Canada Goose is debuting its first eyewear collection this month with its licensing partner Marchon Eyewear.
The performance luxury outerwear brand is releasing its first eyewear collection that consists of 18 sunglasses and 23 optical glasses that are made with sustainable materials, reflect Canada Goose’s performance-based design codes and are meant to protect the wearer from the elements. The collection ranges in price from $200 to $450 for sunglasses and $240 to $460 for optical styles.
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“It makes sense for a brand like Canada Goose to have eyewear,” said Thomas Burkhardt, president of Marchon Eyewear. “Their brand equity is all about protecting from the elements, protecting from the cold. Eyewear is a part of that, so that makes sense. It’s a technical brand, which we like because it gives us the opportunity to really bring style, but also function, uniqueness and innovation into something. It very much resonates with what they’re doing.”
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Canada Goose’s eyewear collection is rooted in functionality and takes inspiration from the elements, according to president Carrie Baker, who explained the collection carries over the brand’s design codes from its outerwear.
“The collection was informed by our environment and designed with intention,” she said. “We take inspiration from our experience with the natural world around us and from some of our most beloved outerwear products — in both function and design. Whether in the transparent colorations available on select optical frames — inspired by Arctic Glaciers, the elegant striped core wire echoing the grosgrain texture found in Canada Goose outerwear, or the versatility of the removable arms on the Summit sunglasses that provide adaptable functionality — the collection was designed to give customers a range of options that are stylish, functional and reflective of the beauty in the natural world around us.”
The Summit sunglasses are one of the hero products of the collection. The shield style is described as a “multifunctional” product that’s designed with several performance elements. The glasses have removable temples that can be swapped out for an elastic band, as well as a rubberized nose pad and anti-grip temple tips to ensure a proper fit. They are also designed with Sideris lenses that are said to enhance color resolution and improve visual performance in a range of environments. The sunglasses are offered in four matte colors.
There are also two aviator-style sunglasses that are designed in lightweight titanium and with polarized lenses. One pair of aviators is designed with reflective lines on the temples, which takes inspiration from the Canada Goose Expedition parka.
“It’s a unique combination of a performance brand that has also a luxury cache and an aspirational appeal,” Burkhardt said about the partnership. “It’s very unique in that sense, so that’s why the brand can command the prices and command the positioning.”
Sustainability is at the forefront of Canada Goose’s eyewear collection, and a shared value between the brand and Marchon. The styles are designed with materials like bio-based and recycled acetate, plant-based resin, aluminum and titanium.
The collection fits in with Marchon’s sustainability goals. According to Burkhardt, the eyewear company was roughly at 40 percent sustainability across its licensing partners last year and is on track to hit 50 percent sustainability by the end of 2025.
“We were intentional in our sourcing to ensure the selection of sustainable materials,” Baker said. “Delivering on our promise to provide ultimate quality, protection and style, our first-ever eyewear collection was engineered to protect consumers from the elements in any environment.”
Canada Goose is Marchon Eyewear’s latest licensing partner in the fashion and accessories worlds. Its expansive portfolio of collaborators includes Calvin Klein, Longchamp, Ferragamo, DKNY, Lacoste, Karl Lagerfeld and many others. The eyewear collection is Marchon’s most recent collaboration in the performance space, adding Canada Goose to the list that includes Nike, Columbia and Dragon.
“We are always looking at what makes sense and what are the gaps in our portfolio overall — are there any white spaces in the category?” Burkhardt said. “One thing that we can get very excited about is when there is a world-class brand that doesn’t have eyewear yet because that’s very rare.”
Burkhardt explained the collaboration started with Marchon’s team visiting Canada Goose’s headquarters in Toronto and touring the factory to get a better understanding of the brand’s commitment to performance.
“What struck me there was this story that they don’t see themselves necessarily as a fashion brand,” he said. “They see themselves as a brand that keeps people warm — that’s their mantra. As Carrie was telling me their stores in the north of Canada, there are stores in tiny villages that can only be reached by plane and they have Canada Goose coats there because that’s what people wear there. They basically got us into the history of the brand, their mantra, etc., and that was tremendous.”
Baker explained Canada Goose wanted to expand into eyewear with Marchon because of the company’s expertise in the category and success with launching similar collections with other brands.
“We are passionate about the products we make and committed to delivering best-in-class products — it’s what people expect from us,” Baker said. “Marchon Eyewear has a proven track record for creating premium, performance-led eyewear that is stylish and sustainable, so they were a natural fit. We’re incredibly proud of this collection and confident it will resonate.”
Both brands are excited for the future of their collaboration beyond the debut collection. Burkhardt explained the companies will assess the reception of Canada Goose’s debut eyewear collection and take those learnings to apply to future launches.
“You have to be very agile in the beginning to understand what really resonates with the consumer and what concepts we introduce work and we can build on,” he said. “Often there are concepts that maybe won’t go as far and need adaptation, so the first year is always like getting onto a road that you don’t know. You have to figure out what works and what doesn’t work, but what I’m excited about is that it’s truly a global brand.”