An image from iconic British eyewear company William Morris' latest campaign

Following the Design Eyewear Group’s (DEG’s) purchase of quintessential British eyewear brand William Morris last year, the brand’s distribution has been taken over by Eyes Right Optical (ERO) in Australasia via MSO in New Zealand.

As well as William Morris, and its sub collections London and Black Label, ERO also gains the company’s New York-inspired sister brand Charles Stone, both founded by Robert Morris. With ERO distributing the majority of DEG’s brands, including Prodesign, Woow, Face à Face and Kilsgaard, in this part of the world, some for more than 20 years, distributing William Morris’ brands made sense, said ERO’s managing director Mark Wymond. “They fit within our framework of supplying high-quality, design-focused fashionable eyewear to mid- and high-end independent optical practices.”

Saying he’s excited to have William Morris back in the fold (distribution was held by ERO in the early 2000s) he said it and another new “very exciting” sustainability-focused brand will be taking pride of place on ERO’s stand at O=Mega23 from 8-11 September in Melbourne*. “We're delighted to take the collection back on. We've been watching the progression and development of William Morris London from afar and have been impressed with the direction Robert has taken it in.” Wymond said he loves the ‘London-look’ of the collection, with striking shapes and bold style. “Robert’s style and flair is unique and I feel it’s a good price point for the level of quality.”

ERO has successfully grown DEG’s brands in Australasia year after year with strong communication and exceptional customer service, said Lars Flyvholm, DEG CEO. “At Design Eyewear Group we always look for the best synergies to provide the best service to our customers, so the choice to change the distribution was part of that.”

In an email to customers, former New Zealand William Morris distributor, Phoenix Eyewear director Mark Collman said, “Despite our best efforts we were unable to retain the distribution of these collections. We have been assured by the new distributor that they will take full responsibility for aftercare sales support and warranties on all products sold by us in the market.” Acknowledging the move will come as a surprise to many, Collman said Phoenix has new collections ready to present to customers, including the Italian Tree Spectacles brand, with translucent frames made from Mazzucchelli’s bio-based acetate (see July 2023’s issue).

*More on the new Project Green range of sustainable eyewear in September’s NZ Optics