AYA Optical’s Breeze in Loon Clan blends featherlight stainless steel construction with striking commissioned Indigenous artwork by Ojibwe artist Donald Chrétien. This contemporary square butterfly style features adjustable nose pads, custom acetate temple tips, and rich blue-brown artwork symbolizing leadership and balance—offering retailers a meaningful, fashion-forward statement with exceptional comfort and storytelling appeal.
We believe that art is transformative, and that eyewear can be the canvas to share stories and art from around the world. AYA Eyewear was first launched in 2009 in collaboration with renowned First Nations Artist Corrine Hunt and has continued to flourish and grow every year.
We are committed to the details and realize that beautiful design takes time, precision, and attention, so we don’t cut corners. We stand by our product. We treat our artists as our partners and make sure that their stories and art are always shared in the most heartfelt authentic way.
We take pride in our service and seek opportunities to give back to the communities we serve and the artist’s charities of choice.
AYA Eyewear is truly a brand that stands out from the crowd and is loved by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike.
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Transitions® will bring an interactive brand experience to this year’s Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ), from July 15 to 19 on Grand Allée, inviting festival-goers to explore the impact of light and discover personalized lens solutions for everyday life.
Designed as both an educational and experiential activation, the Transitions® presence at FEQ will help attendees better understand the effects of light exposure – including UV and blue light – while showcasing how Transitions lenses adapt seamlessly to changing environments. At the heart of the activation is an immersive booth experience, including a dedicated UV black light room where visitors can step into simulated UV conditions and watch Transitions® lenses darken in real time – before fading back to clear moments later.
Within the booth, attendees will have the opportunity to:
Explore the full range of Transitions lens colors and identify their best match
Discover the latest Color Touch™ effects and new style-driven offerings
Try on frames and experiment with lens combinations using the Transitions Color Match app
Experience the speed of activation and fade-back to clear, and test key Transitions® products, including Transitions® GEN S™, XTRActive®, XTRActive® Polarized, and Drivewear®
Engage directly with brand ambassadors to learn more about the technology and everyday benefits of Transitions lenses
Participate in the 2026 Transitions consumer contest
In addition to the booth experience, Transitions® will extend its presence beyond the daytime activation with a special evening event during FEQ. This extended experience will feature live music, a dynamic atmosphere, and a branded photobooth, offering attendees another opportunity to engage with the brand in a vibrant, festival setting.
By blending education, personalization, and entertainment, Transitions® aims to transport festival-goers into its world – where light, vision, and style come together. Optical professionals and consumers alike are encouraged to visit the activation to discover how Transitions lenses can enhance vision and comfort in everyday life.
Come and visit the booth beside the Parlement, on Grand Allée street.
Canadian designers continue to prove that some of the most exciting ideas in eyewear are happening close to home. Clara Faniel and Douglas Gaudet represent two different but equally compelling examples of the creativity, craftsmanship, and fresh perspective moving Canadian eyewear forward.
Canada has produced some incredible frame designers, yet we sometimes overlook just how much talent we have right here at home. While larger international fashion houses often dominate the conversation, Canadian eyewear has developed its own identity by combining creativity, functionality, authenticity, and a strong understanding of the practical needs of optical patients.
Many ECPs are already familiar with Canadian names such as FYSH, KLiiK, Faniel Eyewear, Spectacle Eyeworks, and Mel Rapp — designers and collections that have built loyal followings by bringing personality and individuality to eyewear. Clara Faniel and Douglas Gaudet continue that proud Canadian story in very different ways.
Clara Faniel: A Personal Approach to Creativity
A Personal Approach to Creativity
One designer from the next generation of Canadian eyewear creators who recently caught my attention is Clara Faniel and her Océana collection.
What stands out about Clara’s approach is how natural and personal her creative process feels. While trends play a role, her inspiration begins with her own tastes and with elements found in nature. “I draw mainly from my own tastes, personal inspirations, and different elements of nature,” Clara explains. “Natural shapes, colours, textures, and the moods found in nature often serve as starting points in my creative process.”
Her philosophy is simple: if she can imagine herself wearing a frame, there is a good chance others may connect with it as well. Today, eyewear is no longer simply about vision correction. Patients wear their frames all day, every day, and frames have become an extension of personality, lifestyle, and self-expression.
Materials, Fit and Wearability
Material choice plays a major role in Clara’s designs. She enjoys acetate when creating stronger statement pieces with more presence and character. “I really enjoy working with acetate, especially when I want to create frames with a strong presence, greater thickness, and more pronounced shapes,” she says.
For more lightweight and refined designs, she often works with stainless steel because of its durability and comfort. Clara also pays close attention to proportion and facial harmony, looking for balance between the frame, the face, and the desired style.
Family Insight and Canadian Craft
Family involvement is another important part of Clara’s process. Her mother, Anne-Marie Faniel, creator of Faniel Eyewear, helps guide dimensions, proportions, and shape development. Her father, Patrick Bolduc, an optician, contributes a practical perspective, helping ensure the designs work well in real optical environments.
