Q&A: John Pritchard, founder Pala Sunglasses

Pala Sunglasses is one of a growing number of brands that are placing altruism at the heart of their business. Every pair of sunglasses sold helps support projects in Africa offering eye care to those who need it most. Its packaging too supports African communities with the cases created from discarded and recycled plastic bags by the weavers of Bolgatanga.

The range is available at ASOS and on the Pala website; we talk through its story with founder John Pritchard.

In terms of your ambition for setting up a business, what was it that really motivated you, was it having a cause, having your own business or did you have a particular passion for sunglasses?

My motivation stemmed from a desire to do something with my life that had a genuine sense of purpose, to make a tangible difference to the lives of others. I want to be able to sit back in my rocking chair in another 40 years’ time with my pipe and slippers – or something much more futuristic - knowing that I went out there and gave it my best shot. Setting up my own business and putting a social cause at the heart of it was my way of doing this, and it provides that purpose that I was seeking. For these reasons, I’m very passionate about Pala.

How did you come across the idea of donating to charities that fund eye care in Africa and what was it about that cause that particularly resonated with you?

The business model was something I saw emerging about six or seven years ago when I first thought about Pala. Other companies were linking their sales to a social cause and I liked that - there was a nice simplicity about it. I set about identifying a global health problem that I could focus on and having been to Africa on a number of previous occasions I knew that I wanted to help there. Given that 10% of the world’s population are unable to gain access to eye care – a large number of those people in Africa - there was a clear cause for me to get behind and an obvious product route to connect to that cause.

Was it difficult to encourage charities to work with you, how did you go about it and was the process complicated?

No, not at all. Vision Aid Overseas was the first charity I approached. I visited their head office and presented the opportunity of partnering with them. With the offer to increase financial support to their projects in Africa there was little objection and the process thereafter has been pretty straightforward. We have a contract in place and we regularly catch up to discuss Pala’s contributions and the progress of their projects. Since that first meeting I have visited their outreach projects in Ethiopia and Zambia and seen first-hand the benefits that these communities receive. Much of the material you see on the Pala website and social media has been captured on these trips and it is great to give Pala’s customers a glimpse of just how they are contributing to this cause.

John Pritchard, founder of Pala Sunglasses

To deliver Pala’s “buy a pair, give a pair” promise, a cost per patient is worked out and this is the donation that is made directly from the sale of each pair of our sunglasses. These donations go directly into the grants that we provide to facilitate these projects.

It isn’t just the glasses either. Pala’s sunglass cases are produced by Care4Baskets, a Ghana-based not-for-profit organisation. They work with communities in Bolgatanga who directly benefit from the training and income the production of our cases creates.

You are still a young brand, but tell us how you are already making a difference to people’s lives in Africa.

The benefits are two-fold. The first project with Vision Aid Overseas is the creation of a Vison Centre in Chinsali, Zambia. It is currently the only province in Zambia without a Vision Aid Overseas Vision Centre and will serve a population of almost one million people.

The production of the cases is also benefitting an impoverished community. Having previously relied on the seasonal availability of materials (rush) to weave with, a new process of weaving with recycling discarded plastic has been developed, providing a means to work all year round. This not only helps with the environmental issue of waste, but helps provide the communities with a more balanced income over the year. As Pala grows, this area of the business will grow, and that’s pretty exciting in terms of the opportunity for these communities.

The Pala Wayfarer

Tell us about the Pala product, who designs the sunglasses and where are they made?

I work with a British designer who I meet with every six weeks or so to discuss the designs and any new styles or colours that might be added to the range. Our annual pilgrimages to the world’s leading optical fairs - Silmo in Paris and Mido in Milan - are where we get our inspiration on the styles and colours for the forthcoming season. We sourced an ethically audited supplier in China who creates the sunglasses once we have come up with a final designs.

The packaging and cases are also important, tell us more about those.

All of the paper materials that we use in Pala’s packaging are either recycled or FSC approved, even down to my business cards. The sunglass cases themselves are made from recycled plastic: a combination of plastic bags, discarded water aid sachets and other plastic waste. The weavers we use traditionally only wove baskets and many months were spent prototyping the best style of case for our sunglasses. In the end, it came down to the simplicity of a pouch. Because every case is handmade, we get variations in size, perhaps a few wobbles in the weave even, which I think adds to their charm. When the cases land in the UK, hours are spent sorting the cases to fit the right size of sunglasses. A comfy chair, many cups of tea and some good biscuits are required for that part.

You are sold on your own website and on ASOS, how helpful has it been getting someone like ASOS on board and are you looking to expand your points of sale in the future?

ASOS was a massive boost for us. Being able to give us global distribution right from the off is a real benefit and hopefully we can continue our relationship as we move into next season. I’m keeping the distribution exclusively online at the moment and want to get that right first, however I certainly have ambitions to be on the high street in the medium term to reach those potential customers that are shopping offline or want to try the range on before choosing one style. Saying that, both the Pala site and ASOS offer free delivery and returns to UK customers, so hopefully that help with the latter point.

You currently have five styles in the collection, are there plans to add more?

Absolutely! We’ve started with a small collection – our take on classic styles - and are keen to bring in new styles throughout the year. We have some great metal aviators dropping at the end of September and we’re currently working on three to four new styles for early 2017. Our intention is to grow the collection over time to provide a broader choice of styles to reflect both the different fashion tastes of the time and of our customers.

The Pala Preppy

Do you envisage staying in sunglasses or expanding into other categories?

I really want to focus on sunglasses for now. The eyewear market is massive (Mintel have predicted it to be worth in excess £350m by in the UK alone by 2020) and therefore I think there is a huge opportunity to establish a place for Pala in that market and globally too. Out of the few British brands out there, I struggle to think of any that offers the quality, ethical positioning and price point that we have achieved with Pala. I want it to become the best brand there is on all three criteria.

A number of brands are putting a cause at the heart of their business now, why do you think that is?

I think as a whole people are becoming more discerning with their purchase behaviour nowadays. Whether it’s buying Fairtrade bananas or a more eco-friendly car, they are becoming more conscientious with their choices. If brands can give people more choice and take care of the charitable giving for them, it makes it even easier for them to have an impact on the future. For me, it is really important that Pala provides visibility on how that money benefits the people at the other end of the chain. It helps our customers emotionally connect to the brand, knowing they can give whilst buying something they love, hence our strapline: ‘Wear. Love. Give’.

How do you stay true and authentic to your cause while still trying to be a commercially successful business, after all you need to be able to make money in order to be able to donate it?

It’s definitely a fine balance and our margin is incredibly tight. It was never an option to compromise on either the quality or giving component of what we offer. The view is to get the product out there into people’s hands and tell the giving story as effectively as we can. I have great belief that once people receive their sunglasses they will be very pleased by the quality of the product and hopefully we make enough of an impression that they tell others about what we do, or even just how good the sunglasses are!

What are you ambitions for Pala moving forward?

We are planning to launch a limited edition premium line in the next two years. These will be made from the very finest materials and will be created in collaboration with selected designers. But for now, it is all about establishing Pala in the existing market and working hard to make it a success.