Eyecare Business (June 3rd 2019)

Rock Of Ages

Gwen Stefani chats exclusively with EB about the new specs collection inspired by her son

Gwen Stefani has a mile-long, wildly impressive curriculum vitae, but the rocker is nothing but gracious and engaging on our recent phone call to chat about her new eyewear collection with Tura—Zuma Rock, a boys’ specs line inspired by her son Zuma.

Zuma began wearing glasses at a young age, and Stefani says she and he have struggled to find great eyewear for boys ever since.

Until now. Enter Zuma Rock…here, Stefani shares more.

EB: What inspired you to expand into eyewear for boys with Zuma Rock?

GS: I really wanted to design a boys’ collection because when I shop for boys’ frames with my son Zuma they all look the same. This never makes sense to me because everyone’s face and sense of style is so different.

Wearing eyewear for a kid should not be a punishment. They should own a pair that they are happy to wear because it reflects their personality.

EB: How did Zuma inspire you during the design process?

GS: Just being able to do something with him, he’s the real creative in the family. He’s always doing experiments and really creative things.

He watched me design his whole life, and now to have him be involved is really cool. I definitely listen to him, and he helped me with the collection’s tiger logo and with making different design choices. When I would take a first pass at something, he would be like, “Mom, are you serious?”—and I would listen to his feedback and make changes.

EB: What are Zuma’s favorite styles in the collection?

GS: His favorites are the round green camo [style ZR002] and the checkerboard ones [style ZR006]—those are his actual favorites. At church [on Easter] he had on his full church outfit—cowboy boots and plaid shirt with the camo frames. They are green and round and also come in blue.

EB: What is your advice to parents with children who need glasses, which can be a tough transition?

GS: [With Zuma] it was really early and it was super upsetting at first—it was going to be his entire childhood [with glasses].

One thing that makes it a little bit easier is having a choice when they pick them. [If they choose] round outrageous glasses, for example, and the reaction they are going to get [is great], versus wearing a plain metal frame—you might as well make something out of it that makes people react. Now, that’s expressing your identity in a positive way and wearing something showing your personality.