CREATING EXCLUSIVITY
Tyler Gelb, who graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Economics, worked as a financial analyst for the multinational company Sony between 2010 and 2011. In 2019, to assemble the most exclusive luxury eyewear collection available in the world, the Monaco Series, Tyler became the founder and designer of his international brand, T HENRI, which specializes in limited-batch collectible eyewear productions handmade in Sabae, Japan.
By keeping the key brand message “Handmade and done the old-fashioned way” in mind, T HENRI commits to creating heritage pieces through sustainable materials. The company currently presents in 15 countries and has gained recognition with the American magazine Forbes. Meanwhile, the excellent marketing team has made the brand successful in different parts of the United States and the world, such as the Netherlands or Liverpool (UK).
Listen to Tyler Gelb’s full conversation with Vaughn on the 360 MAG Podcast HERE.
In 2020, during the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease, Tyler decided to further accelerate the brand growth by designing something more exclusive than his competitors, especially to take advantage of the Caviar model, which is priced at almost 2K today. This unique collection includes three models: Corsa, Hydra, and Evo. One of the most notable designs of the collection is the adjustable nose pads which are made in premium quality minerals and could make users feel comfortable by adapting to the size of different noses. The sales that Tyler achieves with this product are high and very successful.
Tyler adds that he wants to continue to maintain “a unique look that’s hard to come by about our product.” The designer is now creating a kind of high-end line. He and his team will start launching and photographing their campaigns with their grand premiere in September of 14 new models. These beta-titanium made frames are featured with aerodynamic characteristics from those high-performance cars. They are plated in various shades with 18-karat white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold. At the same time, to make the designs ergonomic, Tyler adds that the collections of T HENRI are returning to the colors radar blue and GO yellow as these tones give an exquisite and attractive result. The concept that he wants to carry forward with future productions would be limited to 99th percentile color combinations which would keep the products distinct.
“Cars and watches are one of the biggest inspirations for me,” Tyler says. As a big fan of cars, Tyler is always galvanized by car brands such as Rolls-Royce for small accessories and Lamborghini for an attractive design. After being inspired by the world’s most talented independent brands, Tyler has created a new limitless eyewear collection, Continental, set in a boxy British Grand Tourer adapted on a high-speed, long-distance circuit. Each setting is electroplated with 1 micron of 18 karat gold, which produces a refined, exclusive, and polished shine.
As an eco and user-friendly brand, T HENRI takes the overall environmental impact and usability under consideration during the manufacturing process. The frames will always be kept as “sort of an organic look rich with color,” with being made in hypoallergenic cotton for human skin.
Tyler mentions that the 2023 collection is already finished and will start with the 2024 one soon. By utilizing titanium as the new material for future collections, He maintains the idea that he is working on is way ahead to ensure all the designs are done right, as well as control material cost.
LUXURY EXCLUSIVITY
Tyler’s concept as an entrepreneur is to “further differentiate our product”. Although art and design have a lot in common for him, both concepts have aesthetic purposes and contain the power to distinguish him from other brands. To preserve the exclusivity of the brand, Tyler made each limited production has only 50 pieces per style, and the color combination is laser-bonded and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity with the designated production number. Tyler emphasizes that those exclusive pieces are gone and will never be produced again once a color combination is sold out.
As the launch of the new eyewear campaign approaches in September, T HENRI aims to start including a list of celebrities in their eyewear content, as the brand label.
The company president’s Philosophy is to “believe in yourself” and be risky because “the risk you are taking is on yourself, you have much more control, so I have been able to be riskier.” Tyler states that “I assume and am able to control it and mitigate it instead of putting it in someone else’s hands. It’s a beautiful thing once it reaches a tipping point, but you just have to endure it until you get there.”
The collection that T HENRI represents is the pinnacle of refined luxury and innovative construction practices.
Article:
Andrea Esteban, Vaughn Lowery
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