Eyeglasses business hopes to bridge divide

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This article was published 15/11/2021 (1415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local eyewear business is aiming to offer a more inclusive online shopping experience.

Kathy Tran-Riese, founder of the low nose bridge sunglasses line KayTran Eyewear Ltd., started the company in 2012 after the idea came to her while studying business in London, Ont.

For many people of Asian descent with wide faces, high cheekbones and low nose bridges, most Western eyeglasses brands tend to not be wide enough, causing uncomfortable pressure at the temples. They are also more likely to slip down a lower nose bridge because the nosepiece isn’t thick enough.

It’s a difficulty Tran-Riese knows well.

“I always struggled with finding eyewear,” Tran-Riese told The Sou’wester. “It was always just an issue I had, and the more I talked to people who were also Asian or had smaller nose bridges, the more I found this was a common issue everyone dealt with or accepted as the norm.”

Tran-Riese said 70 to 80 per cent of eyewear is made by three large companies that have historically focused on more prominent nose bridges.

“That’s very common amongst Western and Caucasian facial features, but people like myself — who are Asian and have lower nose bridges — are left out,” she added.

KayTran Eyewear’s sunglass frames have altered dimensions to accomodate these facial features. Tran-Riese’s capsule collection is manufactured in Italy. The frames are handcrafted and handfinished by small, independently-owned factories.

“There’s a lot of heritage in that area in terms of producing eyewear, so they’ve been working in that field for generations,” Tran-Riese said. “I really wanted to make sure this collection was high quality, so that’s where we manufacture our frames.”

KayTran Eyewear began shipping across North America nearly a decade ago. Since then, Tran-Riese has noticed more companies incorporating lower bridge fits into their product lines.

“It is starting to evolve, which is great, but it’s still a small percentage of what they offer,” she said. “I think that’s what makes us unique: it’s solely what we do and specialize in.”

Tran-Riese designs all of KayTran Eyewear’s sunglasses herself before her Italian partners turn it into a prototype or product sample.

A pair of KayTran Eyewear sunglasses costs $185. A lot of stores with designer brands carry sunglasses that can cost double that, Trans-Riese said.

“One of the things that’s been really important to be is making it accessible because you shouldn’t have to shell out a fortune for a pair of sunflasses,” she added. “We definitely focus on making it as accessible as possible while providing premium materials.”

Tran-Riese said she’s currently working on spring items. She is also looking into the potential of expanding to develop opitcal frames.

“It’s really great to see the reach we’ve been able to have through e-commerce,” Tran-Riese said. “It’s also been great to hear from customers and learn this is something they’ve been looking for and has allowed them to feel comfortable in their own skin.”

For more information about KayTran Eyewear, visit www.kaytran.com