From Across the Pond…Wooden Sunglasses, A Hot Trend From an Even Hotter Brand

Now that it’s officially feeling like spring, with summer on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to talk sunglasses. Even though you might have far too many already in every handbag of yours and your car, it’s always fun to get a new pair (or two) for the season. Francene is back today telling us all about the newest trend in sunnies and a very cool brand from across the pond who carries them. Yes, they are Wooden Sunglasses and celebrities have already taken notice and so have we…….and we are loving it!

From Francene:  The hottest new brand to fall into my lap, literally! We have one of my good friends over here from Scotland who went to school (and is really good friends) with one of the creators of Finlay And Co. So naturally, knowing how much I love new brands and accessories he showed off his new Wooden Sunglasses. I have never seen anything like them before,  so instantly went out and grabbed time with one of the creators, David Lochhead.

Finlay & Co. is now an established exhibitor during New York, London and Paris fashion weeks. In February 2014, Finlay & Co. was selected to present at Milan Fashion Week by Vogue Italia as one of the Brands in the exclusive Vogue Talents Corner.

‘The young quartet that make sunglasses are very talented.” ANNA WINTOUR – VOGUE

FD:  Your look book looks amazing! What is your favorite pair?

DL:  Thank you, we’re really excited about the new range and our latest photoshoot has been the best to date so it’s great to see the whole collection modeled in the Lookbook. Here at Finlay & Co. HQ, we all have our favourites – no one is allowed to leave the office at lunchtime without wearing their favourite pair of sunglasses! But for me… it has to be Ledbury Ebony with Purple mirrored lenses, they’re great fun for summer in London.

FD:  What is your most popular pair?

DL:  Since the brand was founded in 2012, the Beaumont Walnut and Thurloe Ebony have been our best-sellers. These two styles combine handcrafted frames featuring wood, rich in natural grain, with a gold frame. The Thurloe is no doubt, the most iconic style in the wooden collection its recently been worn by Jessica Alba, Vanessa Hudgens and Cara Delevingne, which is so exciting for us!

FD:  What inspired you to start this brand?

DL:  Back in 2011, I was looking for a British brand of sunglasses that I could get really excited about, but I couldn’t find any. I had seen a pair of wooden sunglasses whilst in the US and it occurred to me that wooden sunglasses, inspired by British design could really take off in the UK. And so, Finlay & Co. was born with the aim to deliver fresh and expressive eyewear.

FD:  Why Wooden Sunglasses?

DL:  Each pair is completely unique due to the grain of the natural hardwood. Our wooden frames also have the benefit of being ultra lightweight, plus they float in water! Many of our customers, and our team get stopped by people in the streets asking where their sunglasses are from. Hopefully this means we’ve achieving our goal of designing unique and iconic styles.

FD:  Where do you see the company heading?  Do you see it branching out into different accessories?

 

DL:  There is such an amazing opportunity within the  eyewear industry to create memorable collections and so we will be continuing to focus on developing our collection even further before looking at other product categories. But watch this space!

FD:  What other designers influence you?

DL:  We are inspired by brands, products and places which are founded upon quality design or craftsmanship, but also designs which are timeless yet modern at the same time. For all of our sunglasses, there are up to 32 steps of craftsmanship to create the final, finished product and so brands such as Passavant & Lee, who design quality leather briefcases using the worlds finest leather and solid brass locks represent the ultimate in quality craftsmanship to us. We’re also fans of menswear brand E.Tautz and Oliver Sweeney.

FD:  Where could I go to buy these?

DL:  You can buy your Finlay & Co. frames online at www.finlayandco.com Visit the site also to find your nearest stocklist. Our frames are stocked in retailers across the world from Harvey Nichols in London to Barneys in New York, and many places in between.

FD:  What was the thinking behind the personalized detailing?

DL:  Each of our wooden frames are completely unique from one pair to the next given the natural contrast in grain from the wood used. This inspired us to deliver a service which could provide further personalization, to create a truly one-off product. You can have your pair of Finlay & Co. frames engraved with up to 10 characters and many of our customers will use this service when buying frames as a gift for someone else or even themselves.

This brand is only just beginning, we are going to see wonderful things from Finlay And Co and I can’t wait to follow them throughout their journey! After seeing my friend wear these sunglasses in Houston, I have been spending the last couple of days picking the style I really want (which was difficult) and will definitely be purchasing the Pembroke in Turquoise.

All images c/o Finlay & Co.