The story of how four Wharton classmates turned a lost pair of Prada eyeglasses into a billion-dollar eyewear empire. Warby Parker, known for its direct-to-consumer model and affordable prices, is now seeing success in brick-and-mortar stores.
In 2008, Gilboa lost a $700 pair of Prada eyeglasses on a backpacking trip just before starting an MBA program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. There, he met classmates — Neil Blumenthal, Andy Hunt and Jeff Raider — who understood his frustration., a pioneering direct-to-consumer brand that's sold millions of pairs of glasses, both online and in 269 brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S. and Canada.
"The need for glasses and contacts continues to grow and grow and grow," Blumenthal tells CNBC Make It."And we're putting Warby Parker in a position to take advantage of that growth, to serve that very large growing need." Customers kept asking to visit Warby Parker's offices to try on glasses in-person. So, after graduating and establishing headquarters in New York, the co-founders converted some of their office space into a showroom."Suddenly, we were on track to do $3 million of sales out of our office," says Blumenthal, calling it a"light bulb moment."
Warby Parker Eyewear Retail Direct-To-Consumer Co-Ceos
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