Sunglasses Investor Sees Bright Future

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Sunglasses Investor Sees Bright Future
Framing Appeal: Caleb Garrett with variety of Hawkers sunglasses.

Last year, Caleb Garrett found himself at a club in Los Angeles sharing a table with a couple of guys when one handed him a pair of sunglasses.

A venture capitalist who had invested in West Hollywood alcohol delivery service Saucey, Garrett wasn’t all that impressed with the product handed him by Alex Moreno, chief executive of Hawkers, an e-commerce eyewear brand in Barcelona, Spain. The company’s pitch is that it produces a line with trendy designs while keeping prices low.

But his accountant pointed to the strength of Hawkers’ sales overseas, and Garrett reconsidered.

Now, he is the American partner and creative contributor behind the line’s U.S. launch.

Hawkers, sold only online, retail for $20 to $40. The company has struck design deals with brands like Diesel, Dope and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, promoting its lines by calling out taste makers and culture leaders through Facebook and Instagram.

“What makes the product cool is the people wearing it,” said Garrett.

The idea behind Hawkers is simple: Everyone should be able to buy them and everyone should be able to rock them. There are two styles and countless colors aimed to fit faces of all shapes and sizes, said Garrett, from A-list celebrities to elementary schoolers.

Shoppers on average put three to four pairs in their online shopping cart, he said, figuring that with the low cost, a lost pair is no big deal. Not only does Hawkers pride itself on the price point, but also on the quality; the glasses are made in the same factory as some designer brands that run into the hundreds of dollars.

Garrett’s takeaway from the investment that all began at a club?

“You don’t have to screw people to have a great product.”

– Grace Goodrich

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