As back-to-school season nears, parents seek out new eyewear for their kids, and the kids look at what their folks are wearing. Companies are making fashion-forward eyewear that students want to wear—echoing the variety of designs available to both Mom and Dad.

When it comes to buying eyewear for kids, there are two sets of concerns. For one, parents want to make the most of an eyewear purchase—they want frames their kids will wear, frames that can withstand everyday kids’ activities, and frames that will last. On the other hand, the main concern for children, tweens and teens is much simpler—they just want to look good in their glasses. And kids are looking at both parents and peers as arbiters of good taste.

The number one trend in today’s eyewear offerings for the under-18 market is adult sophistication. Kids of all ages continue to choose eyewear that echoes what their parents wear: classic, traditional acetate frames ranging from clear acrylic looks to triple-laminated fare with embellishments on both sides of the temples. New spins on the tortoiseshell style incorporate highlights in purples, pinks and turquoise, and many other shades.

Brands with high name recognition also offer values that go deeper than fashion. Purchasing parents appreciate frames that withstand kids’ daily mishaps with the latest memory metals, spring hinges and premium construction. And finding ways to dispense to hard-to-fit faces is less of a problem than ever before.

Kidz Biz 2013 is a joint project of Vision Monday and 20/20 Magazine.

–Seth J. Bookey, Contributing Editor

This Special Kidz Biz 2013 Section is supported by the following companies: A&A Optical, Alpha Viana, Altair Eyewear, Aspex Eyewear, ClearVision, Colors in Optics, Lafont Eyewear, LBI, Marchon Eyewear, Match Eyewear, Nouveau Eyewear, Ogi Eyewear, Prologue, REM Eyewear and Viva International Group.

View a pdf of this year's Kids Biz 2013