Young Innovator finalists see their designs come to life

Last year Specsavers put the call out to young and emerging designers through the inaugural Young Innovator Design Competition, a program designed to give Australian and New Zealand design students the opportunity to create a new cutting-edge eyewear collection.

The four successful finalists visited the Specsavers Support Office last week to see the second prototype of their designs, which will be hitting the shelves early next year.

Hear from Rylie, Bethany, Adele and Pearson on the experience they had seeing their designs come to life and their hopes for the future.

Rylie Wilson – Design: “New Heritage”
Rylie has looked closely at eyewear and fashion trends, along with global colour hues to ensure her glasses design concept will stay relevant for years to come.

1. What did you study? Bachelor of Fashion Design at RMIT University.
2. How does it feel seeing your designs come to life? It feels amazing to see my designs come to life. You hope that your design hobby and degree will translate into a career, and this is the first step.
3. How have the Specsavers team helped you in this process? The Specsavers team have been so helpful and supportive. They’ve been supportive of what I wanted to do and that’s rare for a young designer to get. I’ve felt I can ask a lot of questions and they’re always happy to answer which is great.
   
4. What are you hoping this will do for your career? I hope to do tailoring, but after doing this I’ve fallen in love with accessory design. I even did my final uni assignment on accessories after this experience.
5. Can you share anything unexpected or unusual about the process you didn’t expect? Through the process everyone has just been so lovely. You hope it will be like this, but often isn’t the case. It’s been a really nice surprise.

Bethany Peele – Design: “Malleable Metal”

Bethany has created a modern twist on a classic look that is versatile and sophisticated. Beth’s eyewear design concept has been created for the modern woman on the move.

1. What did you study? I studied Fashion Design at the Kangan Institute.
2. How does it feel seeing your designs come to life? It’s a real compliment to have someone else look at your design and say it’s good enough to produce.
3. How have the Specsavers team helped you in this process? The team is really invested in making your ideas come to life. They’ve given me the freedom to explore my ideas and supported me through the process.
4. What are you hoping this will do for your career? It’s a huge deal to have your designs produced commercially, and it’s been so interesting working with the Specsavers team to learn how it all works and comes together.
5. Can you share anything unexpected or unusual about the process you didn’t expect? I didn’t expect the process to be as cool as it is!

Adele Easton – Design: “Beauvoir”

Adele’s design concepts present some unique and innovative shapes and are inspired by the work of various artists and powerful women throughout history.

1. What did you study? Robotic Engineering and Product Design Engineering.
2. How does it feel seeing your designs come to life? It’s really special to see my designs come to life. A lot of my peers have told me that it’s rare to get your own designs produced, so I feel very lucky.
3. How have the Specsavers team helped you in this process? The Specsavers team have been really supportive. They’ve allowed me to explore all the different options I’ve wanted and been helpful right through the process.
4. What are you hoping this will do for your career? I’m hoping that it will show future employers I’ve got a passion to go beyond the norm of just doing my university work and it will open doors for me.
5. Can you share anything unexpected or unusual about the process you didn’t expect? It’s a surprise me to see my drawings come to life and be something really tangible you can hold and wear. I’ve really enjoyed that part.

Pearson Bulmer – Design: “Memphis”

Pearson’s collection is homage to bold forms of retro and minimalism. His design can be optical or sunglass frame and includes pops of pastel colour.

1. What did you study? I studied Product Design at the University of Technology Sydney and now completing a Masters of Public Relations at the University of New South Wales.
2. How does it feel seeing your designs come to life? It’s pretty exciting to see the glasses now but trying to nail what the public like is hard when you’re planning for the future.
3. How have the Specsavers team helped you in this process? The Specsavers team is really easy to get along with. The team is insightful and helpful.
4. What are you hoping this will do for your career? I’m hoping doing this gives me credibility so companies will be willing to talk to me. You can’t say you’re an architect until you design your first building, and this is the same for me in this space.
5. Can you share anything unexpected or unusual about the process you didn’t expect? I’ve been surprised by how complex it is to launch a pair of glasses. It takes a long time and a lot of people working together to make it happen, and that’s been fascinating to see.