May 2014

1st May 2014 Once upon a time, children who needed to wear glasses really didn’t want to. Styles and colours were limited, and frames just weren’t fun. Then, like a magic wand in a children’s fairy tale, there appeared a delightful collection of frames for youngsters with a catchy name – Zoobug – that appealed to little hearts and fashion desires. Eyestylist meets Dr. Julie Le, children’s eye surgeon – above with her daughter Prosper – who shares her story about the creation of Zoobug.

Was there a defining moment when you realised that there was a need for high quality protective eyewear for youngsters? “I saw a lot of UV related eye problems during my training as an ophthalmologist in the UK, but it only hit home when I tried to buy sunglasses for my one-year-old niece. There was little choice and the quality was very poor.

What are your design influences? “I design instinctively and draw inspiration from London life as we’ve got this amazing hub of creativity and style at our doorstep. I love experimenting with colours and strong shapes. But what looks good on paper may not always work on a child’s face; that’s why all my new ideas are prototyped and tested on actual children first. I am lucky I have many willing volunteers from family and friends. My quest for the perfect pair of sunglasses or ophthalmic frames lends itself to my progressive design method, where I am constantly tweaking and refining. It may take several seasons and versions to come up with a shape and fit that I am truly happy with. This is because children’s faces are so varied and pose the biggest challenge. I always design with a particular age range in mind, but even then, there are huge variations in shape and size. Now that children’s tastes are more sophisticated, it becomes harder as you need to understand what they are willing to wear at what age.”

Do you feel that parents are more aware nowadays about eye protection for children? “Yes definitely which is a great thing. We struggled in the early years but now there is much more public awareness for the need to protect children’s eyes and to spend a little more for quality.” What are the most fun aspects of creating eyewear for children – and the most challenging? “I am a big child at heart so if I get excited by a shape, design or colour , then I know kids will too. A good fitting frame that makes a child feel great and confident about themselves is the most rewarding aspect of my job. I’ve often been asked the question of why I left my surgical career to design eyewear for children. Well, I naively wanted to make a difference. In the UK, children had a raw deal when it came to the dreaded NHS frames, and it was unusual to think that children had any desire to look cool or stylish in their glasses. The issue of course, was the lack of public awareness to protect children’s eyes in the sun. I thought it would take 3-4 years to instigate change and return to my day job. Eight years on, and I’ve only just scratched the surface. In China, where we have just entered the market, parents don’t even believe in their children wearing glasses, fearing that it will make their vision worse and they will become dependent.” www.zoobug.com JG