Coti Vision: “We work in an amazing industry”

The brand has faced challenges along the way, in particular the global COVID-19 pandemic, but remaining agile and quick to react has proved key to Coti Vision’s success.

The founders are clear that open and honest conversation between industry players is important for navigating the market challenges.

Nancy Gries, co-owner of Coti Vision, spoke to OT about the brand’s progress and goals for the next 12 months.

What makes Coti Vision and its approach or its products unique?

Julie and I set out to revolutionise glasses chains. We realised that there was a gap for this in the market, because everything that was available was the old traditional, as we call it, ‘granny’ cord, and there was no element of creativity applied to something that was so functional. So we set ourselves the task to try to make this a trendy accessory for our frames and sunglasses. That’s where the challenge started and the journey began for us. We keep evolving from there. We found there was a growing interest in the market for something that was now trendy.

What collection are you proudest of?

We’re constantly dropping new articles into the collection. The collection Julia and I are most proud of is probably our Amore Italia collection, which is created from recycled materials and made in Italy.

Coti Vision

The ‘Vita’ from the Amore Italia collection

For this collection we work with factories in Northern Italy that are primarily making fashion accessories. We recycle off-cuts of materials that are left over from their processes, which are mainly making buttons. A huge amount of waste is created when buttons are injected. We grind that material down to create the chains. The result is that every piece is slightly different so you get a piece of art and something genuinely unique. We’re very proud of being able to bring life to something that otherwise would just be thrown away.

What is the latest collection that you have released and why does it stand out from the crowd?

We have introduced a new line that wasn’t previously covered in our collections. As we’ve extended our reach into various channels it is something that has been requested. We are evolving along with fashion and different materials. Gold has become very popular in jewellery so we’re bringing this in a lot more with our acrylic ranges.

What approach does Coti Vision take to sustainability?

Sustainability is one of our primary focuses. We can’t be one hundred percent recyclable in all of our product ranges, purely because there is still a premium that is applied to it and so we can’t do that across the board. Wherever possible, we implement sustainable factors into the production and packaging of our product.

The packaging is recycled and recyclable. We use a recycled PET case for the product or recycled cardboard box. In practices our display is made with an elegant wooden base and metal T-bar. It can be easily dismantled and recycled.

Coti Vision

Coti Vision implements sustainable measures where possible

What inspires your work?

The benefit of us being in the company together is that Julia and I can bounce ideas off each other. We plant a seed – we might see something and wonder if we can make it into a chain – then we go off and see if we can execute that.

We’ve made chains from wood. It was an extremely expensive process but we wanted to execute this in a way that showed we can make a glasses chain from literally anything. We found a carpenter who lasered the rings for us, then we soaked the wood and made it pliable, then attached the links together and made the most beautiful wooden chains. We also had a collaboration with a jewellery company to make a chain out of recycled newspaper.

Our ideas come from anywhere. It can be a ‘wow’ moment where we see something that inspires us, or we might be approached for a collaboration.

What are the company’s main ambitions for the next 12 months?

After starting the company, we went right into COVID-19. We had to navigate the challenges of Brexit, and not to mention the tariffs more recently. If there is one desire we have for the year ahead it’s stability so that we can really focus on our business and not all the distractions that have been thrown at us since we started.

We’re still here, we still have our energy, and our focus remains the same. We’ve been working behind the scenes with some new factories and we are very excited about our new product developments.

Dragons Den

Dragon’s Den in 2021

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the sector?

I think the outcome of all that I mentioned [COVID-19, Brexit, US tariffs] means the market in general is very volatile. We can’t really forecast the way we used to. There used to be a time when we could project: ‘this is what we did last year, these are the months we did it in, therefore we can assume that with a bit of growth this is what we’ll do this year.’ We have found that forecasting and planning is not reliable anymore. It’s not just us, it is the market in general. I’m hearing from a lot of optical companies that the market is too difficult.

Does it create an opportunity for independent brands like ourselves? As a small company, we have to carry the burden of figuring out and navigating through all these challenges, but at the same time it makes us very flexible to be able to change our direction fairly quickly to adapt to anything that comes our way.

I think that has been one of our successes. It certainly has been challenging since we started this journey. Enduring what we have done takes a lot of passion for what we’re doing, but also an element of flexibility to react very quickly to anything that is being thrown at us.

What are the biggest opportunities that you see currently?

Staying focused on the business and not being distracted or defeated by what is going on in the world – trying to stay positive and reaching out to people in our industry. We work in an amazing industry and sharing experiences with like-minded people tells us that we’re not alone.

There is an opportunity in being open, reaching out and asking advice: ‘How did you navigate through this? How is your business doing? We’re having a rough time, are you?’ That honesty is really important at this time. Talking to people around us in our industry helps us to not be so blind-sided.