Members’ club offers ‘sunglasses for life’

It was just a short time ago that we came upon Parisian La Fabrique de Lunettes and its rental service for sunglasses, and now we have cause to cover another like-minded venture in New York. Though not a rental service this time, The Monocle Order is a members’ club that offers “sunglasses for life.” Launched almost exactly a month ago, The Monocle Order offers a hand-picked selection of the latest sunglasses from brands including AM, Cassius, Karen Walker, Lotho, Mayfourteenth and Waiting For The Sun. It sells those sunglasses through its website, as one might expect, and the first pair purchased earns the consumer a membership for life, including 50 percent off every other pair onward with free shipping and free returns. In addition to selling online, however, the firm also holds pop-up, members-only events at which its glasses are sold as well. One coming up, for instance, will be part of the “Escape 2 New York” festival in Southampton. Eventually, The Monocle Order plans to charge a separate fee of USD 99 for membership in its club, according to a Racked report. Designer sunglasses tend to come at a hefty price, so offering consumers significant loyalty rewards and an incentive to keep buying makes good sense. One to emulate locally in other parts of the world? Spotted by: Bjarni Mergusson