Cheap Monday my seem like an odd name for a fashion brand, in fact it is quite a big fashion brand. They started of in Stockholm as a denim brand but soon grew into an international fashion brand with their philosophy being to offer their customers cheap and affordable fashion. Back in a rather cold January morning I was backstage at a photoshoot with Specsavers and it was a top secret, I wasn’t allowed to give the game away… remember? Well now I can reveal what it is. I was on location covering the Cheap Monday shoot!
The Cheap Monday frames have only just started to roll out in all their stores nationwide and yesterday during the Specsavers press day the Cheap Monday’s design team were there to chat to me about the frames. The brand is about offering customers affordable frames, specifically people who enjoy fashion but may not have the disposable cash to “splash out”. This is why they have chosen to team up with Specsavers who are of course doing the same thing.
Yesterday I personally really enjoyed talking to the design team about the range. Some may criticise them and say they are like any other frame and the quality is average BUT for me I like the story behind the brand and what they believe in. That sold it to me, I love a brand that has a story to tell! Cheap Monday recognise that not everyone can afford to splash out on a pair of expensive frames and they believe the best way to get people into wearing glasses is by making them more accessible so consumers can afford to buy more than one pair. That is a valid point because how many of us can realistically afford 2 frames at £300 each (not including lenses?)- great if you can but sadly, not everyone can.
Cheap Monday has come along offering just that, stylish and well designed frames at very affordable prices. One of the designers talked through some of his design process such as why they picked certain acetate for the frames and why they chose to add a layer of bright colour between the acetate layers. The designer explained to me that on certain models if you use sand paper and just gently rub the frames, it will give the frame a different look just like their denim- once it is worn it will look and feel different from when you first bought them, then the splash of colour between acetate was used to give a different effect when the light shines through them.
So yes the frames may be cheap BUT the design process is just as intense as any other frames out there. Cheap Monday has been making and designing glasses way before this collaboration with Specsavers and the design team actually told me they design different style frames for different parts of the world to suit the local tastes so this project with Specsavers is definitely not something new to them.
The Cheap Monday range is now available at your local Specsavers store to check out the range do click here. By the way… during the photoshoot the glasses definitely had no lenses in them to avoid any chance of glare- that fact my friends is definitely confirmed!