PAPER
Word of Mouth

fillmore12.jpgEntrepreneurial ambition, a keen eye for design, and a philanthropic spirit are characteristics shared by the four young founders of online eyewear company Warby Parker. Fed up with the escalating price trends of glasses, Neil Blumenthal, David Gilboa, Andy Hunt, and Jeff Raider, all Wharton MBA graduates, started their venture to provide a good quality product for a surprisingly affordable sum. Their first collection, the result of long hours and self-taught eyewear production mayhem, is comprised of 27 retro-styled frames all manufactured out of custom acetates and filled with resistant anti-reflective lenses -- shocking, since they retail for a mere $95! Philanthropy is also a critical part of the Warby Parker mission. For every pair of glasses sold, one pair is donated to a person in need through Warby Parker's partnership with non-profits who work with impoverished communities. This buy one/give one business model is a growing trend in fashion and one we hope continues to catch-on. Beyond their  philanthropic efforts, the company provides you with a painless online shopping experience by shipping up to five "try-on" pairs to your home free of charge. Once the customer decides on the pair they want, they ship back the samples in a pre-paid envelope and receive their very own prescription filled frames in the mail. Their website also offers a neat feature that allows shopper to upload a personal shot and virtually try out each pair -- not bad for compulsive and indecisive buyers like myself -- but for a fraction of the market price, why not take them all? For your custom frames, check out www.warbyparker.com


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