Syndicated from The Black Renaissance
Sometimes the most striking of style icons on the street have very little to work with. Without the financial resources, they’ve found a way to look put together and polished with an alarmingly small shoestring budget. This was Simon (Kumar) Ponnusamy in his adolescent years, trawling through different markets and shops in search of the perfect pair of frames. He grew up in Australia, a country known for the sun’s notoriously harsh UV rays, and where skin protection is a constant precaution by medical authorities. Taking those elements into consideration, Ponnusamy built an unassuming optical startup: AM Eyewear. The premise was to offer the kind of outrageous frames he could only find in vintage shops, markedly different from those sold in mainstream outlets. Today the brand has a cult following, especially from eminent figures in the music industry. I had the opportunity to speak with Ponnusamy, who told me about running the business in his earlier years, his mother’s influence on his style, and how he captured the attention of so many celebrities worldwide.
YOU STARTED WITH YOUR LOVE OF EYEWEAR AS A TEENAGER IN THE 80S, LOOKING FOR MODELS THAT STOOD OUT FROM MAINSTREAM STYLES. I’M IMAGINING A STYLISH HIPSTER TRAWLING THROUGH THRIFT STORES… WOULD THAT BE RIGHT?
That was definitely me… my friends and I were very much into the hip hop culture of the late 8o’s early 90’s and at this time it was very hard to find bling that would suffice our needs. I found second hand stores were a great source for 70’s metal frames that could be bent and adjusted to look somewhat as if they fit me.
YOUR MOTHER HAD A VINTAGE COLLECTION OF SUNGLASSES, WHICH OBVIOUSLY MUST HAVE HAD AN IMPACT IN YOUR INTEREST IN EYEWEAR AND FASHION. HOW HAS HER INFLUENCE IMPACTED YOU?
My mother studied fashion, then worked for a large Australian fashion house and was very much a fashionista in the 60’s-70’s. I grew up hearing stories of the Sydney fashion scene of that era, she was only too proud to show me through her many photos and her extended wardrobe from her younger days. The quality of the garment she’d kept really stood out to me. She taught me the difference between quality and something that would last, against disposable goods.
AM EYEWEAR HAS A STRONG CELEBRITY FOLLOWING, INCLUDING GWEN STEFANI, RIHANNA AND JAY-Z. HOW DID YOU GET CELEBRITIES CRAZY ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT?
I’m very proud to say it was as simple as a case of them loving our product, obviously it helped that I socialized in music circles and I made my product known to them. To be honest, it was all very organic..
AM EYEWEAR INITIALLY BEGAN AS A HUMBLE STARTUP BACK IN 2003? WHAT WAS IT LIKE RUNNING THE BUSINESS THEN? HOW HAS IT DIFFERENT NOW?
Back then it was a huge challenge because I had to learn everything as I went along, my friends and we’d have to do everything, from packing orders late into the early hours of the morning, to hand stamping boxes with style names. We also didn’t have the luxury of knowing the market, so our ordering was super risky and on many occasion we ran out of stock. Now we have a much better understanding of buying trends and we can forecast accordingly.
AM EYEWEAR PLACES A HEAVY EMPHASIS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PRODUCT: THE ACETATE FRAMES, THE HINGES, THE MILITARY GRADE MATERIALS USED. CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT THE PROCESS YOU WENT THROUGH TO DEVELOP THESE PRODUCTS.
Initially we contracted an optical engineer because we wanted to know, that what we were producing was 100% optically correct. Armed with the knowledge he passed on, we took it upon ourselves to research and to not let price get into the way of quality. When I think of our eyewear I combine 3 important facets in my mind, not only is it a fashion item, it’s a piece of art, but most importantly, it’s a medical device too. I want our frames to be found in thrift shops (in the same way I found frames) well after I’ve left this earth, and I want them to enhance the every wearer’s vision for many years. In regards to our lenses, I made it a goal to be accepted as part of Carl Zeiss co-branding program, which only 50 companies is the world are part of. From this program we are one of only a few labels to choose to use their best lenses and I can therefore confidently say we are the best of the best.
HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY’S AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE INFLUENCE YOUR BRAND AND DESIGNS?
Australia is renowned for being extremely sunny and our weather means sunglasses are an all year round necessity. That combined with a market place with only 23 million consumers makes being a designer very competitive and one must always innovate.
THE BRAND HAS OBVIOUSLY DONE VERY WELL IN AUSTRALIA AND ALSO THE US. BUT HOW HAS THE ASIAN MARKET RESPONDED TO YOUR BRAND?
I noticed that the Asian community loved our frames, instead however of accepting that we were selling a lot of product in the territory the way they were.. I made sure that I understood the needs of our Asian territories and I designed accordingly. My view is, eyewear should not only look good but it should fit and be comfortable, and as a designer it’s my job to insure they do. We’ve now had a great response in Asia, because I took the time to listen.. This combined with a great Kpop following and a lot of the people interested in the fashion trends of Asia are wearing AM eyewear.
YOU HELD AN EVENT A FEW YEARS AGO, SHOWCASING YOUR EYEWEAR IN A CHILLY ICEBAR COMPLETE WITH ICE SCULPTURES. WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
It was a lot of fun.. It was in a bar made entirely of ice and it was for 2005 Australia Fashion Week. I though it would be interesting because it was so different to sun, which is where you expect to find sunglasses. It was very successful because people didn’t expect it and they enjoyed the experience. Someone had mentioned they heard about a bar made of ice coming to Sydney and I just knew we had to do it..
IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR BIGGEST STYLE INFLUENCE, WHO OR WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Music! I always design whilst I listen to music, it greatly impacts fashion, which when I’m designing I think of future trends that my designs must compliment. Music make me happy, without my happiness, I couldn’t design…
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image Source: AM Eyewear
To visit AM Eyewear’s website, please click here.
To purchase a pair of frames, please click here.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article.