Tag Archives: sunglasses

Dean and Dan Caten Live the Dream in London and Milan

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By Paddy Kamen

Dean and Dan Caten

Identical twin boys were born to an English mother and an Italian father in a suburb of Toronto. The boys, Dean and Dan Caten, were the youngest of nine children. They were also exceptionally good-looking and highly creative.

“Even as kids we knew that creativity was going to be our calling,” say Dean and Dan (I’ll have to call them D&D: they do everything together, including responding to my questions). “We loved fashion from the very beginning.”

They loved fashion so much that the boys bucked the gender trend of the day and insisted on being admitted to the home economics class at school so they could learn to sew. What an adventure their lives have been, from a short stint at Parsons The New School for Design in New York to an apprenticeship and eventual design leadership at Ports International in Toronto, then on to Milan, Paris and London. Dean and Dan Caten now head a mega-successful and outstandingly creative design house known as Dsquared2, based in Milan.

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The Caten boys didn’t grow up rich but they have a no shortage of moxie: one way they raised money for their fashion business was by working as drag queens. They explain: “In 1991, we moved to Italy where we really wanted to create and launch our brand but didn’t have enough money. Fashion is an expensive business, especially at the beginning, so we performed as drag queens in the clubs to raise money. We’re not ashamed of our past and we want to send a positive message to all young designers: the sky is the limit! If you truly believe in your dreams, nothing is impossible. And in 1995, we launched our first Dsquared2 men’s apparel collection in Paris.”

The theatrical bent that made D&D successful as performers is much in evidence in their renowned cat walk events that more resemble a mini Cirque du Soleil than anything the fashion business had seen to that point. It’s clear that their many talents would have been wasted had they not created their own business in which they enjoy full artistic control. Musicians and other artistic types have gravitated to their circle. They began by creating costumes for Madonna’s 2003 world tour and have gone on to dress other famous performers, including Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Lenny Kravitz.

While living in London, U.K. and designing in Milan, D&D have not forgotten their Canadian roots. “We visit family in Canada regularly and our homeland is always a great source of inspiration for us. We like to mix our Canadian origins, sense of humour and irony with the expertise of Italian tailoring and the attitude and edge of London. We design pieces that embody a fusion of ideas from North America and Europe. Being Canadian means the world to us and it is the founding base of our brand. A slogan for our company is: Born in Canada, Living in London, Made in Italy.”

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Jeans and T’s were the initial garments that made a name for Dsquared2. They used that success as a springboard into men’s and women’s fashion apparel, while always making their statements in clothes that are easy to wear. The brand has diversified into footwear, and fragrances. In 2008, Dean and Dan signed a licensing agreement with Marcolin Group for the production and worldwide distribution of sunwear and ophthalmic eyewear under the Dsquared2 brand. “Marcolin is one of the global leaders in the eyewear industry and we’re very happy to collaborate with them,” say D&D. “The eyewear collection completely reflects our brand identity and completes the Dsquared2 lifestyle.”

Self-identified ‘workaholics’, D&D are intimately involved with every aspect of their business and the same goes for their eyewear collections. “We are 100 per cent involved. An optical or sun frame today is used as a fashionable, trend-setting object, a key accessory to show your personality and style. The frame’s design, style and aesthetics are just as important as its quality and we leave nothing to chance.”

When asked to pick just one of their favourite frame designs D&D point to the runway style, oversized Jackie ‘O style sunglasses from the FW 14 ready-to-wear collection. This model, currently in the design phase, is defined by clip-on jewelry over the brow.

Like many people in their early 40s, Dean and Dan now wear optical frames. For themselves, they prefer a strong black frame, saying: “It gives us an intellectual, chic touch!”

Très chic, I’d say! Dean and Dan Caten are still young, always creative and, I’m sure, have plenty of surprises still to come. They do Canada proud!

While Thinking Globally, Ronor Acts Locally

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By Paddy Kamen


Robert Charbonneau and his company, Ronor International Inc., are not shy when it comes to participating in world markets. The 100 per cent Canadian-controlled firm expanded into China in 2006 as one of the first ventures allowed to operate as a wholly owned foreign investment under new central government regulations.