As a licensed optician and now owner of her first Faniel eyewear boutique in Switzerland, Clara places strong importance on quality, durability, comfort, and eco-responsibility. “With access to recycled acetates from our manufacturing in Quebec, I am especially proud to be able to offer, among other things, handmade frames created here in Canada,” Clara says. That balance between creativity, colour, fit, and wearability helps define the Océana collection, and reinforces the strength of a new generation of proudly Canadian eyewear design.
Douglas Gaudet: Reframing Passion Through Craftsmanship
A Second Act Rooted in Optical Experience
Douglas Gaudet’s story shows another side of Canadian eyewear design: creativity shaped by decades of optical experience, curiosity, and hands-on craft. “I started in the industry as a pure fluke,” Douglas recalls, after answering a help wanted ad for a “lens grinder” at American Optical in the basement of the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax more than 50 years ago.
One opportunity led to another: time in the lab, becoming a licensed optician, fitting contact lenses, years of dispensing, and eventually building an independent practice. Together with his wife Debra, Douglas built and operated Gaudet Optical for nearly four decades. “I learned something every single day,” he says. Four and a half years ago, Douglas and Debra sold the practice and building to independent optician Heather Clarke, passing the torch to the next generation. For Douglas, it opened a new creative chapter. “Since then, the fun has really begun,” he says.
Handmade Frames and Creative Independence
With more time available, Douglas returned to something he had dabbled in for years: designing and making eyeglass frames by hand. Through a series of fortunate encounters, he met John Barr in rural PEI, whom he describes as “an absolute genius regarding frame making.” Barr mentored him in tool selection, work methodology, old-world craftsmanship, and the satisfaction of making a project completely by hand.
Douglas has created about 175 pieces so far, many of which have sold. But selling was never the original goal. “I just wanted to create something unusual, unique, and in a different way than what is often called ‘hand made,’ and just enjoy the pleasure that brings,” he says.
Materials, Inspiration and Canadian Collaboration
Douglas works primarily with cellulose acetate sourced from Italy and China. “It’s Christmas Morning to get a shipment delivered,” he says. The hidden layers of colour in acetate can be emphasized or muted depending on how the material is cut, revealing what Douglas calls “the treasures inside.” He also uses titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum, often for temple or detail work. His inspiration has come from unconventional eyewear brands including Kuboraum, Niloca, Rigards, and Factory 900; collections that showed him eyewear could be creative, unusual, and even art.
Today, through his new company, Beech Street Eyeworks and Accessories, Douglas’s work has expanded into collaboration with long-time Canadian eyewear icon Mehran Baghaie and Spectacle Eyeworks. For Douglas, this new venture is about continuing to learn, create, and contribute to the Canadian eyewear story with plenty of room for originality.
Together, the stories of Clara Faniel and Douglas Gaudet remind us that Canadian eyewear design is not defined by one generation, one material, or one approach. It is shaped by family knowledge, optical experience, artistic curiosity, independent thinking, and pride in making something meaningful close to home. Clara and Douglas show that Canadian eyewear continues to have a voice of its own: authentic, creative, functional, and proudly ours.
About the Author:
Shan Khan, R.O.
Shan Khan, is an optician and educator passionate about advancing eye care and eyewear awareness in Canada. As Editor-in-Chief of Optik Magazine, she brings a keen industry perspective and a commitment to spotlighting innovation, style, and professionalism across the optical landscape.
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The Contact Lens Institute is accepting nominations for its fourth annual Culture Awards, which recognize eye care professionals who help foster a positive contact lens culture in clinical practice.
Nominations are open through October 1, 2026, and individuals in the U.S. and Canadian eye care community who prescribe or support soft contact lenses are eligible. Self-nominations are also accepted.
The program honours professionals whose behaviours and initiatives support patient experiences, practice success and team engagement, reflecting themes identified in CLI’s See Tomorrow research reports.
“Each year, the Contact Lens Institute Culture Awards highlight eye care professionals who are making a lasting difference through the way they recommend, support, and champion contact lens wear,” said Stan Rogaski, executive director of the Contact Lens Institute.
Nomination submissions should include a response of 750 words or less addressing at least two of the program’s questions. Topics include how the nominee has enhanced patient outcomes with soft contact lenses, introduced practice initiatives that support contact lens recommendations and wear, engaged staff in advocacy for healthy and safe contact lens use, or helped improve a patient’s life through contact lenses.
Groups are eligible, provided all individuals are named and a leader is clearly identified. Submissions must include the nominee’s name, location, practice name and contact information, along with the nominator’s name, affiliation and contact information.
Previous Culture Award Winners from Canada include:
2025 Honoree
Sheila Morrison, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, FCCSO, Mission Eye Care, Calgary, AB.
2024 Honoree
Wes McCann, OD, Central Optometry & Upper Richmond Optometry, London, ON.
