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NEW YORK—The inaugural Eyewear Design Week wrapped up this Sunday, March 16, following a week of meetings, trade shows, events and networking across New York City. Envisioned as an annual showcase for the “high fashion sector of the optical market in North America,” Eyewear Design Week (EDW) debuted to enthusiastic attendees who were curious to see what the week held in store, and featured involvement from a number of optical brands and companies. Among these were The Loft, which was open on March 13, 14 and 15, and EYECON, which was open March 14, 15 and 16. In addition, Kering Eyewear, Thélios and EssilorLuxottica, official partners of Eyewear Design Week, opened their showrooms or created specialized spaces to showcase new collections as part of the event. Modo organized tours of its M Factory, also located in New York City.
Richard Mewha, founder of The Loft, told VMAIL, “The past few days have seen the 25th anniversary of Loft NYC succeed in expanding our concept of a non trade show environment that allowed our greatly expanded yet highly curated mix of Independent designers show their amazing wares to the best optical retailers in North America. We also successfully built a collaboration with other showrooms, notably Thelios and Kering’s, to offer a wider array of venues for the three-day event.”
Blake Kuwahara, designer, said of The Loft, “Although this is the 25th anniversary of The Loft, this was the first time it was held in the new venue with an expanded format and did not coincide with Vision Expo East. I think the tremendous turnout of the vendors and retailers shows the importance and strength of the independent side of our business. The boutique segment brought their A game for sure. The Loft definitely had a ‘buzz.’”
For 2025, The Loft, which has been hosting eyewear events in New York City and San Francisco since 2000, expanded its New York presence with two locations: Chelsea Industrial and Chelsea Factory, allowing the show to be three times larger than usual, organizers said. The Loft accommodated hundreds of exhibitors and visitors, as well as CE courses, special events and announcements and the annual Independence Party. EYECON, a B2B luxury eyewear exhibition, celebrated its inaugural show at Eyewear Design Week. Hosted at the Glasshouse, the show welcomed both exhibitors and a curated lineup of events called EYECON[VERSATIONS], which platformed creative minds and industry leaders.
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| Various optical brands and companies, including exhibitors at The Loft, were part of last week’s Eyewear Design Week. Image via lofteyewearshow on Instagram |
“I’m incredibly grateful for the eyewear community that came together to make the inaugural EYECON show a success,” Tarrence Lackran, founder of the EYECON Show, told VMAIL. “Bringing visionary brands, top retailers, and industry leaders under one roof created an electric energy—one fueled by meaningful conversations, new collaborations, and a shared passion for luxury eyewear. This is just the beginning of a new era, and I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who helped bring it to life.”
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| (L to R) The ‘Performance Meets Precision – The Future of Luxury Sports Eyewear’ panel at EYECON included Gary Black, Queen Harrison Claye, Drew Oppermann, Tarrence Lackran and Christine Yeh. |
Christine Yeh, executive editor, 20/20, who chaired a panel at EYECON noted, “It was wonderful to witness the energy generated at the inaugural EYECON show and see a fresh take in bringing luxury eyewear vendors and independent retailers together. I had the opportunity to moderate the ‘Performance Meets Precision – The Future of Luxury Sports Eyewear’ panel, where our panelists Gary Black, founder of Black Optical and Kuro Athletics; Drew Oppermann, VP of sales, Dita Lancier; and Olympian hurdler and sprinter Queen Harrison Claye shared insightful thoughts on the innovative and performance aspects of sport eyewear along with its growing influence on luxury, fashion and everyday style. It’s an exciting time for this category, and we’re excited to see how it will continue to evolve.” This panel was approved for one hour of ABO credit.
EDW also supported VISIONS – Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired New York, a nonprofit vision rehabilitation and social service organization founded in 1926. All companies participating in EDW made or will make a donation to VISIONS.
Also running March 13, 14 and 15, The Frame Affair took place concurrent with Eyewear Design Week, but was a separate and strictly independent event, its show organizers told VMAIL.
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