Charbonneau, Ronor’s founder and president, demonstrated his commitment to expansion by moving his family to Hong Kong, where they lived for almost three years. It was a fascinating business experience as well as a tremendous cultural immersion for the whole family. “It was a very positive experience for my son, who was eight at the time, and my daughter, who was ten. She is now fluent in Mandarin, which is a key global language,” says Charbonneau. “And we all learned what it means to be members of a visible minority group.”

Working through 11 levels of government to establish a factory in Foshan City, Guangdong province was, “relatively easy,” notes Charbonneau. “China is a place where you can accomplish great things if you know how. But if you don’t know the rules, speak the language and understand their protocols, things can move at a snail’s pace. The learning curve was much more difficult than anticipated and the project took a long time to get off the ground.”

But Charbonneau succeeded and the factory is now in its fifth year of production, employing more than 200 people who manufacture Ronor-designed lens cleaning products and cases. “It was surprisingly easy to find a reliable and dedicated workforce,” notes Charbonneau. “They are not particularly loyal to their employers but the vast majority work hard and do an excellent job. One of the most difficult things was to establish a good supplier base.”

While it was frightening at the time, the world-wide economic slowdown in 2008-09 actually helped Ronor to succeed, as Charbonneau explains: “The Chinese economy experienced only a quick purge of the weakest manufacturers, which was, in fact, a good thing. Business rebounded rapidly and there were fewer companies to share the same volume. Economic slowdowns force organizations to review their habits and procurement practices, so this turned out to be an opportunity to meet new customers. Suddenly, thinking outside of the box became urgent and new opportunities were created.

“While the whole venture of setting up in China was, in retrospect, riskier and more difficult than expected, one of the rewards is that we are now, as far as we know, the only Canadian and possibly the only North American-based cleaning lens products and cases company that is 100 per cent vertically integrated.”

Over the past year a rapid and sustained rate of inflation in China has caused a surge in export prices. “Thanks to a strong Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. currency, most of these increases have not yet been reflected in the Canadian marketplace but this can’t continue forever,” notes Charbonneau.

Going global for Ronor also means distributing their accessory products in more than 15 countries, including the U.S.– their biggest customer outside Canada. Most major American retailers, including Luxottica Retail, Costco, US Vision, and Kaiser Permanente, are customers, as are U.S.-based importers like Altair, New York Eye and Nouveau.

Canadian retailers are fortunate in being the first to benefit from distribution of Ronor’s fashion frames, reading glasses and sunglasses. Since going into the frame business in 2000, Ronor has continuously expanded that side of the business and aligned with some of the top names in the industry, including Eschenbach Optik GmbH of Nuremberg, Germany. In fact, the two companies will soon be announcing a five-year renewal of their exclusive contract.

“We are glad that our excellent performance has allowed us to forge such a strong relationship with this first-class German company,” says Charbonneau. “Eschenbach is known for their great design and superior quality and has won numerous international design awards. For at least the next five years, the love affair between Canadian opticians and the Humphrey’s, Brendel and Marc O’Polo brands, among others, will continue to be delivered through Ronor. Dealing with the best in the frame industry helps Ronor become one of the best distributors here at home.”

Humphrey’s is Ronor’s number one collection and the company sells more units of that brand per capita than are sold in any other country among the nine subsidiaries outside of Germany.

The other brands Ronor represents include New York Eye/Hart Specialties and house brands Nordic, King Size and 4U&I. The ‘Boutique Wholesale’ subsidiary Voila Vision Inc. distributes French designer frames Azzaro, Thierry Mugler, Smalto and licensed brands IKKS, and X-One.

Eighteen full-time sales reps bring the Ronor focus on service and customer satisfaction home to more than 3,500 accounts across Canada. “The caliber of our salespeople, most of whom have been with us for over 10 years, makes me confident that each and every contact point with our customers will be satisfying for them. We want every ECP to feel at ease trying all of our products and services because we stand behind them 100 per cent,” says Charbonneau.

