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More and more, size matters. Additional attention to age, gender, scale, temple length and bridge construction are increasingly addressing the needs of petite wearers, folks with larger heads and a variety of ethnic and multicultural bridge variations called everything from Asian fit, to Global and Universal fit, to the more encompassing Specialty fit. ■


“Sizing of frames has become very important from both ends of the spectrum—larger sizes for both men and women, petite sizes especially for women, special fits (low bridge fit/Asian or African American fit) and even larger children’s frames for little ones that aren’t so little anymore.”
– Timm Parker, vice president of merchandising for domestic brands, Viva International


“In recent years, we have seen Pearle Vision customers request unique frame sizes. No two customers are the same so it’s important that our frame assortment meets those needs with a selection that is available in different sizes from petite to extended eye sizes and temples.”
– Lori Bowman, Pearle Vision


“We are seeing specialized fit stories within collections such as adjustable nose-pads on zyl frames for a perfect Asia fit segmentation.”
– David Duralde, chief creative officer, Kenmark Group


“The trends are slightly larger frames. Narrow frames that were 20, 25 B measurements were inundated in the market everywhere, all throughout younger and older ages. For people in their 20s and people in their 40s who need progressives, bigger frames are working much, much better. Narrow frames are been there, done that.”
– Dan Deutsch, owner, DD Optical Outlook


“We’ve found that perfect design and materials mean little if the fit is not right. In an effort to provide quality eyewear to a range of faces, REM introduced larger and smaller sizes. You see it best in our Jones New York collections where JNY Men will now feature bigger sizes (55-58) while JNY Petite focuses on flattering delicate features.”
– Nicolas Roseillier, REM Eyewear


“There is a lot of attention being paid to an Asian fit. Lindberg back in the ’80s was one of the first that came out with different bridges. I believe the Asian population is increasing in the U.S. and manufacturers are seeing a void there and trying to fill it.”
– Bruce Kolkmann, owner/president, Raymond Opticians


“We typically offer a range of sizing, so a design might come in two shapes— a progressive-friendly, larger shape and a sister shape might be a smaller eyesize like a 47 or 49 for a more petite fit. With Nike we targeted some of our best-selling adult styles and resized them for the young athlete. Not only was the eyesize reduced but extensive fit research and field testing was conducted with test subjects from 4th to 9th grade for the perfect fit.”
– Leslie Muller, Marchon