Fashionable eyewear at accessible price points

Eyespace Eyewear’s new collection, Arhlo, has inclusivity at its centre, Emily Andrews, product director and chief sustainability officer, told OT.

The brand launched the Arhlo collection at 100% Optical in February.

Talking OT through the new designs, Andrews explained: “When we created Arhlo, we noticed this big gap in the market that wasn’t really being addressed.”

“People are being hit by the cost-of-living crisis, and a lot of the fashionable frames were at a very high price point and weren’t accessible,” she said, adding: “At Eyespace, it’s important to us that we’re inclusive and that we have frames for everybody, no matter what their budget.”

The new line was made to be a budget-friendly option of “beautiful frames that can express their personality and meet their professional identity,” Andrews said.

Bio-based materials have been utilised in the collection, while all the lenses and frame bags are biodegradable.

“The Arhlo collection offers practices something a little bit more diverse, a little bit more exciting, but also something that is not quite as prohibitive to some of their customers,” Andrews explained.

“Rather than saying, ‘this frame is for a man, or woman, or someone of a certain age,’ this is about your personal style, and being able to offer frame wearers and patients something that allows them to express themselves and meets what they are looking for,” she added.

A standout frame in the collection is the ‘ARH001 C1,’ a bold frame in a pink and blue marble colourway.

In addition to the new launch, Eyespace Eyewear had several reasons for celebration, recognising its 10-year anniversary.

The brand also achieved B Corp certification in the last quarter of 2023, with Andrews sharing: “It’s a huge, huge amount of work, but it’s something we are incredibly proud of, as only a handful of optical companies worldwide have this accreditation because it is so hard to achieve. It’s something we are extremely proud of.”