Optical Prism July 2014 | Page 34

Model is wearing Harley-Davidson HDT 110. Clockwise from left: Guess GU 9113, GU 9124 and Harley-Davidson HDT 106. Tween Fashion Marcolin USA/Viva knows bold brands are tween and kid-friendly. If it’s cool for adults, the tweens want it too, according to Jennifer Wright, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Marcolin USA/Viva. Tweens in particular want a sophisticated look with a youthful feel. “We are taking inspiration from the GUESS adult eyewear collection and putting a spin on it for tweens. We are seeing that tweens are very inspired by the looks they see on their parents and celebrities,” Wright said. “A lot of the same trends in the adult collection are carried into the tween line. For example, matte and rubberized details are a significant trend in the Tween Boy’s Collection.” “For girls we used a fun and 32 O P T I C A L P R I S M | J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 bright animal print colour palette which is a staple GUESS look. The Guess Tween Girl also likes a bit more detail and hardware so we played up the treatments on the temples and logo,” Wright added. The company also extended their sizing to a 49 eye size option, to broaden their customer reach. Wright says, “The Guess Tween collection offers eyewear that is in line with what is trending in the accessories world which will satisfy the needs of the tween, but also retails at a very reasonable price point, which makes the parent purchasing the frame confident the eyewear won’t break the bank.” Marcolin USA/Viva is also the maker of the successful line of Harley-Davidson Eyewear. Wright notes that for the youth market, the brand has equal appeal to that of the adult consumer. Let’s face it; Harley-Davidson is cool and iconic. She points to details such as the HD Skull graphics that have been known to raise the eyebrows of parents and school administrators, saying somehow that rebellious logo continues to outsell all other HD logos, which she suggests is due to the cool-factor. “A tween or teen can still be “stylish” even though they have to wear glasses,” Wright said. “We keep the logos and the graphics cool.” Constructed with memory metal with spring hinges and rubberized logo accents in fun colours or a special stone-washed colour finish on some styles, the concept is to stay true to the Harley-Davidson brand, a rebellious expression of freedom and style, regardless of age.