In an exclusive interview, cofounder Patty Perreira and CEO Cedric Moreau discuss what sets the eyewear brand apart.
Barton Perreira courtesy of Barton Perreira
MILAN — No prominent logos appear on Barton Perreira’s eyewear, which is characterized by delicate filigree engravings on titanium components, hand-painted enamels, warm colors reminiscent of California sunsets and artisanal frames handcrafted by artisans in Japan.
The brand was founded in 2007 by Bill Barton and Patty Perreira and in 2023 was entirely acquired by Thélios, the eyewear division of the LVMH Group. Last December, Cedric Moreau, previously vice president of sales of Thélios Americas, was named chief executive officer of Barton Perreira.
The brand recently participated at the first Thélios Convention of the year earlier this month at Le Cavallerizze, a newly restored 19th century building in Milan at the Museum of Science and Technology.
Three more convention events will take place between Rome, Paris and New York in 2025. Barton Perreira will also participate at Eyewear Design Week in New York in March.
Here, Patty Perreira and Moreau map out the future steps for the brand with the support of Thélios.
WWD [to Perreira]: What attracted you to partner with Thélios?
Patty Perreira: I think they were the perfect choice because they really take care of their maisons. They really, really care and they understand how important it is for Barton Perreira to be an independent brand. And so far, from what I can tell, because it’s been just over a year, they really want to maintain that uniqueness and specialness. And I think had we gone in another direction or gone with one of the other choices, it wouldn’t have been so, maybe they would have wanted to change the manufacturing and move to some other part of Asia, or completely change the distribution status, strategy and design direction. In our talks with Thélios, that wasn’t the case, and they really assured us that they really wanted to maintain the uniqueness and the specialness of the brand. So that was important to me, because it’s my baby.
WWD: Why did you decide to seek a partner, were you eyeing further international growth?
P.P.: Yes, for me, it’s such a great brand, and we really took it as far as we could. We financed everything ourselves, and I think for it to get to the next level, we needed financial backing, but also their expertise in so many other areas that we just didn’t have. So it was really the perfect choice, I think.
Cedric Moreau: I have 30 years of experience with the independent world, but also now an experience with Thélios and for Thélios, it’s very, very important to protect Barton Perreira. It is a leading company when it comes to luxury and independent optical shops with all the product that is handcrafted in Japan, which is something that is very, very important to protect to continue into this direction. I’m very honored to work with Patty, she’s an amazing creative mind. She established this brand, which is really appreciated by our clients, by the end consumers, and together, we’re going to definitely bring it up to to the next level, but staying true to ourselves. This is really the importance of the partnership.
WWD: Since the acquisition, what were the main steps taken and what are the plans for 2025?
C.M.: In 2025, we will focus on business operations, to build and position the brand to keep developing our roster of clients. Barton Perreira is very well-established in North America. We are aiming to continue to grow in the region, but the main focus is definitely EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa] and APAC [Asia-Pacific], where we have great opportunities to increase our presence and distribution. Once again, it is very important for us to stay true to our distribution network, working with boutiques, luxury optical shops and independent opticians.
WWD: Do you think brand awareness is already strong in APAC and EMEA, even though Barton Perreira is not yet distributed widely in those markets?
C.M.: It is strong, but to me, what is most important is that consumers are getting more and more educated about eyewear. Everybody starts to understand that you get what you pay for. Eyewear is one of the items that you’re going to wear a lot, especially prescription. You’re going to wear it for hours every day, so you deserve the best, and the consumers are getting more and more educated about quality, because you want eyewear to last for long and you want comfort. It’s like maybe buying an amazing pair of shoes, but this doesn’t mean they are comfortable. So when you wear Barton Perreira, you feel the comfort. It embraces your face, and when you wear it every day, it’s very important. So for me, the brand awareness comes through our partners, sales associates in the shop, which are introducing Barton Perreira, the quality, the Japanese 100 percent handmade.
A Barton Perreira key visual.
WWD: The Thélios headquarters are striking and the manufacturing prowess unquestionable, so how do the Japanese handmade styles fit with the local, Italian production? Will the eyewear continue to be all handmade in Japan?
P.P.: Once again, we stay true to ourselves. So it will be 100 percent made in Japan, but the synergy between Barton Perreira and Thélios is all the knowledge in terms of procurement, analysis, forecasting — that is what we need. This is where Thélios can help us. They have a full department which is specialized in these kinds of topics. So it’s more of an analytic and operation support, not production at this time.
WWD: Can you share the size of the business?
C.M.: As per our policy, unfortunately I can’t.
WWD: You have five Barton Perreira stores. Is retail expansion a strategy you want to pursue?
C.M.: Yes, I think it’s important in terms of brand awareness as well, when we find the right opportunities and this is not limited to North America. We can eventually have some in Europe or APAC, when we feel it’s the right time, the right location and the right team, because it’s very important to have a team which can share the brand’s experience and service to the consumers.
WWD: Patty, how has your life changed so far? Are you more free now to just be creative?
P.P.: I would say, it really hasn’t changed that much yet, but I do feel more free in the sense that I don’t worry so much about the day-to-day part of the business, finances, employees and stuff, and that definitely frees me up to focus more on the creative. But I do feel a little more pressure, and that’s probably just pressure that I put on myself, because I’m a Virgo, I’m a people pleaser, and I know this was a big investment for Thélios, and I really want to make them happy that they chose Barton Perreira, because it’s such an honor. So I feel that kind of pressure, and I feel like there’s more eyes on me now, and so it’s kind a little bit of both, like I’m more free in one sense, but I’m putting the pressure on myself.
WWD: What can you tell us about the new collection?