Entries must be emailed by October 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET to cli@contactlensinstitute.org. Submissions may be included in the body of the email or attached as a Word or PDF document.
Honorees will be selected by the CLI Board of Directors and announced in November 2026, with recognition continuing into the following year.
EssilorLuxottica has announced the Canadian launch ofNuance Audio Glasses, assistive listening eyewear designed for adults experiencing mild-to-moderate listening difficulty.
The product integrates open-ear listening technology into prescription-ready eyewear, creating a new category opportunity for optical retailers and eye care professionals. According to EssilorLuxottica, the glasses do not require an audiologist’s prescription or fitting appointment.
Nuance Audio Glasses allow wearers to adjust their listening experience through a companion app. Users can choose between Frontal Mode, which enhances sounds coming from in front of the wearer, and All Around Mode, which amplifies speech and ambient sound from multiple directions. An in-app calibration process allows further personalization based on the wearer’s listening preferences. An optional remote control is also available for app-free adjustments.
The glasses are available in two frame shapes: Panthos, a rounded 48 mm silhouette, and Square, offered in 54 mm and 56 mm sizes. Colour options include Shiny Black, Shiny Burgundy and Deep Blue. The frames can be fitted with prescription lenses or blue-light-filtering lenses and are positioned as a suitable pairing with Transitions lenses.
Each pair comes with a case that includes a built-in charging pad. A full charge provides up to eight hours of continuous use. The suggested retail price is $950.
EssilorLuxottica says the product has been tested in partnership with Western University under controlled but realistic noise conditions. According to the company, the study, conducted in part at Western University, showed up to a 29% improvement in speech understanding in difficult acoustic environments.
“Nuance Audio Glasses are now available in 14 countries and more than 17,000 stores worldwide. The response to the product has made it clear that people are ready for a new approach to hearing care,” said Stefano Genco, global head of Nuance Audio at EssilorLuxottica. “Expanding into Canada allows us to meet that demand with a solution that is as discreet and design-forward as it is effective, and we want Canadian eye care professionals to be the first to bring it to their communities.”
The Canadian launch follows broader international recognition for Nuance Audio. The product was named to TIME’s 100 Best Inventions and received a SILMO d’Or award in the smart eyewear category.
Nuance Audio Glasses are now available in Canada through select optical and audiologist retailers, along with authorized providers.
HOYA Vision Care launches LensPreview in Canada, a virtual try on tool that lets patients preview photochromic, polarized and mirror lenses in true to colour detail, enhancing confidence and supporting practice growth.
Italian eyewear exports declined in early 2026 due to U.S. market weakness, but Europe’s resilience and improving monthly trends signal gradual recovery.
ZEISS introduces MyoActive in Canada, the first myopia management lens applying Dynamic Signal Theory through patented M.O.V.E. technology, supported by strong clinical evidence.
The 2026 SILMO d’Or winners highlight the industry’s creativity, innovation and exceptional craftsmanship through a diverse and forward looking awards line up.
HOYA Vision Care launches LensPreview in Canada, a virtual try on tool that lets patients preview photochromic, polarized and mirror lenses in true to colour detail, enhancing confidence and supporting practice growth.
Italian eyewear exports declined in early 2026 due to U.S. market weakness, but Europe’s resilience and improving monthly trends signal gradual recovery.
ZEISS introduces MyoActive in Canada, the first myopia management lens applying Dynamic Signal Theory through patented M.O.V.E. technology, supported by strong clinical evidence.
The 2026 SILMO d’Or winners highlight the industry’s creativity, innovation and exceptional craftsmanship through a diverse and forward looking awards line up.
HOYA Vision Care launches LensPreview in Canada, a virtual try on tool that lets patients preview photochromic, polarized and mirror lenses in true to colour detail, enhancing confidence and supporting practice growth.
Italian eyewear exports declined in early 2026 due to U.S. market weakness, but Europe’s resilience and improving monthly trends signal gradual recovery.
ZEISS introduces MyoActive in Canada, the first myopia management lens applying Dynamic Signal Theory through patented M.O.V.E. technology, supported by strong clinical evidence.
The 2026 SILMO d’Or winners highlight the industry’s creativity, innovation and exceptional craftsmanship through a diverse and forward looking awards line up.
HOYA Vision Care launches LensPreview in Canada, a virtual try on tool that lets patients preview photochromic, polarized and mirror lenses in true to colour detail, enhancing confidence and supporting practice growth.
Italian eyewear exports declined in early 2026 due to U.S. market weakness, but Europe’s resilience and improving monthly trends signal gradual recovery.
ZEISS introduces MyoActive in Canada, the first myopia management lens applying Dynamic Signal Theory through patented M.O.V.E. technology, supported by strong clinical evidence.
The 2026 SILMO d’Or winners highlight the industry’s creativity, innovation and exceptional craftsmanship through a diverse and forward looking awards line up.
