GLACIER OPTICS SUNGLASSES 2025 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: Sunglasses 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Glacier Optics
Interviewee: Benoît Goncerut, co-founder

How was the sunglasses market overall in 2024?
We don’t know much about the market overall but from our side, 2024 has been a pretty successful year. Our sales are growing in line with our brand. We are 100% independent and are moving step by step, at our own pace, in the direction we want to go. Every year, we partnerships with 10 new stores (independent opticians and specialist sports stores) that share the same passion and the same values.

What new trends have you seen for sunglasses in board sports for 2025?
We won’t talk about sustainability because it’s not a trend anymore, it’s a must. About trend, let’s say everything is cyclical! Recently, we’re seeing a new emergence of 90s-style sunglasses. These are mainly worn by the rather “core” freestyle and freeride world, but as always, they might be democratized to a wider audience. We just launched a 3D-printed model called Vorab, in reference to a glacier near Laax in the Swiss Alps. In our collection, we want to offer one model that revisits each decade.

Which segment of your 2025 offering do you expect to sell best and why?
Since 2023, we have offered every Moiry model in a small size that you can find on www.glacieroptics.com. This has been a particularly good move, as we’re seeing strong demand from thin-faced people who can’t find the right pair of mountain sunglasses. In 2024, we sold our Pierredar model particularly well. It’s a very light, single-use model, made from recycled metal, that works just as well in the mountains as it does for cycling. The feedback we’ve had from our customers and the people who work with the brand (mountain guides, athletes, enthusiasts) has been even better than we’d hoped!

What new frame shapes and colours are in your 2025 offer?
We’ve launched a new grey colour for the Pierredar collection, and they are magnificent! Alongside the Vorab, which we’re launching this spring, we’re currently developing a collection of optimal frames with the same characteristics as our sunglasses: minimalist, no compromise on quality and local production. We’re looking forward to introducing it!

Which lens technologies from your 2025 offer are most in demand?
We are still working with Zeiss and develop together lenses that fit the mountain expectation. We are working on color basis and coating to produce sharp lenses that improve contrast, confort and visibility while up in the mountain We don’t offer polarized lenses as Polarized lenses eliminate glare from reflective surface. On snow the reflection can indicate ice or crevasses area, which can be pretty important visual information.

Have you introduced any new lens colours and tints in your 2025 offering?
This year we are coming with a new Category 3 lens, the Alps Mirror. It’s a grey base color, with a mirror coating. It looks really good!

Any noteworthy sustainable practices in your production and shipping processes this year?
Let’s face it! Every product has an environmental cost, our aim is to produce sunglasses that lasts as long as possible, and that the components of the product can be replaced. That is why we keep pushing fractionating design and that we constantly improve the quality of the material in order to be able to repair the frames, and not throw away the product because one element broke down. And we are also coming with some customize fit made with 3D printings. So far, we did not find the right bio-based or recycled material for our sunglasses, so we prefer to assume that every product has an impact, and concentrate on the product’s lifespan and the possibility of repairing it. We just want that everything we do make sense to us. From A to Z. For example, we recently signed a partnership with a small Swiss company based near our HQ that produce packaging. So this means our sunglasses are packed in swiss cardboard packaging! We’re proud of these little details that make the difference. About shipping, our customers can choose between the postal service, cheaper but which may take a little longer, or Fedex, faster but a bit more expensive. It just depends on how patient you are before discovering your fantastic Glacier Optics sunglasses!

What are your marketing stories?
We feel it’s important to communicate transparently through the people who gravitate around Glacier Optics (craftsmen, mountaineers, retailers, mountain enthusiasts, etc.) and who share our values. By distancing ourselves from the classic industrial model, we want to put passion back at the center and the love of a well-made, hand-crafted product. We want people to make the brand their own. So we prefer an imperfect image with substance to an ultra-smooth reel shot with the latest drone technology. A propos, you can watch our latest video portrait of our craftsman Serge Lowrider on our website, he’s such a boss!

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
The price indicated on the website is the minimum price we sell our sunglasses. Our retailers know that we are not the kind of company that overproduce and end up with a stock of sunglasses on our hands that we try to sell off roughly no matter how. Our products are handmade by passionate people and we are too proud of our sunglasses to sell them 40% off on a hard discounter website. Also, we focus on promoting short consumption circuits. This means producing in the main place where our products are used: the Alps. Made in the Alps is not just a motto, we believe in valorizing ancestral alpine know-how rather than using mass-production techniques. Same for our retailers, they all have a story to tell and a real know-how to share. They are not here to just resell some low-end stuff they don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s just a matter of shared values and passion for the product, if it’s aligned let’s work together. If not, no worries, it takes all kinds to make a world!

Key Products:

Pierredar Gold:
The Pierredar are high-performance sunglasses made of recycled inox with Carl Zeiss polyamide lenses. Designed for mountain sports like trail running, ski touring, and cycling, they offer durability and clarity. Adjustable nose pads ensure a custom fit, and they come in S and M sizes for optimal comfort. Built for speed, made for adventure.

Pierredar

Moiry Tortoise:
With titanium frame, the Moiry brown embodies all the simplicity and finesse of our Alps. Available with the ZEISS sunlens in category 3 & 4, these are the ultimate sunglasses for mountain expeditions. Also available for thin faces, our Moiry Tortoise are both elegant and sporty. The ones in category 3 can also be worn around town or for everyday activities.

Moiry

Vorab olive:
Vorab is our new addition to the collection, combining cutting-edge 3D printing technology with premium craftsmanship. Made in France, it features Zeiss lenses in category 3 and 4 for ultimate protection. Available in three sizes, it offers a perfect fit for any adventure. Lightweight, durable, and stylish—innovation meets performance.

Vorab