In this issue:

Upfront
American Eye-dol
He’s truly become an American idol in his own right. Randy Jackson achieved superstar status as one of the triumvirate of judges on TV’s wildly popular “American Idol.” Known for his cool phrases (“Yo, what up dog?”) and his cool eyeglasses, Jackson is taking his frame icon status one step further—he’s created his own line of eyewear with Zyloware.

Upfront
Top Design
They’re the tops. Silhouette’s “Simplicity Through Perfect Design” creative campaign was honored by American Business Media during its 12th Annual Creative Excellence in Business Advertising (CEBA) Awards held last month at Lincoln Center in New York.

Upfront
Dust Up
Sometimes things are just better with a little pixie dust… like, for instance, eyewear. With that in mind, Kirk Originals new black and tortoise shell stardust hues have real sparkle thanks to a very, um, unique process.

Upfront
Name Game
A popular New Jersey venue has gotten a name change. Phillips-Van Heusen and its licensee ClearVision Optical, the distributor for optical quality Izod Eyes frames and sunglasses, recently announced that the Continental Airlines Arena, located at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. was renamed the Izod Center.

Upfront
It’s A Mod Man World...
...And for added essential data on retailing eyewear to men and a special look at eyewear from category leaders such as Viva, Signature, Tura, Morel USA, Zyloware, Kenmark, Luxottica and Altair, be sure to see the special Modern Man/Glasses Required supplement included with this issue.

Upfront
I AM Ironman
Rudy Project conquered the podium of the most prestigious triathlon championship for the second year running, the Ford Ironman World Championship, with Chris McCormack, the Australian triathlon athlete recently back and totally in winning stride from his fourth consecutive victory, at the Roth Quelle Challenge in Germany.

Upfront
Kind of a Drag
Jim Yates’ Pro Stock Pontiac will be decked out in fetching Wiley X colors for the 2008 NHRA POWERade season.

Upfront
Lab Watch
Louisiana State Optical Lab, has more than a few good strategies for generating sales. In fact, laboratory manager Rick Hawkes and his wife Daphne believe the best approach is one that combines personalized customer service with state-of-the-art craftsmanship.

Upfront
Lens Marketing
Vision-Ease Lens Receives CEN Award,  Lighthouse Offers ‘Seeing Solutions’. Hoya Taps ‘Main Man’ for New Training Role,  Transitions Launches Spanish Version of Healthy Sight for Life Site

Features
Sunward
Fueled by wonderful new styles and collections, consumer enthusiasm for the hottest of accessories, the broadening awareness of the need for sun protection and retail’s growing focus on sun—ranging from expanded offerings to new shops dedicated to sunwear products—the sun is shining brightly on optical. But according to the findings of 20/20’s 2007 Sunwear Survey of Independents, there are still cool patches.

Features
Yellow Tortoise
The potential of tortoise as a frame color is as limitless as an artist’s palette.

Features
A Study In Contrasts
Contrast is the key word in the design philosophy of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the design duo who in 2002 founded the Proenza Schouler (pronounced pro-EN-za SKOOL-er) label. “Our collections are always about mixing contrasts,” says McCollough.

Whats New
Allison: Moschino
Allison introduces Moschino Eyewear. Targeted to curious, elegant women with a strong personality, the new line contains 24 ophthalmic frames and 24 sunglasses in plastic and metal (a few styles are unisex).

Whats New
Rem: Converse Carbon Hybrid Sunglasses
Following its innovative lead in footwear, Converse has now taken on the sunglass sport lifestyle category with the Carbon Hybrid sunglass collection, available from Rem Eyewear.

Whats New
Zyloware: Randy Jackson Eyewear
Zyloware launches Randy Jackson Eyewear. Consisting of 11 styles, the collection is designed for men 25 to 50 who care about their appearance, have an independent identity and want cool, wearable eyewear with staying power.

Whats New
Sàfilo: Balenciaga Sunwea
Sàfilo Group launches its Balenciaga Sunwear collection, consisting of 10 styles (seven plastics and three metals), all designed for women.

Editors Note
The Beach is Back
You couldn’t have dreamed a better beach day. Both sunrise and sunset were postcard perfect. The sand was pure white, crystal fine and pristine clean.

L&T
Composing the Perfect Wrapsody
Because of the technical demands of fabricating an Rx wrap, dispensers must take special care when ordering sun lenses. That means knowing the parameters of the product and providing precise information to the wholesale lab so the sunglass can be customized.

L&T
Three Predictions for 2008