The 20/20 Editorial Team

James J. Spina
VP, Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Micucci
Executive Editor

Gloria Nicola
Senior Features Editor

Andy Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

Melissa Arkin
Associate Editor

6/12/2008 i Just Wanna Testify
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
At 20/20 we’ve been playing around with this “young and young-at-heart” iWear category since the flip to a new millennium over eight years ago. And although we love having fun with the fact that we came up with the name iWear long before the iPod and the iPhone (and we’ve been forever wondering when someone is going to finally seal the deal on licensed iWear from Apple) the real “issue” of defining and earmarking this viable segment of the frame market is the most important aspect for optical dispensers.

And that’s this: Eyewear is stepping up to the plate as far more than just a medical device, readily handy and faceable for corrective vision issues. It is, of course that... and more. And the “more” message is best delivered when the eyewear is appealing to a broad range of consumer tastes and concerns in terms of branding, demographics, style and quality.

But that big, lazy dream about all those Baby Boomers waking up presbyopic and stumbling into an optical store demanding the latest, greatest eyewear just ain’t happening quite as fast as initially envisioned by many opti-optimists. That first wave of WWII-vet offspring seems to be piled up in headachy heaps underneath kiosks of cheap ready-made readers, intent on self-diagnosing which size of type they can read with junky spectacles while the security devise dangles on top of their noses, directly in front of their hardening corneas.

The only factor that’s going to influence this bumbling swarm of Boomers (being one, I can say that) is their seeing a blur of younger generation eyeglass wearers looking terrific in great glasses... eyewear ever energized by new shapes, stylish colors, the brightest brands. And, most importantly, glasses that set the scene by being SEEN.

And that is what iWear is all about. It is eyewear that makes a statement about the wearer. When those Boomers see that all of those Gen X, Gen Y and Gen “I” wearers are on trend, you can be sure the new generation of proud eyeglass wearers will be bolstering YOUR optical mission.

We’re eagerly looking for YOUR take on the Baby Boom that went bust in optical. What’s your take? Why did the eyewear rush go belly up instead of full-speed-ahead when those boomers lost their ability to read without glasses?

Weigh in. If you don’t we just might consider you as down for the count and under that heap of blurry-visioned boomtown rats.

—James J. Spina, 20/20 Editor in chief
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Comments (3)   Add Comment
Re: i Just Wanna Testify
By Stephan NIcholson		 6/16/2008
s
FYI, I coined the name, Eye Care Eye Ware, Inc. in 1998. This is my corporate name dba: Sterling Optical
Re: i Just Wanna Testify
By CA402CE4-1A39-4464-B412-0E07DF2281E6		 6/16/2008
s
Eye Care and Eye Ware is all yours. But we dubbed this iWear. It has a slightly different spelling and certainly its own definition as stated in 20/20. JJS20/20
Re: i Just Wanna Testify
By thai		 6/26/2008
s
since working at my brother's optical store, ive encountered with a hand full of customers who felt like glasses were a drag for them. most teenagers are believing that glasses would degrade their social status so they willingly choose to go blind. i get so angry when people dont care... the senior customers however, are a little bit easier when choosing frames. the frames matters, just not to a very fashionable extent.

the whole iwear thing... i think you can come up with a better name. iwear is cool but too similar to ipod... or eyewear. of course the story behind it tells it all. now a days, i believe brand names should have their own distinct catch. perhaps, eye courtesy or eye dazzle. in style eyes. your eyes. see clear. eye see you.

just a thought.

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