Most people buy glasses for fashion purposes

Sudibyo M. Wiradji Contributor Jakarta

Even though glasses are not a basic necessity like food or clothes, optic retail stores in the country see a stable market from year to year because there are always customers racing out to buy new eyewear for fashion purposes.

Like other fashion accessories, the style of prescription glasses and sunglasses changes from time to time. At present, optic stores have become not only a place where you can get sight aids but also a place where you can find accessories to improve your physical performance.

"When it comes to choosing a frame, for instance, customers who have to buy reading glasses will generally take fashion into consideration. They will take a slim frame with thin lenses, not a big frame with thick lenses as many people did in the past," said Jacob, marketing manager of the Lily Kasoem Optic Store.

Customers consider glasses not merely as tools that will help them see better, but also fashion accessories.

In the 1960s and 1970s, men loved wearing large and square lenses, but now rimless glasses and sports sunglasses like Oakley are the latest craze.

An executive at one optic store said that almost 80 percent of customers come for fashion purposes. In addition to fashion enthusiasts, the eyeglass business in the country is also being helped by the increase in the number of people over the age of 40.

"When one approaches 40, he or she will naturally begin to have seeing problems," he said.

The life span for lenses is one year and for frames two years. After wearing prescription glasses for one year, one should have another eye examination and change the lenses. This is also a reason why the eyeglass business remains promising despite the overall sluggish economic situation.

Optic stores are found in shopping centers, malls and plazas, and those with a good reputation engage refraction opticians or licensed doctors of optometry as part of their eyecare and eyewear services.

Eyewear showrooms at plazas have a luxurious flavor to them, with eyewear accessories like frames, lenses, soft contact lenses and cases arranged neatly inside a box case. The stores vary in terms of brands they provide, but among the top brands available at those with established names are DonnaKaran, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, D&G, Oakley, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Gucci, Ray Ban, Maxmara and St DuPont, Versace and Christian Dior. Colored soft contact lenses from the popular Acuvue are also readily available at the stores.

Fashion glasses are mostly imported from Italy, France, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. The prices of the eyewear vary, depending on such as aspects as brand, quality and the material of the frame and lenses.

Cartier frames are generally more expensive than Nautica ones. Some stores have prices ranging from Rp 250,000 to Rp 10 million (about US$1,100) for Cartier eyewear. More expensive frames like Cartier or Bulgari carry a warranty of two years, compared to an average one year for other brands.

Many of the stores not only rely on individual customers, but also generate revenue from corporate customers.

Many optic stores have also set up what is called a "mobile unit" to serve their corporate clients. Each store has different techniques to maintain their customers. At Lily Kasoem Optic Store, customers not only get information on what eyewear accessories they want to buy, but will also receive advice on the frames and lenses best suited to them.

"We provide free after-sale service. We charge only when a spare part needs replacement, like the nose pad for example," said Jacob of Lily Kasoem.

The store is currently running a grand sale, offering between 30 percent and 70 percent discounts on particular brands at the store's branches across the country, including in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar.

The shop also makes special glasses for people working in the mining industry."Those working in the mining industry are in need of eyewear with particular lenses using a poly-carbonate material," Jacob said.

Optic Seis also provides fashion eyewear in a wide range of brands, including Calvin Klein, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Ray Ban, Nautica and Kipling.

"For sports eyewear we have Oakley and Nike. For luxury eyewear we have Cartier, Bulgari, Garcia Moreno, Montblanc and Philippe Charriol," said Ruddhy Bustaram of Optic Seis.

"We also provide colored soft lenses from Acuvue, which are now becoming more popular. They cost Rp 135,000 per pair," he said.