In 2014, three young people who knew each other from university met again at a startup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In that hotbed of ideas, Meller was born, a brand of sunglasses that promised affordable prices and good quality. Today, 10 years later, it has become one of the most recognized brands in Europe and with a presence throughout the world, which, last year alone, had a turnover of 11 million euros.
The firm's launch was just before the social media boom, and one of Meller's co-founders, Marco Grandi, recounts how "they were lucky" because the project was so well received. During the first two years they only sold in Spain, but things went well for them, they grew at a good pace and began to sell all over the world.
On September 1, The eye collection vol.I is released, a collection of 150 sunglasses and optics inspired by vintage models and minimalism. The creative director of the collection, Carles Martínez, has opted to launch a first collection in neutral tones (brown, black and pops of color in green and blue) and focus on the design of the glasses. Meller does not look for great designs and flashy colors, "we see glasses as a tool", says Martínez while he exposes the new models.
The brand expects to release volume II of the collection in six months, and the third in another six months, adding new metallic materials in the third volume. Not all glasses will remain in the collections, only those that customers like the most will remain “permanently”.
With sales in more than 50 countries, its main market is in Europe and the United States. It is the second most followed brand on social networks, with 350,000 followers. And they have become known through collaborations and sponsorships such as Sónar, the electronic music festival in Barcelona.
Dedicated exclusively to online sales, two years ago they decided to completely change their aesthetics, they took it upon themselves to find a new identity and position themselves in a style that would describe and identify them. Since then they have opted for online communication, campaigns on social networks and ads. Every month they publish about 200 actions: announcements, posts, publicity. To promote interaction with the user, they have recently created a filter with which it is possible to check how the glasses feel before buying them through the screen.
With the launch of The eye collection they have also presented their new project Meller Specs. An independent branch with its own website, where you can see the models but not buy them. For the first time they have designed prescription glasses that can only be found offline, that is, they will only be available in opticians. They have wanted to move away from multi-brand sales and have opted for small businesses throughout Europe.
They have a team of more than 25 people, their main markets are France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, although their headquarters are in Barcelona. The forecasts for this year are to sell 1.5 million glasses and invoice 20 million. Meller has positioned itself in the European and American markets as the perfect accessory that accompanies you every day. They have 15 million visits on the web and a target between 25 and 35 years old.
With the change in style, they wanted to focus on the young public using social networks as their main speaker. With their motto "It's out there", Grandi and Martínez explain that they want to make their audience understand that "life is out there, don't stay at home, put on your glasses and go out and live".
They define themselves as restless, tireless and risk taking. They believe that the glasses are a tool "Humans have shaped their environment to evolve as individuals, and they do so by constantly adapting their environment and their tools."