P.P.: I love to take things from the past. I have a huge vintage archive, so a lot of my inspiration comes from that. And I like to bring things into the future in a modern way, but at the same time keeping it fairly classic.
The development of new colors is exciting to me, and the materials that aren’t really available in the market. I focus on how to bring wearable color, because a lot of times the colors are not so complementary. And for me, that’s a huge thing. I like color to fit into a person’s life, to blend in and not distract. So I brought some really beautiful colors, ombré colors, laminated colors. I would say that’s the most exciting for me. I don’t know if it’s exciting to everybody else, but it’s always exciting for me to see a beautiful sunset and take a photograph, send it to my manufacturer in Japan, and have them create that color in a material, and then for me to be able to use it on a frame and then see it and put it out there in the world. That whole process for me is exciting.
Also, last year, I visited the Thélios prototype department in Longarone in Italy and, while we’ll continue to manufacture in Japan, it was very exciting for me to see the possibilities of prototyping. So I don’t know if in the future there’ll be a way that I can prototype things in Italy, but for me, that’s very exciting to be able to access their technology and then see if I can incorporate that in Japan.
The Nolan design by Barton Perreira.
WWD: Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and how you started in this industry?
P.P.: Bill and I were together 38 years, and he was one of the original owners of Oliver Peoples and when they started the business, they asked me to join and help, so I was in my 20s and that’s how I got into the business. There were like five of us in the whole company. So we all did everything — we pulled orders, we typed invoices, we took phone calls and that sort of thing. And it was before the fax machine and then when the fax machine came out, there was nowhere to put it, because it was such a small office. So it went on my desk, and the faxes would come in, and I would be the one answering them. So I got to meet all of the international customers in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and I started kind of doing customer service and sales, because I was the one answering the faxes, and everybody wanted to meet me.
And then from being on the road and meeting the customers, I would get feedback from the customers of what they needed in the stores or what was missing. And so I would come back and share that with the design team. And also, while I was out, I was always flea marketing and buying vintage frames for me personally just because I love to collect glasses, and that’s really where I learned about the needs of the market and design. And so then they started including me in meetings with the Japanese manufacturers, and that’s really where I learned the technical side of design, but I didn’t go to design school. I really learned it on the job, and through my passion for eyewear as an accessory. So I’m kind of self-taught in that respect.
And then eventually I became the head designer at Oliver Peoples, and I was there for over 18 years, until the company sold to Oakley. I stayed for six months, but I didn’t really like the direction that the brand was going, so I decided to leave. And at that point, I was going to design jewelry, because that’s my other passion. And Bill called me and said that was a crazy idea. He said, “You have all this experience, don’t let it go to waste. Let’s start a brand together,” and that’s how Barton Perreira was born.
WWD: There have been so many changes in the eyewear industry and consolidation, with the merger of Essilor and Luxottica, the arrival on the scene of Kering Eyewear and Thélios is another perfect example. What is your opinion of the industry now? Niche brands are also garnering attention.
C.M: I think the industry is moving in the right direction, because you start to clearly see a difference concerning quality versus quantity. And once again, the end consumers are more and more aware of what they are purchasing. And yes, sometimes, eyewear can be an investment, but during our trunk shows or events, I like to explain to the end consumer that they are going to wear them every day for years, so the cost on a daily basis versus, for example, a $14 Starbucks coffee they buy every morning, is very affordable. And it’s a nice, nice element of your personality. So I think today, people are understanding, they’re looking for better quality from design to comfort and longevity of the product. And I think there’s really a difference with Barton Perreira and with Thélios in terms of quality and quality of distribution.
WWD: Do you think eyewear is moving away from being merely an accessory that goes through trends?
C.M.: I think there’s an elevation, and even more if you talk about prescription glasses. Sunglasses are still going to pass through trends, they are more fashionable but prescription frames are no longer only a medical device. People want to to wear something which is very complimentary to their complexion, to their lifestyle.
P.P.: There is a difference between all these brands that are produced by all the same companies and the independent ones, and I feel like Barton Perreira is kind of in the middle now, right? Because we were an independent before, and we’re now part of a group, but we’re still maintaining our independence within that group. I think that’s an interesting concept, because really, it hasn’t been done, or maybe it has, but I can’t think off the top of my head of any brands that really fit into that place. So I think it’s a very positive thing. The industry is going in a good direction, because I think there is going to be more [brands] that can fit into that middle group if it’s done right.
WWD: In your case, how much does the prescription division account for in terms of sales?
C.M.: [smiling] I will leave it to, it’s an important part of the business.
P.P.: I wanted to add that let’s keep in mind eyewear is one of the first products end consumers can access when it comes to luxury.
WWD: Yes, absolutely. So what are the main challenges and opportunities that you see in 2025? Are tariffs a concern following the election of President Trump?
C.M.: I think it’s a little bit early to to discuss it. What I also want to point out is, technically, I don’t have the exact number, but I think [most] of the eyewear is imported into America, because we don’t truly have factories like you have in Europe or Japan. So everybody will be pretty much concerned by this, if it happened.
Secondly, in terms of challenges, maybe I’m wired differently than other people. To me, I look at challenges creating new opportunities, because it permits everybody to regroup, to work together, to find solutions and get better. So I don’t look at challenges like it’s a problem actually, because they oblige yourself to rethink the way you do business, to be creative and good comes out of it. In terms of opportunities, what I’m very enthusiastic about is, of course the product, but everybody I met in the organization is an amazing team. They are devoted. They work very hard. And to me, it’s a great, great asset, because it’s a team that builds a business, it’s not one person. So this is an amazing opportunity.
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