ZIG Eyewear

Provide a brief overview of the company's history.
Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, ZIG Eyewear has been creating and distributing designer eyewear for the past 10 years. Our United States division, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is the sales and service team dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. We are responsible for establishing relationships with retailers to carry our lines, and to provide service and support to our existing accounts. We also do marketing and social media from our office to build awareness of our brand to eyewear consumers.

Regarding the designer, Cendrine O., please outline her professional background and explain her philosophies and artistic views on frame designs.
Cendrine Obadia has been designing eyewear for over 20 years. She got her start working as a buyer for a commercial eyewear line that had 60 retail stores. Cendrine felt that the company’s designs could be enhanced and made better, so she worked directly with the factory to embellish the designs and make them more unique and colorful. Her initiative was very successful and the company started selling the designs she created. Cendrine eventually decided to go out on her own, starting with the ZIGGY® by Cendrine O. line. In 1997, she formed ZIG Eyewear. The Jean Reno collection was developed in collaboration with the actor himself initially created to be launched in Japan to appeal to his broad fan base in that country. Eventually, the Jean Reno by Cendrine O. collection was added to the ZIG Eyewear family of frames.

Bringing attention to temple details, Cendrine designs for people who are sensitive to design, who want to be different and want to enhance their face with an artistic frame. She believes that if you compare a 5-year-old famous commercial brand and a 5-year-old designer frame, the famous brand will look old and passé. The designer brand will still have style, where the fashion brand will pass. 

How many styles are in each line?
The two collections are extensive – ZIGGY® has approximately 90 styles, all offered in multiple colors. Certain styles are also available as sunglasses. The Jean Reno collection has approximately 80 styles in multiple color options.

Briefly describe the frames for each collection. 
The ZIGGY® collection has a look that is fun, whimsical and ornate. Cendrine uses a rich variety of colors that look incredible as solids, or being mixed together, such as combining orange and purple. Just when you think the ZIGGY® collection’s style has been established in a certain category, Cendrine creates new designs that defy anything she has done in the past.

The Jean Reno collection has a large proportion of men’s frames, and it’s meant for the man who wants something different than everything else that’s out there, but still wants to maintain the look of sophistication and style. Overall, the lines are clean, architectural and modern. I actually wear a pair of Jean Reno glasses that are very colorful - the collection has many beautiful women’s styles as well. Cendrine just unveiled her new 2011/2012 collection of Jean Reno by Cendrine O. at the Vision Expo West, and people were amazed by the innovation and creativity in her designs for this line. Some of the new releases have a neo-classic look to them that is truly forward-thinking. 

Cendrine is very conscious of the need to have a wide selection in measurements to accommodate people of all sizes, and both eyewear lines have multiple choices for all measurement options. She also frequently creates one design in two sizes to accommodate different measurements. The online catalogue on our website is a great place for retailers to browse through different dimension options and see what is available in specific measurements.

What materials are the frames made out of?
Cendrine works primarily with very lightweight stainless steel because it’s the best material to accommodate her many intricate designs. Some of her designs have a mixture between acetate and metal, monel and epoxy inlay. Cendrine has emphasized the importance in quality. She has searched the world for the most state of the art, innovative manufacturers that can accomplish her amazing design details and still keep quality the main priority. In certain cases, special tooling has been designed by the manufacturers to accomplish her visions. 

What is the minimum purchase requirement to open an account with ZIG Eyewear? What is the warranty?
The minimum opening order is 15 pieces per brand. There is no requirement to carry both lines. However, we have noticed that retailers who buy into both brands do exceptionally well because they have more of this signature look to display and show the versatility in Cendrine’s designs that cater to both men and women. ZIG Eyewear warranties our glasses against breakage due to defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the customer’s date of purchase.

What kind of POP is available to ECPs once they purchase the line?
Just as the two collections are unique, our complementary POP is designed to have the product stand alone and not necessarily on a board with all the other brands. One of our signature POP pieces is red in the shape of a tree with branches where a few pairs of glasses can dangle from the limbs. It’s a conversation piece with an artistic touch. Every frame comes with a beautiful designer case with a branded canvas bag and cleaning cloth. 

What makes ZIG's collections different from other boutique lines?
ZIG Eyewear has two distinct collections that are noticeably designed by the same designer – Cendrine O. They are so unique that we truly believe this is the “something different” eyewear that people have been looking for. Recently, we had an optician (with over 20 years of experience selling glasses) ask one of our sales reps, “Can you really put lenses in these and wear them? They’re so beautiful, they look like art!”

Your website has some unique features designed especially for retailers.
We designed our website, www.zig-eyewear.com , to be appealing to both retailers and eyewear customers. Our retailers have a special, password-protected area of the site where they can view our online catalogue and place orders directly to our office. We designed this area of the site for the retailer to use alongside their customer to view specific product measurements and detailed photography. However, prices do not show until the retailer places the product inside their shopping cart and views it. This allows a retailer to show a customer options they may not carry in their store without revealing the retailer’s cost.

Paul DiGiovanni, LDO, is a practicing optician who resides in New Jersey. to be here for awhile.