The Middle East region’s optical industry is set to roll-out dedicated eyewear lines at a leading trade event in Dubai this month.

The 2014 edition of Vision X will run from November 25 to 27 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) with an impressive line-up of leading international eyewear and eye-care brands including Adidas, Baldinini, Boucheron, S T Dupont, Good and Wood, Levi’s, Tagheuer, Fresh Look, Hello Kitty and Acuvue.

It will feature stylish eyewear products as integral accessories in runway fashion shows, a trend fuelling global optical industry growth.

The UAE eyewear market alone was worth an estimated $429 million last year, according to Euromonitor International.

As the industry’s premier regional trade hub, Vision-X is a specialist platform for Middle East and North Africa (Mena) business to stay ahead of market developments.

David Lewis, head of digital, Mena, GfK Retail and Technology, Middle East, said: “Opticians in Abu Dhabi and especially in Dubai provide a high-end shopping experience, offering luxury brands for frames and sunglasses along with professional optometric services for their customers.  

“An important part of this enhanced shopping experience is the mall culture. There are two sources of demand in the optics industry: eye-care, driven by functional products that focus on product innovation and technology; and eyewear, driven by personal accessory products that deliver a fashion statement – Dubai perfectly balances both.”

With Dubai now ranked the world’s second most popular destination for fashion and luxury goods shopping – behind only London and ahead of New York and Paris – according to commercial property and real estate services adviser CBRE, the close proximity of optical outlets and fashion stores in the UAE’s mall-driven retail industry will be reflected at this month’s Vision-X, said a statement.

The Fashion TV Eyewear, which has recently appointed Tommy Fashion Sunglasses as its new regional licensee, will run three daily catwalk shows, while Mad in Italy will showcase its exclusive line of Middle East-themed sunglasses featuring various national flag designs.

The high fashion brand Chopard will hold a press launch for its Cannes Special Edition Sunglasses.  Made from gold and diamonds, the sunglasses retail at Dh9,995 ($2,720).  

Other brands to showcase at the event will include Boucheron with its ultra-luxury sunglasses retailing at just under a Dh210,000; Danish brands Prodesign and Nine Eyewear; Mediterranean-inspired Spanish designer brand Jisco Eyewear; and French design duo Vanessa & Mehdi.

An emerging trend among Middle Eastern women is coloured contact lenses, which are worn for prescriptive eye-care and by fashion-conscious consumers desiring a different look, said the statement.

 Salma Zaki, brand manager at Fresh Look, a part of Vision Care Middle East, since the majority of Middle Eastern women have dark eyes, it is fashionable to match coloured lenses “to suit make-up or compliment an overall outfit”.

According to Vision Care MEs’ knowledge of the industry, contact lens users in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar prefer to use the daily disposable type – despite the greater cost – because of the convenience and availability. - TradeArabia News Service