1. Lunet is a great name. How did you get to it and what do you think it says to the world?
Thank you. The main mission of our brand is to bring transparency to an industry that has stayed unchanged for a very long time. Buying eyeglasses is generally a difficult process, with many steps, and surrounded by many myths. We want to simplify this process as much as possible. Our name stands for transparency, simplicity, and going against the grain.
2. Besides the naming, logo, packaging, web design, and visual identity, your newly opened showroom also comes in a particular design. Who designed the space and what role does it play in the Lunet story?
We always knew we wanted a space that represents us aesthetically, so Bogdan Ciocodeica Studio was our obvious choice for interior design. His work exceeded our expectations.
We’re glad to have a space where people actually like to come, a space they tell their friends about. The idea was to design an optical store unlike traditional ones. Our customers can benefit from the help of our staff, but they can also choose to try on frames in a more intimate setting, behind the colorful panels. There’s less pressure than in a classic store.
3. Similar to designer jewelry, eyeglasses become an extension of the person who wears them. Lunet frames feature a slightly atypical design, one that’s refined and contemporary. Why are the finishing touches so important in a pair of glasses? Would you say aesthetics come first for Lunet?
This is exactly the idea we founded Lunet on: that glasses become a part of our personality and that they’re representative of who we are. As glasses wearers, we were often disappointed by the design-price ratio of many popular brands. Bolder designs usually cost more, affordable ones limit your choices.
Aesthetics is very important to us, and it’s our favorite part of the process. But beyond looks, it’s important for us to deliver a high-quality product at an accessible price, and to keep the entire process sustainable. After all, glasses are made to be worn.
We do everything ourselves, from design to distribution, so we can cut hidden costs that the client usually pays for. That’s how we can bring our glasses on the market for a fixed price of 480 ron (98 euro), regardless of prescriptions.
4. Speaking of design, your visual communication has always been sleek and elegant. What’s the message Lunet wants to convey through its visual identity?
The people in our team have decades of design experience – product design, graphic design, architectural design. Moreover, we’re always working with artists, illustrators and photographers that inspire us. We’re happy to hear people notice our attention to these details.
5. There’s a lot of talk of sustainability these days. Designer jewelry has always been sustainable, even though that’s not its main message. However, glasses are clearly more practical than jewelry. How can an eyewear brand be defined as sustainable?
Sustainability is very important to us. Our glasses are meant to be worn for a long time, to be repaired if needed, and recycled at the end of their lifespan. Our packaging is 100% recyclable or reusable.
80% of our frames a made from BIO-acetate (M49), a plant-based material made mostly from renewable sources. We’re the only brand in the country to use such materials.
Our long term plan is to reduce our impact on the environment as much as possible. Moreover, we hope to be the first Romanian B Corp certified company, and to inspire other brands to do the same.
6. What’s your brand DNA? What are the seven essential words that define Lunet?
Challenge old habits and keep things transparent.
We believe good design is timeless and affordable. We want to offer our customers the transparency they expect from a brand in 2021, while always learning from their feedback.
7. What’s it like having an eyewear brand in 2021, just launched in 2019? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages the current situation brought about?
We’ve been growing continuously since our launch, but we don’t have pre-pandemic data to compare to, honestly. Our growth might have been faster, but who knows? The one thing we regret is not being able to host more in-person events at our Bucharest showroom. Like any start-up, we adapt.
We started out by selling our products online, and that was the perfect fit for these “unprecedented times”. Moreover, we created a service entirely new to Romania, Home Try-On, which was very well received, and which helped us reach customers all over the country.
We know it’s not easy buying glasses off the internet, without trying them on first. So we offer the option of trying on 4 frames at home, for 4 days. It’s entirely free. This gives you an intimate setting in which you can decide and change your mind, without ever having to leave your home.
However, we ultimately wanted to offer our customers the “full package”, which includes free eye tests. So we opened our first showroom in Bucharest in 2020. Our second shop, in Cluj Napoca, opens in November 2021.
8. AUTOR resonates with people similar to us. Considering your values, we probably have a similar audiences. How do you perceive your audience? Since design plays an important role in your brand, and that requires a certain level of education, who exactly do you define as your ideal customer?
We reject the traditional model. Our frames are different than the ones you find in traditional optical stores. The shopping experience in our stores is more relaxed. So it’s no surprise our audience is mostly young, between 25-45. However, we hope to reach an even wider audience. We already have customers recommending us to their parents or young parents bringing their kids to the store.
9. Continuity plays a key role in entrepreneurship. What are the next items on your agenda? Where do you see your brand in five years?
Especially with the current situation, it’s not easy to plan for 5 years. But we do have lots on our plate in the near future! We want to double our portfolio in size. We’re working on a new collection right now, and hope to launch it by the end of the year. We’re also putting the finishing touches to our upcoming Cluj Napoca store.
In the long run, we plan on expanding internationally. We already have many orders from around Europe, so we know there’s an interest for our product beyond the borders of Romania.
