Designer pushes boundaries at eyewear company Fleye Copenhagen

For co-founder and CEO Annette Estø, design is a central driving force at Fleye Copenhagen, which today employs over 25 people. Design impacts the bottom line and ensures quality, consistency, and a distinctive expression in a competitive industry.

- Designers bring tools and a methodology that are essential if you want to develop. They are good at maintaining focus, making choices, and creating a clear line – a DNA, says Annette Estø.

It is also true that this places the product in a higher price category. Quality reflects price.

- We have a clear design DNA that permeates everything around our product. This applies to everything from glasses to cases, cleaning cloths, and packaging. It ensures we stand out and are not just another supplier among many. And it also justifies the price we charge for our products, says Annette Estø.

Questioning everything
Nanna Fjord trained as a designer at Kolding School of Design and has been a designer at Fleye Copenhagen for nearly ten years. When she started at Fleye, much of her energy went into asking the question: Why do we do it this way? Fortunately, she had landed somewhere that welcomed questions.

- One of my most important tasks even ten years on is still to push boundaries. If we only make what sells here and now, it won’t be long before we become irrelevant, says senior designer Nanna Fjord.

Therefore, she continues to consciously design glasses that she knows are at the edge of what can work commercially. Much like when she experimented at Kolding School of Design.

- Sometimes I design glasses that I know are far too avant-garde for many of our customers. But they can serve as a strong draw in stores, even if customers eventually choose something a bit more commercial, says Nanna Fjord.

Products that are used
Annette Estø also serves as chair of the Design Board at the Confederation of Danish Industry, and she knows that many Danish companies achieve strong results with designers.

- Designers have a deep understanding of what needs to be added – and often removed – for a product to work – and they have very concrete tools. This is why they are extremely important in many industries and companies, says Annette Estø.

Senior designer Nanna Fjord fully shares this view and knows that her work makes a big difference. She recounts a shopping experience where the cashier was wearing a pair of glasses she had designed. The customer in front of her also had a pair. And when she turned around, she saw the woman behind her was wearing another pair of “her” glasses.

- I was almost surrounded by three people wearing glasses I had made. Three different models. Three different types,” says Nanna Fjord.

- It confirmed why I became a designer,” she says, and at its core, that is exactly what good design is about: products that are used.

Design skills are a good investment
For Annette Estø, design is about continuously developing. To dare to choose what to include and what to leave out – and to invest in design skills, even if the results only appear in the long term. This approach has helped shape Fleye Copenhagen.

- If we don’t push boundaries, our customers won’t either, says Annette Estø.

Facts
Fleye Copenhagen is a Danish eyewear company founded in 2002 by Annette Estø, Hanne Rosenvold Anderson, and Lars Halstrøm. The company is known for its Scandinavian design, innovative materials, and lightweight glasses. Co-founder Annette Estø also serves as chair of the Design Board at the Confederation of Danish Industry.