Affordable luxury eyewear brand IOLLA has launched a new eco collection, and you can see it in all its glory in the new Manchester store.
Shoppers may remember that the innovative Scottish brand – which offers affordable quality glasses and sunglasses for a single price point – last summer chose Manchester as the first place to open a showroom outside of its native country.
IOLLA Manchester opened its doors on St Ann’s Square in August 2022, and has already brought a fresh take on eyewear retail to the shopping and fashion scene in our city centre.
While the brand prides itself on offering “a spectacular shopping experience like no other”, IOLLA says it’s also committed to making sure its products are as sustainable as they are stylish – and that’s why it’s launched a brand-new ‘Eco-Collection’.
While 69% of people in the UK wear glasses, recent research has revealed that 3,000 tonnes of lenses go to landfill each year.
With a pledge to make 25% of its range eco by the end of 2023, IOLLA’s new collection features fully biodegradable eco-acetates, which means that frames can be broken down naturally without causing pollution.
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‘Butter Tortoise’ and ‘Crystal Fade’ from the Douglas Collection are the first two pairs to have been added to the new Eco-Collection, while all of IOLLA’s black frames are also made from 70% recycled acetate – which is produced from off-cuts that would usually be discarded during the frame manufacturing process.
Alongside developing more sustainable materials for the new Eco-Collection, IOLLA is also offering a new ‘Refresh Service’ aimed at “breathing new life” into your old IOLLA frames, so whether it’s a change in prescription or a scratched lens to your beloved pair, there’s range of services to repair, reuse or, recycle your glasses.
And with summer round the corner, you can also switch your lenses to transform old specs into a stylish set of new shades as part of the service.
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Affordable eyewear brand IOLLA has launched a new ‘Eco-Collection’ / Credit: IOLLA
On top of all of this, IOLLA is also encouraging customers to take advantage of its new recycling programme, so your old glasses can be reused responsibly and prevent any from reaching the landfill.
“We are delighted to launch our Eco-Collection and are committed to ensuring at least 25% of our range is eco-friendly by the end of the year,” said Stefan Hunter – founder and CEO at IOLLA.
“At IOLLA, we’re passionate about delivering an experience unlike any other, and that’s reflected in our unique flat-fee pricing structure, next-level customer service, and handcrafted designs – but our focus within product development now is to lead the way in developing stylish, sustainable eyewear and minimising our impact on the environment as much as possible.”
IOLLA opened its Manchester showroom on St Ann’s Square last summer / Credit: IOLLA
What makes IOLLA different to lots of other high street glasses labels is that it prides itself on keeping its pricing “simple and honest” by refusing to include any hidden costs or added extras.
All Eco-Collection prescription lenses and coatings are included within the standard £85 flat fee.
Eyewear brand IOLLA are offering one-to-one glasses styling sessions at Hatch
Danny Jones
Our favourite eyewear brand IOLLA has just celebrated it’s first anniversary since opening up right here in Manchester and as part of the birthday celebrations, they’ve opened up an exclusive glasses styling pop-up event over at Hatch.
While glasses manufacturers started out in Scotland, Mancs have had the pleasure of their innovative eyewear offerings and expertise from their showroom on St Anns Square for over 12 months now and although you always get a very bespoke and personalised experience from their flagship English store, they’re always looking to branch out further.
So that’s why they’ve decided to set up a one-of-a-kind ‘Style Session’ over Hatch with the hope of spreading the word at the beloved independent trading village before it closes at the end of the month.
Known not only for its food and drinks vendors, student nights and live music but countless indie businesses selling clothes, vintage goods, beauty services and more. Now, for the rest of this week only, you can even sort yourself some glasses or shades to suit your style perfectly.
Credit: The Manc Group/IOLLA
The temporary ‘Style Station’ in Hatch is giving customers an insight into the brand’s ethos by displaying glasses on hangers, grouped together by style and shape to show how you can build your eyewear wardrobe and have different glasses for all looks and occasions.
Whether it’s a regular pair for the office or something more flashy for a night out, customers will get the chance to experience a one-to-one consultation session to find the right frames for the occasion with one of the brand’s experienced stylists.
Just like no two faces are the same, every combination of handmade IOLLA frames and lenses is unique, and choosing the perfect pair relies on the perfect balance of fit and style to suit your face shape.
With a range spanning prescription and non-prescription, as well as glasses and sleek shades in all the same style, IOLLA offers an option for everyone.
The limited-time-only pop-up is running from 12-7pm until Sunday, 24 September exclusively over at Hatch, but don’t worry if you don’t manage to find the time to make it over before the end of the week as you can always head to their St Anns Square showroom to try-on the collection of IOLLA glasses.
The best part is, it doesn’t matter what pair you pick: they all cost just £85 with no added fees and no unnecessary hassle. Did we mention that all their designs are completely unique, made with high-quality materials and handmade? Well, they are and that’s why we love them.
While we have your attention, we’re absolutely gutted to see Hatch as we know it shutting down but when we were last there, we thought we’d put together a fun little guide on how to spend the perfect day there.
Show this place and all of its amazing traders some love whilst you still can.
Featured Image — IOLLA/The Manc Group/Hatch (via Instagram)
Manchester
You can now watch Barbie in IMAX for one week only at Manchester Printworks
Emily Sergeant
If you’ve somehow not had the chance to watch Barbie yet, then how does seeing the movie of the summer in IMAX sound?
You may have heard by now that Manchester’s Vue cinema at the Printworks is one of just 30 movie theatres around the world that’s been showing a special 70mm IMAX version of Christopher Nolan’s monumental biographical film Oppenheimer, and that’s about a big of a deal as it gets when it comes to cinematic events, to be fair.
But now, it’s Barbie’s turn for showing on the biggest screen of them all.
There’s absolutely no denying the genuine cultural phenomenon that was the ‘Barbenheimer’ opening weekend showdown back in July, but if it was the nuclear weapon epic you opted for the first time round, and you’ve still not yet found an opportunity to catch Greta Gerwig’s masterpiece, then now’s your chance.
You can now watch Barbie in IMAX for one week only in Manchester / Credit: Warner Bros.
As of today (22 September), Manchester’s largest city centre cinema inside Printworks is screening the Barbie movie in limited-edition IMAX for just one week only.
That’s not all either, as on top of enjoying Barbie in all its ultra-high-definition glory, and seeing Margot Robbie steal the show as she stars in the titular role, alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken, and a massive ensemble cast of some of Hollywood’s biggest names, fans will also be treated to some bonus post-credit footage during their screening too
All the bonus footage has been selected by director Greta Gerwig herself, so that only adds to this rare occasion worth making the most of.
Ian Harris, who is the General Manager at Vue Manchester Printworks, called the release of Barbie a “true cultural moment” that film fans will remember for a long time, and says this one-week special IMAX screening a way to honour that.
One of the IMAX screens at Vue Manchester Printworks / Credit: Vue
“There’s no denying the cultural significance of Greta Gerwig’s film, and we’re thrilled to be offering the chance to watch it in full IMAX,” Mr Harris said.
“The Barbie IMAX experience at Vue Manchester Printworks offers our customers the chance to enter the world of Barbie in a completely unrivalled way, using ear-tingling audio, super-sized screens, and breath-taking imagery.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2023 
