Sama Eyewear Intensifies Commercial Focus in Europe

 

Twenty year-old LA-based independent eyewear brand SAMA, today signals a ramp-up in European activities with the hire of luxury eyewear veteran Julian Clarke, who becomes SAMA’s European Brand Director this February.

 

Sheila Vance, SAMA founder and CEO explains “Most recently, we’ve focused our international attention in the Gulf, where our established strategy fosters close partnerships with optical retailers and creates destination retail concepts. I’m very pleased that with Julian’s arrival in our global team, especially ahead of MIDO’19, we’re now set to drive this strategy forward also in Europe.”

 

Sama Eyewear was founded in 1997 and is known for combining traditional Japanese craftsmanship with ground-breaking technology and celebrity glamour. Each design undergoes rigorous refinement with every element obsessively considered for aesthetics, efficacy and fit.
 

“SAMA’s collections are beautiful, innovative and of uncompromising quality. The wide range and versatility of the SAMA collections mean we’re able to serve the many different styles of today’s discerning consumer who each share our values of style, technology and humanity,” adds Clarke, alluding to the work of the Sam Vance Foundation, the charity that SAMA was created to fund. “With this in mind, we’re ready to start the work of building trusted partnerships throughout the European region.”

 

This MIDO, SAMA returns to the Design Lab (Pav. 2 V37 Z42) and will be introducing new styles across the SAMA collections.

 

For more information please contact:

Brian Glasgow, VP of Global Sale: brian@samaeyewear.net

 

About Sama Eyewear –

Before the launch of Sama, Ms Vance was no stranger to the field of eyewear. For several years prior, she had been first the distributor, then the owner, of Japanese eyewear brand BADA. She introduced sophisticated American consumers to brands such as Koh Sakai and Issey Miyake. She believed then, as she does now, that few things can so fundamentally enhance the overall appearance of the face as a great pair of glasses. 
 

Ms Vance's affinity for fashion was shaped by her upbringing in Paris, as a student of art history and French literature in London and as a frequent visitor to style capitals like Milan and Florence. Upon her relocation to Los Angeles, she familiarized herself with the world of international law, an undertaking that has served her well as she has grown her business globally. 
 

Over the past five years, Sama Eyewear has seen significant growth across every channel - wholesale, retail and in its unique, highly-curated collaborations. These include inventive alliances with notable luxury brands such as Loree Rodkin. The brand is available in numerous points-of-sale globally. New offerings are received by clients with zeal and enthusiasm. The biggest celebrities in the world, the most beautiful women and most stylish men, have selected Sama as their frames of choice, to wear both on and off set. 
 

Through the growth of Sama, Ms Vance - a noted philanthropist and humanitarian - has never lost sight of the core value of the brand - which is to endow people with a gorgeous accessory that will give them great pleasure to wear, and as a consequence turn them into engaged and loyal customers. 
 

To this day, supported by her trusted team, Ms Vance oversees every aspect of Sama; no frame is sent out without her imprimatur. She continues to set the tone for every collection, assuring that everything is in keeping with the aesthetic, value and superior quality for which she and her brand have come to be internationally recognized. 

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The heart and soul of Sama Eyewear is our signature Sama collection. Our offerings, renewed and enhanced every season, feature proprietary technologies, textures and stylistics that set our brand apart in the industry. These include frames, in our California edition, made of carbon fiber and wood, and eyewear in a delicate lace motif. Some have a decidedly retro/vintage feel, others are futuristic in edgy titanium and beta-titanium. 
 

Since the inception of Sama Eyewear, we have consistently introduced new technologies to the fashion optical industry that have become a template for other eyewear designers to follow. We have succeeded in challenging the way eyewear was previously produced, and devising entirely new techniques and materials. At a time when other brands were being manufactured in Europe, we focused on producing everything in Japan, a country known for its engineering might and technical innovation.