Scottish sunglasses brand, Tens, has created sunglasses that make the world look like a Wes Anderson movie. The brand is promoting them with a whimsical teaser and an Indiegogo campaign, which doubles as online selling. And it seems to be working – spectacularly. Each backer receives the sunglasses. So far the campaign has 644 backers and achieved 510% its funding goal of US$12,695 – or US$64,974.
If Tens was an agency, you might even think, “I wish I’d done that.”
The Spectachrome lens filter light in a way that enhances the colour palettes found in Wes Anderson’s films such as Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Hotel Chevalier. They give the world a whimsical vintage cinema and celluloid feel and have a 60-second whimsical teaser film to promote them. The glasses were designed in Scotland, developed in France, and manufactured in Northern Italy. They are scratch-resistant and feature a CR39 organic resin material with UV400 protection. The frames are handcrafted in optical-grade and plant-based Mazzuchelli acetate. They’re the real deal when it comes to doing what sunglasses are meant to do. Mostly, as far as buyers are concerned, they’re cool right now.
The Wes Anderson lenses are a logical extension of the brand’s DNA – albeit a long way down that extension. Tens was founded in 2014 by three photographer friends on a road trip. (And the new teaser bears a striking similarity to how the founders say their brand was created.) “We were driving through the Highlands in search of sunshine, when we came up with the idea for Tens,” the founders explain on the brand’s website. “You might not think of sunglasses and Scotland as the perfect match, but that’s sort of the point. Developed by photographers (Marty, Kris & Tom), we thought it would be cool to take the rich, warm colours we add to our photos and apply them to real life. And so, countless rounds of prototypes and one crowdfunding campaign later, Tens happened.”
The brand’s mantra is “Tens is a brand that prides itself in seeing things differently”. It is endorsed by Sir Richard Branson, who stated, “The world looks incredible, I wouldn’t choose to wear anything else.”