Australian eyewear line Bailey Nelson marks re-entry into Canadian market with Robson Street store

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      Australian eyewear brand Bailey Nelson is back on Canadian soil with a new shop at 1135 Robson Street.

      Known for its in-house and affordable line of frames, the store carries nearly 300 optical and sunglass styles and offers on-site services such as professional eye exams. Frames range from square tortoiseshells and ’70s-inspired rounds to oversized cat-eyes and statement-making acetates.

      Prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses are available at flat rates starting at $155 and $175, respectively, with no extra costs for polarized, anti-glare, and anti-scratch lenses.

      Bailey Nelson

      “We have a lot of new products that will be launching on a regular basis,” Michelle Lazar, Bailey Nelson’s community engagement manger, tells the Straight during an interview at the newly opened shop.

      The company is vertically integrated, which means its frames are designed in-house at its headquarters in Sydney, Australia, and produced in manufacturing facilities it partners with overseas. According to the label’s website, its factories and artisans in China are “just as professional and actually more efficient than their European counterparts”.

      The 1,200-square-foot shop features white-washed woods, lush greenery, and images of Sydney’s Bondi Beach and Vancouver’s seawall showcased in a backlit display. “What that really represents for us is our roots in Australia and our new beginnings in Vancouver,” says Lazar.

      Bailey Nelson

      Founded in Sydney, Australia, five years ago, Bailey Nelson initially launched two stores in Metro Vancouver through a licensee agreement with a group of Canadian operators in 2014. However, the company parted ways with that team this past March, deciding to re-establish itself in the Canadian market by opening its own boutiques. (For those curious, the original Bailey Nelson stops in Gastown and at Metropolis at Metrotown have since been converted into eyewear shops by the name of Ollie Quinn, which have no affiliation with Bailey Nelson.)

      Bailey Nelson’s new Robson Street store marks the start of the brand’s North American expansion, with locations in Gastown and Toronto’s Queen Street West to come later this year. The company will establish a support office in Vancouver to aid with its growth in the region. In addition to its incoming Canadian stores, the brand operates boutiques in Australia and New Zealand.

      Follow Lucy Lau on Twitter @lucylau.

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