When it comes to stocking eyewear that will actually move off your shelves, the answer isn’t as simple as following Instagram trends or copying what’s in the window of your nearest competitor. We spoke with four industry veterans – Jacque Katsieris, founder of ProOptics Eyewear; Kumar Ponnusamy, founder and creative director at AM Eyewear; Angelina Chee, General Manager, De Rigo Eyewear Australia; and Lisa Cappuccio, Chief Operating Officer of Eyebenefit – to uncover what truly makes a bestselling frame.

WRITER Melanie Kell

The most commercially successful frames walk a razor-thin line between distinctive and wearable. “It’s that perfect combination of having a frame that is commercially viable, understated enough that anyone can wear it, but also edgy enough that anyone can wear it without feeling over the top,” explained Mr Ponnusamy. “It’s a really, really fine line.”

And this comes down to sourcing frames from brands that employ genuine designers explained Ms Katsieris. “If you stick with brands that are designed by designers, you are already ahead of the game. If you are buying brands for your shelf that just have a logo slapped on the side, you’re not going to have best sellers.”

As well as the look, she said quality design will directly affect fit and comfort. “When you look at a well-made frame designed by a designer, the balance of weight is very evenly balanced across the bridge and over the temples, so not all the weight is going on your nose” Ms Katsieris explained.

This design-focussed approach is equally critical in the dispensing process, where Ms Katsieris said frames must be matched to the personality of the person. “It’s very important to make sure that a frame doesn’t arrive in the room before the person.” She illustrates this with a vivid example: “If you have a woman in a beige cardigan wearing a tortoiseshell frame, you do not want her leaving in a multicoloured cats eye. That woman needs the most beautiful, shaped frame to set off her features and make her feel a million dollars. But if you’ve got someone wearing a multicoloured dress and sparkly shoes and great earrings, well they can carry off something that’s bold and bright and amazing.”

For practices building their ranges, understanding regional preferences is crucial. “In Australia, we’re still quite traditional in our shapes,” observed Ms Chee. “Our constant top sellers are still that rectangle, more angular shape – not the round. Rounds still seem to be quite a European trend and a very Asian trend.”

Geography within Australia matters too. “Different parts of Australia have different needs,” Ms Chee explained. “If you’ve got a heavy acetate, we know it’s not going to sell up in Queensland or in high humidity areas. Once you put a lens in a heavy frame, it just becomes uncomfortable to wear.”

She said colour also plays a bigger role in decision making in Queensland than anywhere else.

And while bold frames often grab attention, Lisa Cappuccio from EyeBenefit reminded us that mainstream markets require careful consideration: “Not everyone wants to be too bold. If you’re catering to the masses, the majority of your frames will be similar in shape and colour to those you see in corporate practices.”

Ultimately, when curating collections, strategic balance is essential. “If it’s a brand new account taking on a range, we always say make sure you’re catering for different eye sizes,” advised Ms Chee. “You need a mix of acetate, a mix of metal, and a mix of shapes as well. While we’ll say your rectangle is always going to be your bestsellers, you do need to have rounds. You can’t just have everything looking the same. You have to look at your range as a whole picture of all the brands you have and make sure you’ve got an offering for everything.”

Ms Chee said a brand’s broad positioning in the market will significantly influence the success of individual products within the range. “We know that our bestsellers in Furla will never be black. However, the best seller in a brand like Escada possibly is black. Colour plays into the brand and what that brand represents.”

She said simple market dynamics also create opportunities. “Sometimes there’ll be such a lack of nylons that everyone’s just needing a nylon, so that becomes your bestseller because there’s been a lack of it out there.”

When selecting frames, all the experts cautioned against blindly following social media trends. “Since COVID, there’s been a ridiculous amount of brands enter the market,” said Mr Ponnusamy. “These people buy on Alibaba, have a Shopify website, and run Instagram ads using influencers.”

Whereas influencers were once critical to a brand’s success, he said the tables have turned.

“Years ago, before social media, we gave Beyonce, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga a frame called the Samantha. The frame hadn’t been selling on its first release – it was really edgy – but once they started wearing it, it started selling amazingly,” Mr Ponnusamy said.

“Now, because of social media, there is so much demand on influencers; so they’ll wear a product they’re given for five minutes and then five minutes later they’ll be wearing a different brand.

“So, if you are someone that stocks your rails based on seeing frames on influencers, you have to realise that their brand loyalty is zero. And the customer who buys a frame from you because of the influencer is going to be a fickle customer.”

Rather than trend chasing, Ms Katsieris advocates for timeless design: “Don’t follow the trends. If you look at something like L.A.Eyeworks, she never follows a trend; her shapes are timeless.”

Yet Ms Cappuccio acknowledges the paradox: “It’s funny – Jacque says don’t go with the trends, but what makes bestsellers is things trending. The marketing, and the models, and the people that we see a frame on, can shape a bestseller.”

Creating a bestselling eyewear collection requires understanding that success isn’t just about the frames themselves – it’s about matching design excellence with customer psychology, regional preferences, and strong service partnerships. As Mr Ponnusamy concluded, quality and authentic design philosophy provide “the foundation that sustains a brand beyond temporary trends”.

For practices, this means investing time in understanding your customer base, working with reputable suppliers who support you, and building ranges that balance commercial viability with distinctive design. The frames that sell best aren’t always the loudest or the trendiest – they’re the ones that make your customers feel confident, comfortable, and well-served.

mivision presents a selection of sought-after frames – proven best-sellers – on the following pages.