Otis Sunglasses S/S 2026 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Sunglasses S/S 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Otis
Interviewee: Marketing Team

How have your sales been in 2025 so far?
While the retail and economic climate has been challenging, with changing consumer behavior and reduced spending, OTIS’s 25-year foundation of producing quality products has kept us in a strong position. Our loyal customers continue to support us, and our new product launches, along with the engaging stories we share through marketing, help attract new audiences. Our focus is on creating products that stand the test of time and customers know their investment goes towards something durable and worthwhile. Fast fashion fades, but OTIS quality endures. Our strong relationships with retailers, built over decades as a bricks-and-mortar business, also contribute to our continued success. Altogether, these factors have enabled us to achieve excellent results even in a challenging market.

What are the key trends in sunglasses for board sports for Spring/Summer 2026?
We really try to stay away from trends. Our focus has always been on creating timeless designs that outlast seasonal shifts and stay relevant for years to come. Our goal is to deliver frames that add genuine value to our customers’ lives and adventures, combining durability, comfort, and classic style. For SS26, our Eco-Grilamid range expands with new styles designed to suit a wider variety of face shapes, frames that transition effortlessly from everyday wear to activities like boating and fishing. Within our Eco-Acetate collection, we’re introducing refined silhouettes to fill key gaps in the range, including an aviator and a structured square frame. The focus remains on versatility, premium materials, and functionality – eyewear built for both adventure and everyday life.

Which segment of your 2025 offering is selling best and why?
One of the stand outs our 2025 offering has been our 25-year heritage frame, Soul. The response was incredible, driven by a combination of factors: the excitement around our 25-year milestone, the limited-edition nature of the frame, and the current resurgence of 90s-inspired styles – especially the wrap-around look, which Soul executes perfectly. Our After Dark range also continues to be a consistent best-seller for OTIS. Year after year, it proves its appeal, thanks to the perfect combination of fit, function, and quality. We’re excited to see After Dark maintain its legacy and perform so strongly again this year.

What frame shapes and colours will you offer in your SS26 collection?
For SS26, we’ll continue expanding on our best-selling favourites — including Omar, Out of Sight, and After Dark, with fresh colour injections and refined details that keep these classics feeling new. While we stay true to our neutral, nature-inspired palette, green has emerged as a standout tone for 2026, bringing subtle vibrancy to the range. Following the success of our past blue frames, we’re introducing new soft green frame options that complement both coastal and urban styles. We’ve also recently launched a rich ‘Eco Berry’ red, which has been received extremely well and will now feature across additional silhouettes. Our latest oval frame, Birdie, has quickly become a favourite – and you can expect to see its influence extended into new shapes throughout the SS26 lineup.

What materials are you using in your SS26 collection?
Our SS26 collection continues OTIS’s commitment to using premium, environmentally responsible materials. Our Eco-Acetate frames are made from renewable resources like cotton seeds and are certified biodegradable, helping close the loop in a circular economy by returning to the earth at end of life. Our Eco-Grilamid frames are crafted from a bio-based resin derived from castor oil, a sustainable ingredient that doesn’t compete with food crops or agricultural land. It delivers the strength, flexibility, and lightweight comfort required for active lifestyles while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. All OTIS sunglasses feature mineral glass lenses, chosen for both performance and sustainability. Made from natural elements, they are environmentally friendly, scratch resistant, deliver perfect clarity, permanent tinting, and high UV protection, lasting far longer than plastic alternatives.

What lens technologies will you offer in your SS26 collection?
We will continue offering our signature L.I.T. Lens technology, built on scratch-resistant mineral glass. The L.I.T. Lens boosts natural colours, increases contrast, and cuts glare – we call them “polarised lenses on steroids.”
Key advantages of the lens tech include:

Exceptional clarity and visual precision thanks to the optical quality of mineral glass
Durable, scratch-resistant surfaces that hold up under active use
High UV protection with permanent tinting, avoiding fade over time
Enhanced contrast and colour. Making natural scenery pop, especially useful for use on the water in bright or reflective conditions

Which lens colours and tints will you be offering in SS26?
For SS26, we’ll continue offering a selection of grey and brown lenses across our acetate range – timeless, versatile tones that perform well in a variety of light conditions. Within our Eco-Grilamid collection, we’ll feature green and blue reflective lens options, delivering enhanced contrast and a more dynamic aesthetic suited to active environments. We’ve experimented with lighter lens tints through collaborations such as the Jamie Thomas and Kentaro Yoshida series, which brought a creative edge to our lineup. While these lighter tones work beautifully in limited editions, our core collection remains grounded in grey, brown, blue, and green – colours that reflect our focus on performance, longevity, and everyday wearability.

Any new sustainable practices in your production and shipping processes?
Sustainability isn’t a side project for OTIS – it’s embedded in everything we make and ship. We’ve been using endlessly recyclable mineral glass lenses since day one, saving almost a tonne of plastic each year compared to standard lenses. In 2025, we expanded our Eco-Acetate range, removing nearly 2,000kg of non-biodegradable plastic from potential waste streams. Our packaging is now 100% free from non-biodegradable plastic, earning us a “Beyond Best Practice” rating from the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation. We’ve also replaced single-use plastic sleeves with a recycled PET cleaning wrap, and even removed stickers and unnecessary inserts from our boxes – small changes that collectively save the surface area of two Olympic swimming pools in waste annually. As a certified B Corp, OTIS continues to audit and refine our processes – from reducing plastic tape in freight cartons to partnering with Tangaroa Blue for coastal cleanups. We believe sustainability should start at the source, with long-lasting products that reduce replacement waste and protect the environments we draw inspiration from.

What are your SS26 marketing stories?
For SS26, our marketing focuses on creating stories that connect deeply with our audience – cutting through the short-form content noise with narratives that have substance. Sustainability, quality, and adventure are at the core, positioning OTIS as the eyewear brand for those who value style and performance. We target 25–55-year-olds in coastal regions, including style-seekers, essentialists, and actives- adventurers who want durable, timeless eyewear that suits both everyday life and adventurous experiences. Our campaigns showcase the balance of style and function, highlight our mineral glass lenses, and reinforce our commitment to sustainability. Through product storytelling, ambassador content, and multi-channel activations across digital, social, and in-store, we position OTIS as the go-to brand for surfers, explorers, and everyday adventurers. SS26 also celebrates our 25-year heritage while expanding optical and active categories, growing online sales, and deepening community connections through our refreshed ambassador program and engaging campaigns.

How will you support retailers to sell this category?
We support our retail partners in selling both our heritage and core categories through a combination of marketing, education, and in-store activations that bring our stories and products to life. All marketing assets—including campaign imagery, videos, messaging, and product stories—are shared with our retail network, along with detailed briefing documents outlining target audiences, key messaging, and storytelling angles. This equips staff to confidently communicate the value of frames like Soul and After Dark to customers. We enhance in-store engagement through visual merchandising and POS materials that align with our campaigns, including lightboxes, window displays, in-store videos, limited-edition pins, and capsule merchandise. Retailers also benefit from retailer-exclusive promotions, competitions, and giveaways that drive foot traffic and create excitement around new launches. Regular communication from our reps ensures alignment between national marketing initiatives and in-store execution, while retailer feedback informs range refinement and sell-through strategies. By combining marketing support, storytelling, and in-store tools, we ensure our retail partners are fully equipped to sell OTIS frames effectively, maintain pricing integrity, and grow customer loyalty.

Key Products:

Eco Crystal Pebble Havana Zinnia Lit Polarotis Eyewear: