Our partners Sharron and Mandy recently returned from a trip to Munich for the annual Opti trade show, where they travel every year to source the latest styles for our new collection.
Held at the striking and modern Neue Messe München in the eastern district of Munich, Opti features stands from all of the big names in eyewear design and innovation, including some of our own most popular international brands like Wissing and Etnia Barcelona. Brands attend Opti to showcase their unique and quirky styles, as well as their creativity and attention to detail in craftsmanship. Stands range from some of the world leaders in frame design, to smaller start-ups trying to gain some recognition and land their first big orders from some of the thousands of visitors who attend Opti over the course of the weekend.
Opti is also a chance to see all of the weird and wonderful things that the rest of the world has to offer in terms of frame styles, shapes, colours and design details – Sharron and Mandy certainly always have a good time trying some of the wacky things that Opti had on display!
For Arbuthnots, Opti is primarily about hunting down the newest, most unique and exclusive frames for our patients. From experience frame buying at international trade shows, Sharron and Mandy have found that the styles popular in Europe often take a year or two to reach the UK market. We pride ourselves on being able to offer our patients fashion forward frames which can’t be found just anywhere.
As well as looking at new brands, we use this opportunity to update our ranges from some of our favourite brands. In 2020 we are excited to be awaiting brand new styles from Anne&Valentin, Colibris, Orgreen and Wissing (see our ‘Premium Brands’ for more information on why we love their products). This year expect to see lots of fine metal styles, hexagonal and aviator shapes, still plenty of colour but more classic design features and less bling than we have seen in previous years.
So, if you’re due to update your specs or are thinking of a change, keep an eye out for our exciting new stock arriving in the coming weeks – watch this space!