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Eyewear with animal welfare credentials
The US sunglasses brand with a philanthropic mission and tech aspirations
11 April 2018
As the only eyewear company in the US that donates all its profits to charity, Fetch Eyewear had little difficulty standing out from the crowd at Vision Expo East (New York, 16–18 March).
At this year’s event, the company, which was recognised in the Vision Expo 2018 Vision Choice Awards, announced its collaboration with Klix Frames, showcasing two technology enhancements.
Speaking about the partnership, the company’s founder, Ann Sacks, explained to OT that she wanted to integrate tech into her spectacles design because she kept losing her glasses. Not wanting “a big box on the frames,” Klix Frames were the ideal partner, she said.
Innovation is second nature to Ms Sacks, who founded commercial tile company, Design and Direct Source prior to Fetch Eyewear.
While working with Klix Frames, the two companies were able to develop the scope of Fetch Find, using GPS technology.
“People spend too much time and money on glasses that go missing. With Fetch Find, wearers receive an alert when they move away from their glasses, and can find them if they get lost,” explained Klix Frames vice president of sales, Joe Flinn.
The two companies have also collaborated to produce ‘Collection by Fetch.’ Described as a technology that allows wearers to safely change lenses for one colour of a favourite frame to another, the company told OT, “Collection delivers on the promise of affordable frame choices with the purchase of a single prescription.”
Mr Flynn told OT: “Opticians are interested in change.”
Asked about plans to grow the brand’s reach, Mr Flynn added: “We are looking to expand – licencing in the UK would be great. We are able to send product copies, plus there is a lifetime warranty.”
A critical cause
Ms Sacks explained to OT that the concept for Fetch came after a common experience: “I, like many people, have overpaid for my glasses in the past,” she said.
Recognising that cost was a factor that was prohibiting people who “value beautiful glasses from owning multiple pairs,” she told OT that she concluded “there must be another way” – and launched Fetch Eyewear.
From the beginning, Ms Sacks knew that the company would provide funding for animal welfare causes.
“Designing glasses that fit and flatter is, as with most businesses, just the start. We want people who love animals to say, ‘when you make this choice you are helping animals and the people who love them’,” she told OT.
Speaking about the Pixie Project, Ms Sacks explained that the mission “is to love pets and people through personalised pet adoption and low cost veterinary assistance. In 2017, Pixie sent 700 special pets to permanent homes and performed 1200 life-saving surgeries, allowing seniors and low-income families who love their pets to stay together. Pixie helps hospice workers comfort clients so they know that their beloved companion will have a happy and secure future.”
“We believe that the next generation will move this humanitarian effort forward and we wanted to help,” she added.
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