Pop-up success, celebrity recognition and Love Island spot for Rushden sunglasses firm

A Rushden sunglasses firm is proving a hit with celebrities – with their shades even spotted in the Love Island villa.

CLAS.eyewear, which moved to the town after leaving its Kettering base, gained a global audience after its owner chanced his arm by posting a pair to millionaire boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Since then it’s gone from strength to strength and held its first ever pop-up stall at Rushden Lakes on Saturday (April 20) with more events planned.

And owner Connor Shrimpton, 28, is looking forward to the future after his shades were worn by the likes of celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo and boxers Amir Khan and Sunny Edwards.

He said: “I still find it crazy that my design which started as a sketch on a piece of paper in my bedroom is now being worn by hundreds of customers and the likes of these names.

“It came about simply from us sliding in the DMs and seeing if they liked our glasses. We refuse to pay anyone to wear our products, we only want people to wear them who love the glasses as much as we do.

“Our glasses were also spotted being worn in the Love Island villa by one of the islanders which he had ordered before going on the show, so we were shocked to see them on our TV screen.”

Connor, who grew up in Raunds, created CLAS.eyewear (Connor's Lenses and Sunglasses) in 2020 after a lightbulb moment in Ibiza.

He designs his shades – specialising in vintage/classic frames with a tinted lens – before they're manufactured elsewhere.

His online store has created a new premium range, PREMIO, and added a prescription service for customers who want their prescription added to sunglasses.

They’ve recently released a new collection, SS24, which includes more acetate material glasses, and are dropping a new design, HACIENDA 2.0, at the end of May.

And after a successful first pop-up at Rushden Lakes they’ll be taking their shades around the country to festivals, events and retail hotspots.

Connor said: “Our pop-up at Rushden Lakes was amazing. After being an online-only business for nearly four years it was a great chance to showcase our collection in real life and also meet our community of customers for the first time along with gaining new ones.

"It was a great atmosphere all day and even the weather was good! We plan to go back there in June, with the actual date to be confirmed. We will also be at The Music Barn Festival in Cranford on June 29, which we are excited for.”