If you frequent major malls around the metro, it isn’t far you’ve seen the brightly lit, completely open OWNDAYS stores. The Japanese eyewear brand landed in the Philippines around a year ago and is pushing its industry to offer better services and products for the consumers.
As someone who recently got prescription glasses, I’m able to compare my previous experience with what it’s like to get glasses from OWNDAYS. And it’s been a pleasant and quick experience. This eyewear specialist follows three key principles: Simple. Quick. Valuable.
Simple in the sense that the price system is easy to understand. The prices are set to include the frame plus 1.60 to 1.67 high index aspheric/ultra-thin lenses. Pricing ranges from P2,990 to P6,990 with no additional charge for the aspheric/ultra-thin lens regardless of the grade. For subsequent frames, additional 25 percent discounts are offered (this will be applied to the cheaper pairs). Aside from that, the glasses aren’t kept behind locked cases, they’re all on display for you to try on easily. You can spend so much time going through the many pairs of glasses on display. You can also get in-store eye exams facilitated by PRC-licensed optometrists, bring an existing prescription, or have existing pair of glasses copied.
The process is quick because you can get your pair as early as 20 minutes upon payment. If you have special order lenses, that could cost you a bit more time. But being able to just grab a cup of coffee and come back to get your glasses is a pretty good deal. OWNDAYS boasts that it uses Nidek’s LE-1200, which is said to be top-notch equipment from Japan. It helps speed up the grinding process and shortens the cycle time.
The pair you get are expected to be a durable and valuable pair as OWNDAYS prides itself in the research it carries out to comply with strict Japan Industrial Standards. Even overseas affiliated plants for the brand are supervised by Japanese engineers.
You see the effect in the kinds of glasses OWNDAYS produces. Instead of buying from big names in the eyewear industry, all the collections you see in the store are made and designed by OWNDAYS. The aspheric/ultra-thin and multi-coated lenses it uses are equipped with UV, anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and water-repellent coating. These are said to achieve less distortion and have thinner edges to make eyewear lighter and more comfortable.
A perfect example of the type of light eyewear OWNDAYS offers is the AIR Ultem collection. These glasses come with flexible frames that are just 9.4g and by flexible we mean you can turn some of them inside out without breaking them. These have been made with incombustible, flexible, and heat-resistant material called Ultem. The material is said to be used for making spare parts for airplanes and spacecrafts. This line passed JIS inspection and can endure pressure of over 10,000 times without distortion.
For those like us perpetually staring at computer screens and mobile devices, the company also has an OWNDAYS PC collection. It’s designed to reduce the effect of blue light screens emit by around 40 percent and help prevent eye fatigue and headaches.
But those aren’t the only collections available. According to Sungears Sales, Inc. Managing Director Vohne Yao, the company behind bringing OWNDAYS into the country, designs get switched every three weeks or so. You have hundreds of pairs to choose from. OWNDAYS currently has branches in Glorietta 2, Robinsons Place Manila, U.P. Town Center, Landmark Makati, Festival Mall, Landmark Trinoma, and Uptown Mall. The brand is coming to Robinsons Galleria and Shangri-La Plaza next month.
