Cover Puyi Optical’s Jeffery Yau on building a luxury eyewear empire
Puyi Optical’s Jeffery Yau on building a luxury eyewear empire
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Following the opening of Puyi Optical’s first outpost in Southeast Asia, we catch up with the luxury eyewear veteran as he shares how he hopes to frame the future of the industry
There is something special about finding the perfect pair of sunglasses. And Jeffery Yau is all too familiar with this.
Throughout his travels, Yau would always make a point to visit eyewear stores to browse various collections. During his trips to these stores, he realised the “significant potential of eyewear as a premium market product, comparable to watches, jewellery and apparel”.
And it was this fierce passion for luxury eyewear that pushed him to start Puyi Optical 22 years ago in Hong Kong. Since then, the brand has developed into becoming one of the pioneers in the industry.
The luxury eyewear retailer offers a wide range of the most prestigious and diverse eyewear brands from across the globe, showcasing eyewear as both a functional and sophisticated accessory. Over the years, Yau has also played a significant role in forging close ties and collaborations with international eyewear brands including Gentle Monster, Chrome Hearts and Gucci.
“Ever since my early days in elementary school, I have been a dedicated user [of eyewear]. This allowed me to engage with eyewear products frequently,” he reminisces. As Yau’s fascination with eyewear continued to grow, he also started his own collection of various unique frames.
Today, Puyi Optical is known as a key player in the world of luxury eyewear, with over 80 retail stores in the Greater China region. The retail concept also opened its first outpost in Southeast Asia at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore earlier this year. This has been a long time coming for the entrepreneur, who opened his first store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
While luxury eyewear can be easily found today, this wasn’t the case in 2001. Puyi Optical opened at a time when the luxury eyewear industry did not exist—even mall landlords were reluctant to give him a space to rent.
Yet, Yau’s sense of fearlessness and his strong desire to take risks motivated him to launch the store.
During this time, Yau had already founded Europe Watch Company, one of the largest retailers of luxury watches. Taking inspiration from his already successful business, Yau replicated the concept with his first Puyi Optical store. Once he did, the company grew quickly, increasing the demand for luxury eyewear and becoming one of the top destinations for luxury and collectable frames.
Of course, starting a company doesn’t come without obstacles. With constantly changing customer-driven trends, Yau has learnt the importance of adaptability and the need to stay ahead of the market. He shares how the pandemic had served as a prime example as the brand had to navigate through the period by reevaluating strategy, product selection, consumer targeting and market approach.
He continues: “By swiftly adapting to new realities and aligning our offerings with emerging needs and preferences of customers, we were able to overcome this obstacle and continue to thrive.”
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The brand constantly puts itself ahead of the market through its “avant-garde eyewear solutions and unparalleled retail experience”. He adds: “When it comes to eyewear, Puyi Optical is often the first choice that comes to customers’ needs.”
On top of staying ahead of emerging trends, by constantly refreshing its product ranges, the brand also prioritises the technology advancements. For example, Puyi Optical collaborates with leading lens partners, providing customers with high-quality lens products. “We transcend traditional retail and establish ourselves as more than just a luxury eyewear retailer. Puyi is a sanctuary where opulence, innovation and exceptional vision converge,” he says.
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Looking ahead, Puyi Optical hopes to continue focusing on creating unique luxury eyewear experiences for its customers. Moving beyond Greater China, Yau hopes his brand can reach and cater diverse needs of customers throughout Asia—starting with Singapore.
“We recognised the enormous potential market for luxury eyewear in Singapore,” Yau explains. The Singapore boutique spans 1,400 sqft and offers a lavish collection of eyewear from luxury retailers including Lotos, Linda Farrow, Chrome Hearts and Lindberg.
With Yau’s dedication to providing customers with excellent retail experiences and vision care, there’s no doubt that Puyi Optical will continue to establish itself as the go-to luxury optical retailer in Asia.
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Amanda Goh was the former senior writer for Tatler Singapore.
