Wooden frame sunglasses brand Parkville founders, the Kaemfer brothers, awed by Sri Lanka’s natural resources during a visit to Sri Lanka set up business here. Parkville stands out in the over-crowded fashion accessories market because its ware is handmade so it makes a statement about the wearer while the brand tries to have as little ecological impact as possible, so it appeals to a growing consumer base that seeks out such brands. In addition to manufacturing and assembling the product here, all wood used for the frames and accessories are sourced locally. Initially made of teak or kumbuk, the newest introduction is rubber wood, which was selected for its circle of sustainability. When a rubber tree is no longer productive it is cut for wood but another is planted in its place. “This circle of sustainability benefits the environment too,” Hugo Kaemfer explains.
Parkville wayfarer frames are the most popular and the company also makes other styles like aviators, cat-eyes and frames inspired by the clubmaster. Brothers Hugo and Lucas Kaemfer registered Parkville Lanka with their local partner in November 2014. Within a year of launching they broke even on their US$150,000-plus capital, selling high-quality sunglasses and accessories made of recycled wood. Two-thirds of the Parkville seed capital went into high-end machinery sourced from the UK, US and Netherlands. None of this is yet being used to full capacity, but the investment was made with “growth” written big and bold across the company’s short and medium-term plans. “We wanted to make sure we have the kind of machinery that’s capable of delivering the product we want,” says co-founder Hugo Kaemfer. “And we want sufficient capacity to grow.”
Parkville made its first sales at The Good Market in April 2015 and are looking to double their revenue year on year. They have five main sunglass frame designs for which they are currently working on size variants, and are also testing new shapes, designs and materials to grow the product range.
Quality remains at the centre of the Parville R&D process because they have to compete against global brands. “If something takes a while to perfect, we want to take that time and get that quality,” Kaemfer says. “We want to make sure we’re not putting products out in the market before they’re ready.”
Up to 60% of Parkville sales still come from their “backyard” Sri Lanka, but the brothers expect this to change. Forty percent of sales come from wholesale and retail (through their website www.parkvilleshop.com) in the UK, Europe and the US.
“This type of product lends itself to a market where eco-friendly products are appreciated and there is already an eco-conscious fashion segment,” Kaemfer explains. Their main marketing problem is the fact that “people buy a limited pair of sunglasses, or have a limited budget,” Kaemfer says.
The challenge is to maintain high quality and still remain affordable. A large portion of Parkville’s production cost is on account of lenses sourced from some of the world’s top manufacturers in Italy and China. Sri Lanka offers the Dutch-Swiss brothers the rest of the market advantage.
“Sri Lanka is blessed with a vast array of beautiful wood,” Kaemfer observes.
In addition to their main production material, Sri Lanka also offers the business an environment conducive to startups, Kaemfer says. A skilled workforce more fluent in English than locals in many other countries they considered, extensive air and sea links, and relatively sound technology infrastructure all add to their ease of doing business from here. Teak wood for the sunglasses which initially drew the brothers to doing business in Sri Lanka is sourced from the State Timber Corporation, rubber wood from felled trees on plantations and kumbuk through a private supplier. Parkville purchases only a small portion of this wood and therefore selects the hardest and most attractively grained, for its sunglasses. The wood is cut, assembled, sanded and then waxed and oiled to achieve a comfortable but durable product. From start to finish the process takes two to four days, Kaemfer says. High technical capacity allows them to plan the month’s operations based on a demand forecast, employing seven full-time staff and up to five extras on contract during the busy months.
The company has a strict ‘no waste’ policy. One plank of wood makes many pairs of sunglasses, says Hugo. Thereafter, the offcut pieces of wood are used to manufacture a range of accessories like dog tags, key rings or necklaces, some with personalized artwork printed on request. “Even our wood dust is sold to a manufacturer that makes low-cost building materials,” Kaemfer adds. “We recycle everything in the factory.”
Parkville also partners with cottage industry suppliers in Maharagama for the recycled-paper boxes that their eyewear is delivered in.
Shades Of Timber
Parkville sunglasses come in five designs and three types of wood. They are fitted with market leading UV 400 scratch resistant lenses sourced from some of the world’s top manufacturers including Carl Zeiss. While the sunglasses are finished by hand using an in-house blend of natural waxes and oils, a little bit of upkeep will ensure its longevity, according to Hugo Kaemfer.
The eyewear is retailed in Sri Lankan through PR, Barefoot, Black Cat Café and the Good Market, in addition to their website. Sri Lanka is the largest market for the company, which also retails in London, Europe and North America.
The standard sunglasses are priced at Rs10,000 and polarized lenses are Rs12,000, while prescription sunglasses and spectacles are Rs14,000.