Madeleine Olivia

[emmer_moans]

I don't get why they would choose her to design sunglasses. I didn't think she was a fashion maven

All the hype this week for sunglasses that she won’t have made herself, only “designed”.

£125 for a pair of plastic sunglasses I mean that's the kind of money I might spend on prescription designer lenses I wear everyday, but not on sunglasses!
I question the sustainability of creating a 'limited' addition item, wont that just create unnecessary demand for a product NO ONE needs? let's face it, it's nearly September!

Also it’s a trendy design for this season but will be in bargain bins next season. Not very sustainable.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

As an aside in case it’s of interest to anyone…. nearly all designer sunglasses and glasses are made by Essilor Luxottica, they are worth something like ~US$50 billion and the way they have taken over the worlds glasses business is extremely dodgy (think mafia/cartel practises - how they forced a takeover of Oakley is a fascinating read). The markup on designer glasses & sunglasses is huge. I have read estimates that it costs EssilorLuxottica around $10 to make a pair of Chanel, Prada, Oakley etc sunglasses.

So buying independent / not for profit is always preferable for me. However given it’s £125 I think they should have provided a breakdown of the cost of the glasses - how much goes back into the community? Why not be transparent? There is a lot of vague chat on the website about carbon offsets etc. And yes… these brands really need to do their homework on who they team up with.

And I appreciate it’s a matter of personal taste but I don’t think those glasses even suit Madeleine

 

[NowIsGood]

All the hype this week for sunglasses that she won’t have made herself, only “designed”.

I liked her 'proving' she designed them with a sketch of some glasses she drew! She literally copied a retro design she found on Google and was like 'well that's done!' No experimentation, trial and error, mood boards ect. Who knew design was so easy?!

 

[PineappleQueen19]

The bio-acetate angle is interesting - imagine how many pairs of sunglasses go into landfill each day - however even the Pala founder admits this is far from unique and not exactly groundbreaking.

Also some confusing language around acetate itself - it is a plant-based plastic. Made from wood yes but still plastic, just not petroleum based.

And afaik it’s not quite black and white when something is labelled biodegradable, particularly biodegradable plastic. Again if there’s nothing to hide why not have that conversation? How long do they take to break down under normal (not lab) conditions? What about the lenses? Otherwise it smacks of greenwashing.

How many of the people buying these sunglasses already own a pair? The best anything is the one you already own.

 

[Tom_Nook]

What was the opening of that video? Grinning at herself and making weird noises. Not sure why an announcement video needs a highlight reel or to be filmed like a daily vlog. Equally unsure why we needed some MORE KITCHEN CHAT to be included in an announcement video about sunglasses.

It actually sounds like the company have good values etc, so that's great. It's disappointing that there was no mention that people should only buy new things if they need them, don't buy extras of things you don't need etc. Instead everyone is encouraged to check them out.

 

[MarthaFarkus]

This girl has gone so far past relatable now, it’s ridiculous.

 

[Ugholhere]

The only way she could make her living room cosy, is if she got rid of that fireplace and boarded it up. It really messes with the layout of the room.

 

[Fearne]

The only way she could make her living room cosy, is if she got rid of that fireplace and boarded it up. It really messes with the layout of the room.

View attachment 725836

It just makes the room very narrow. Why not spend the money removing the fireplace and chimney, she might be able to fit a sofa in there and have a usable room.

 

[Ugholhere]

Yea, totally. The room feels like a tunnel. Fireplaces are nice of course, but if the rest of the room doesn’t work because of it, what’s the point?

 

[Bleurghgram]

Maybe now there isn’t a granite lintel she’ll consider it I don’t really understand why she needed to keep a log burner in the dining room as well as an Aga. You can bet they’ll still be using central heating to warm up the upstairs so it all seems a bit overkill.

 

[ChamomilePee]

I don't get the hype over the sunglasses either. Surely the more sustainable thing would be to promote recycling old glasses frames into new ones? There's quite a few people doing this and the prices are extremely reasonable, plus you get a cool pair of retro glasses with the lenses you want in them (including prescription ones if that's what you want).
At the end of the day, these are a highly priced fashion item with a limited shelf life, and a lot of people will just end up discarding them when other styles become more fashionable. Plus, as someone else mentioned, they don't suit her at all. Also had to laugh at her prancing round the beach in her hideous linen granny nighties for her 'photoshoot'

 

[Super_Berry]

Surely September is not the best time to launch sunglasses? I'm not an expert but I'd have said June when people might have wanted some for summer and not the start of autumn.

 

[LittleBluebird]

I might be in the minority here, but I wear sunglasses year round. I have pale and sensitive blue eyes so the bright winter sun hurts them quite a bit and I’m always squinting.
Regardless, it’s a stupid, wasteful launch that was definitely in the wrong time of year. Clearly a cash grab to pay for her kitchen.

 

[Limey]

Sorry, what?

125 quid sunnies?

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE QUID?

#relatable
#sustainability
#minimalism

 

[NowIsGood]

Sorry, what?

125 quid sunnies?

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE QUID?

#relatable
#sustainability
#minimalism

Yup I think it's quite clear at this point she has no concept of the value of money. But then if you think, she's never had to work for £7/hour or do a difficult job. I guess when you're getting paid thousands to pose with a lip balm or post a video, the value of money goes out the window!
Her current show of spending tens of thousands on the house is so far removed from how most young people live.
In her position, I would personally feel guilty encouraging my audience to spend such a huge amount of money under the guise of 'sustainability'. But Agas don't pay for themselves...

 

[Ugholhere]

The way she always airs out tradesmen on her stories, I hope she doesn’t get a single discount

 

[emmer_moans]

The way she always airs out tradesmen on her stories, I hope she doesn’t get a single discount

Exactly, constantly digging at them apparently having to call them back in to fix errors. I’d be so pissed if I were the tradesmen. I bet she keeps adding to their to do list whilst they are working.

 

[Liptastic]

Honestly I find her trades people to be very slow. Weeks to build a couple of cupboards? It's a joke. They are totally taking advantage of her. Also that stone fireplaces has been repointed with lime so badly. Way too much pointing, it makes my eyes hurt.

 

[AsterSalonen]

I bet the tradesmen really charge them for their added requests and foibles though.

What on earth had she been painting "for weeks"? Those couple of cupboards? If a few cupboards overwhelm her, just wait until she gets an extension. She'll go and stay with her parents.

 

[NowIsGood]

Honestly I find her trades people to be very slow. Weeks to build a couple of cupboards? It's a joke. They are totally taking advantage of her. Also that stone fireplaces has been repointed with lime so badly. Way too much pointing, it makes my eyes hurt.

I think they've employed a few unscrupulous people who have 'summed them up' and taken advantage: young couple with lots of money, she's neurotic and wants everything done immediately, Alex is a pushover who doesn't have a clue. Both are lazy and don't want to the simplest of tasks (Sanding, painting ect)
Happy days for the tradespeople!