Quay Sunglasses: What’s the Obsession?
Photo cred: jsuedeclothing.com
From celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani, to brand collaborations with Kylie Jenner and Desi Perkins, Quay Sunglasses have become the must have accessory for teens and young adults.
What is Quay Australia?
Founded in 2004 by Linda and Allen Hammond, Quay Australia quickly became known as the famously cool sunglass brand for the freethinkers. Festival lovers themselves, the Hammonds realized that concert-goers spent enough money on shows and wanted affordable sunnies to accompany them. Their business soon received a cult-like following and in 2009, their son Zak joined Quay, making it a true family business. Fast forward to today, Quay Sunglasses is found in 35 countries at over 2,000 retailers worldwide and online.
Why Sunglasses?
It’s simple really- Linda and Allen couldn’t find trendy sunglasses at affordable price points. Their brand is all about going outside the box, creating fashion-forward designs that are unique to their image. Instead of one pair of designer shades, their customers can get two, three, maybe even four pairs for the same price. This creates brand awareness and their customers keep coming back for more. What is typically an annual or semi-annual purchase has now become a monthly trend, especially for younger adults.
With music inspired roots, countless adventures abroad and some Melbourne flair, Quay Australia has become a favorite for individuals with fearless style, a carefree attitude and fresh perspective. -Quay Australia
Social Media Success
With over 1.4 million followers on Instagram alone, Quay is the definition of overnight social media success. Without any background in marketing or communications, Linda Hammond began sharing fan photos to their page. Soon after, everyone was tagging themselves in their Quay sunnies in hopes of being featured on the account. What’s great to see today, even with their million+ followers, is Quay continuing to highlight customers just as frequent as celebrities. Tying organic social media marketing in with their brand keeps them at the top as one of the most-followed sunglass accounts.
Brand Collaborations
Now we couldn’t talk about Quay without mentioning another huge part of their success: their collabs. Quay became a power player in the sunglass market when their limited-edition influencer collaborations took off. Most memorable? QUAY X KYLIE. If you’ve turned on a television or been on social media in the last decade, a name like Kylie Jenner and the Kardashian family need no introduction. With Kylie having a combined social media following of over 175 million, the QUAY X KYLIE collaboration was one of the smartest business decisions made by the company since Kylie’s fans are Quay’s exact target market. The limited-edition collaboration was so successful that Kylie released a 20s inspired line with them later that year.
Another fantastic collaboration that keeps coming back is QUAY X DESI. Desi Perkins, a once freelance makeup artist, found success by uploading makeup tutorials to YouTube. Fitting with their image, the collaboration is on their fourth line, making it the longest lasting collab Quay has done. It also helps that the High Key, a QUAY X DESI style, is the company’s top selling look of all time.
Our Current Favorites
Quay Right Time Black / Lilac Mirror Sunglasses - $60
The Right Time sunglasses from Quay are always the perfect fit where ever you go. These perfect grab-and-go sunglasses feature a bold black colored cat-eye frame with thick temples and round lilac purple mirror lens. Grab your pair here.
Quay Dynasty Copper / Gold Mirror Sunglasses - $50
Check out these festival ready sunglasses by Quay. These sunglasses feature an oversized metal round frame with comfy nose pads, and mirrored lens. Grab your pair here.
Quay Avalon Black / Pink Mirror Sunglasses - $55
Mirrored lenses and exaggerated retro frames add a prismatic pop of color to these lightweight sunglasses. Grab your pair here.
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