Where is Ronor headed? True to form, there will be expansion both at home and abroad. “Here in Canada we will be growing by leaps and bounds with a mix of acquisitions and structural improvements aimed at making us the best service provider ever to Canadian ECPs,” notes Charbonneau. “A company like Ronor, with units outside Canada and customers worldwide, is best poised to deliver added value through our commitment to ‘think globally, act locally’.”

Robert Charbonneau, who has made the local and global growth of Ronor his life’s work, is expecting to hand over the reins of his company to a younger team within the next few years. “Ronor is the story of my life,” he says. “And before long I will enjoy watching it continue to grow while lying on a beach somewhere beautiful and sunny.”

No doubt Charbonneau will be thinking globally when he considers which beaches to visit between September and May. Come the Canadian summer, he’ll have plenty of ‘local’ beaches to choose from in La Belle Province and elsewhere in Canada. Don’t forget the sunscreen — and sunglasses from Ronor!

Unravelling the Mystery of Sunwear

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By Dana Sacco

The funny thing about sunglasses is that they become part of our persona and allow us to project an image or style. Of course, sunglasses also protect our eyes and the delicate skin around them. Technologically advanced sun lenses provide crisp optics and enhance visual performance. It’s such a cliché – the guy on the beach admiring females passing by, with full confidence that his observations are shielded by a pair of dark sunglasses. Like all stereotypes it contains a modicum of truth. Yes, sunglasses protect us from harmful UV rays but they also add that layer of mystery.

So, it’s interesting to look at what motivates our clients and to understand the behavioural needs that drive their sunglass purchases. Opticians have a long-standing tradition in retail and an innate philosophy of customer-focused selling. They are trained to understand the lifestyle and needs of the customer and to provide the perfect eyewear solution for them.

Optical inventory selections are often driven by trends in the marketplace. Some opticians have a “golden gut” that lets them pair the perfect sunwear trend to the patient. Those opticians instinctively understand the key motivating behaviours of their customers and translate that “EQ” or emotional intelligence into the perfect sale.

An example is the “weekend warrior” who lives a sport-centred lifestyle. Many athletes have fiercely competitive natures. This assertiveness drives them to go to great lengths to get the newest style or technology to enhance their athletic performance. Any Oakley or adidas sunwear dealer has served a customer who knows all about the newest, “about-to-be-released” model. Just like a new golf club that will make their shots 20 yards longer, the sunglass is in hot demand.

Generally speaking, if a client pursues individual sports they may be less extroverted and will choose a more conservative style. Their more extroverted counterparts often choose team sports and identify with bold colours and distinctive designs.

An athlete who is a strong sequential processor, such as a long-distance marathon runner or golfer, displays core behaviours linked to repetitive tasks, which are sustained for long periods of time. These people are often quite happy to wear the same style for many years. Or, if they update their look, the next model will be quite similar to their last, as they may be reluctant to change.

A person who is hard-wired for urgency to achieve their goals, such as a beach volleyball player, whose sport has a very random changing pattern, will likely own multiple pairs of sunglasses to suit their mood and playing conditions. Sunwear models that offer choices of lens colours or a changeable palette in the frame design will appeal to their natures.

Identifying your athletic customers’ need for detail will also help the sales process. Those attracted to highly technical sports, such as road cycling and mountain biking, will often display a need to know all the technological aspects of their purchase and demand the same attention to detail as they would in purchasing their coveted bicycle.

The level of core behaviours, such as assertiveness, extroversion, sense of urgency and detail orientation, give the retailer a basic pattern to work with in the selling process. In behavioural science you must take account of individual personality, which is shaped by birth order, cultural context and other external experiential factors. However, some studies indicate that understanding core behaviours can give us insight into about 30 per cent of a person’s make-up and help predict behavioural outcomes with about 85 per cent accuracy.

As an optician, sunglasses represent the “fun” side of the eyecare business. Every client has unique needs and it’s not necessarily the activity that drives their final purchase decision. Each customer presents a new mystery for the optician to solve and a new opportunity to establish a valuable long-term relationship.