Blinx’s the charm for kids

Blinx is an innovative range of eyewear accessories designed to help children feel confident and positive about wearing their glasses.

The importance of children wearing their glasses is well documented, as are the challenges of ensuring they keep them on, said UK-based founding designer Stephanie Collier. “I have worn glasses since I was a small child, but when a friend of mine, who has never worn glasses, told her daughter she would need multiple pairs of glasses in all sorts of colours to match her outfits, I knew that was going to be expensive… And not just for all the frames, but each time the prescription changed!”

The episode got Collier thinking about ways to help kids adapt to wearing glasses in a positive way, without breaking the bank. So she designed a range of soft rubber charms (similar to Crocs Jibbitz), primarily for use on the arms of spectacles and, just like that, Blinx was born.

The Blinx eyewear charms slide on and off glasses’ temples, allowing children to mix colours and styles to match their clothing, mood or interests. “Affordable in price, the charms are collectable, encouraging young patients and their parents to visit their local practice on a regular basis rather than just once or twice per year,” said Collier.

The increase in store visits presents opportunities for stockists to build a relationship with the families they serve, encouraging customer loyalty. “Let’s face it – getting your child to keep their glasses on can be a challenge, and parents are likely to think positively of a store that can reduce the struggle, hopefully returning to the store for their own eyewear needs as well as their child’s,” Collier said. “Some stockists offer the charms free to boost business in quieter periods. For example, here in the UK, December tends to be a quieter time for test appointments, so some stockists offer free Christmas charms for all children’s appointments booked for that month.”

Established in 2014, Blinx has grown from being a ‘kitchen table’ business to one that has products being sold in over 300 stores in the UK, plus 30 other countries. Blinx currently has no New Zealand distributor but charms can be ordered direct from www.myblinx.co.uk