Jono Hennessy Sceats (left) with Sunshades' Anthony Whittle and Alyssa Piva, and Louise Sceats, Kerry Carey and Jesse Nel

Australian eyewear designer Jono Hennessy Sceats, creator of popular Australasian brands, Jono Hennessy, Carter Bond and Zeffer, says the best thing about joining international Australasian eyewear distributor Sunshades is he can get back to doing what he loves best - design.

“We built an international company. We now sell 40% of our frames in Europe, but there were only four of us running the business. It got too hard… we needed help… we were spending too much time on administration and not enough time on the product.”

So, it was exciting, he says, when Sunshades CEO Rodney Grunseit, son of Sunshades founder Bette Lasse, approached him and his business partner wife, Louise Sceats, 10 months ago with a business proposition to do something special together.

Becoming part of Sunshades Eyewear business is the culmination of a personal and professional friendship first formed more than 30 years ago, says Jono. “Betty Lasse was my first account and she was so supportive and wonderful. My designs at the time were a totally new look and not getting great interest. Betty then sold them well and Vogue did a story, so it was all then accepted.”

Even when the businesses were no longer connected, Jono was still welcome on Betty’s guest list, he says. “She was a very special person and I am grateful for her uplifting support. Today I see the same feelings surrounding the team at Sunshades, including her son Rodney who continues her legacy so proudly.”

The decision to join Sunshades makes sense given the increasingly competitive nature of eyewear today, says Jono, as it allows him and Louise to concentrate on design while still being part of a family-run company, harnessing its larger distribution and back-end support infrastructure. “Sunshades is a design-led company. They export brands across the world from New Zealand and Australia, brands like Karen Walker, its extraordinary and something to be proud of.”

Being design-led is vital for businesses in Australia and New Zealand, he adds, because companies here can’t compete on price.

With his newest accolade being made a member of the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame, Jono says he hopes to influence the Australian government to rank design more highly within its research and development business grants. But that’s a little way down the track.

First, he’s getting back to basics with his eyewear brands, he says, researching and working new materials to provide the most comfortable fit, while still maintaining the style his brands have become known for.

Without giving too much away, Jono says his current design influences include original wire frames made in China in the 1880s to 1890s, Japanese construction and car paint colours. Sounds like fun? “Yes, yes it is,” he says with a smile.