030 087 In 1984 Doug and Mary Perkins founded Specsavers and have expanded since to more as 1.400 stores today. Low prices and an aggressive marketing policy are still the main factors for the success of the company. [ INFORMING ] 087 089 Alain Afflelou opened his first store in France in 1972 and today the company has a total of almost 1.000 stores in 10 countries in Europe and Africa. Just like other discounting companies Afflelou changed the perception of eyewear creating a gap between those who see eyewear as a necessary tool and those who like it as a fashion accessory. 090 Nicolas Roseillier flexed his muscles as founder of Les Marrons, a company specializing in architecture and product design and then spent three years as creative director for MODO. He recently moved to REM to oversee the product design and development of all REM brands including the brands belonging to the company’s luxury division Base Curve. 091 Blake Kuwahara is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and has designed eyewear for KATA, John Varvatos, Carolina Herrera, Izaac Mizrahi, Hanae Mori, Behnaz Sarafpour as well as for Converse, Liz Claiborne and Jones New York. He received multiple awards for his work and recently left REM Eyewear to found a new company together with Thomas Ferguson, a fellow designer who started his design career as Blake’s assistant. Focus Group West is a branding and design company specialized in the development of eyewear collections. 091 091 [ THE E YEWEAR ISSUE 2009 ]
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