Major sunglasses supplier Mondottica has formed a new travel retail alliance with specialist distributor Whitehouse Travel Retail. Market Connections will be taking care of sales and marketing.
 
The following sunglass brands will be handled:
 
Anna Sui: In the late 1990s, Anna Sui embarked upon a hugely successful expansion to her brand, where she quickly established a large cult following. She also launched a range of cosmetics, fragrances and shoes. This year Anna is launching her very first sunglass collection, which draws its inspiration from Anna’s fashion and accessories.
 
Ted Baker: Twenty years ago Ted Baker opened a store in Glasgow selling shirts. However this was no ordinary shirt and no ordinary tailor, for Ted Baker offered free laundering for life. In 20 years, Ted Baker has become one of the UK’s most iconic brands, with stores throughout the UK and trustees worldwide. In 2005, Ted Baker launched his beautiful eyewear collection with a range of sun models created to truly reflect the wearer’s personality.

Lulu Guinness: Lulu Guinness, OBE, is famous for her exquisite, witty handbags. She launched her company in 1989 and instantly became a “must” in every fashion aficionado's international address book. She launched her eyewear collection in 2006 and has developed the range to resonate with the inspirations from her bag collections.

Pepe Jeans: Pepe Jeans London was founded in 1973 and is now established as one of the world’s leading fashion brands. Pepe is well known for its fresh and exciting contemporary designs, and these qualities have now been instilled into their latest sunglass collection. The new sunglass collection is young, fresh and exciting, with many oversized frames in a choice of both metal and acetate.

Hackett: Hackett takes its inspiration from the traditions of British dress without being old fashioned; as such, its products are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The Hackett Eyewear collection, which was launched in 2006, comprises a classical range of sunglass models that draws their inspiration from Hackett’s apparel.

The best-selling commercial models per brand have been especially selected for 2010–11 for travel retail. Current customers include The Nuance Group, Tourvest and Virgin Atlantic.
 
“We are delighted to be working with Mondottica and are very confident of significantly boosting their sales and distribution,” commented a spokesperson Market Connections. “There are also other additional brands coming on-stream later which will be sensational for travel retail!”