PB (20:16):
this year. Are you trying to pitch to like sell fridges or
John Lewis or anything likethat? Is that also thinking big?
Unknown (20:27):
Not currently we are.
We are joining some slightlybigger optical groups, and we've
got some bigger, kind of b2bwholesale opportunities on the
horizon. So this year, we'realso we're looking to do another
investment raise to kind of helpus with that next step as we as
we scale things up further. But,uh, yeah, most of the time, it's
(20:50):
stores that come to us, and theysay, We love the product, you
know, these fit really well withwhat the consumer is looking for
in terms of, you know, beingmore environmentally friendly,
and so on being a bit different.
And so yeah, most of the time,it's stores that are that are
(21:10):
coming to us, rather than usactively seeking out
PB (21:13):
awesome, Ed, thanks so much for jumping on. It's been
fascinating listening to themakings of the business app,
find your birds is where you'rehanging out on Instagram. Is
that where you hang outpersonally? Is it you behind the
scenes there too?
Unknown (21:29):
Yes, what you'll find myself and my team they're at
Find your birds. Very easilyfind me on Instagram or
LinkedIn, as well. But yeah, atFind your birds, that's for
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagramas well. And you can keep up to
keep up to date with everythingthat we're that we're doing and
everything in the life of thebirds.
PB (21:51):
And that's a website also find your birds.com Great, yes,
where we can go and do someshopping. Brilliant. All right,
Ed. Well, thanks for jumping onand until next time
you've been listening to themenswear style podcast be sure
(22:13):
to head over to menswear styledot code at uk for more menswear
content and email info atmenswear style.co.uk If you'd
like to be a future guest on theshow. Finally, please help
support the show by leaving areview on iTunes or wherever
you're listening to thispodcast. Until next time
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