Warby Parker Wants to Be the Warby Parker of Contacts
The company credited with creating the direct-to-consumer craze now wants to go direct-to-cornea with Scout, a line of daily contact lenses.
One morning in September, Dave Gilboa stood on a staircase at Warby Parker’s library-like headquarters in New York to tell employees about the eyewear retailer’s future. There had been some modest milestones to celebrate, including a new collection of frames handcrafted in Italy and a store opening at the King of Prussia shopping mall outside of Philadelphia. But the big reveal was on Gilboa’s face. Or rather, it was on his eyeballs.
On Nov. 19 the company plans to unveil Scout, a line of daily contact lenses. It’s the first time Warby Parker Retail Inc., whose $95 tortoiseshell frames are ubiquitous in coworking spaces and third-wave coffee shops, has expanded beyond eyeglasses since Gilboa and co-Chief Executive Officer Neil Blumenthal started the company almost a decade ago. At $440 for a year’s supply, the lenses will be slightly cheaper than many daily contacts but will be sold with what Warby says will be a much improved ordering process.