In a landscape dominated by luxury eyewear giants, every so often a small, independent label breaks through. One such standout is Thistles, a New York-based eyewear brand founded by stylist and photographer Thistle Brown and writer Callan Malone in May 2023.
Since launching, Thistles has generated triple-digit revenue growth year-over-year, according to the company, with its popular Atlas style selling out four times since its debut in July 2024. Equally impressive are the faces on which its frames have landed, from major celebrities like Harry Styles, Jennifer Lawrence and Lorde to influential figures like model Paloma Elsesser, food artist Laila Gohar and cohost of podcast Throwing Fits Lawrence Schlossman. And then there’s the slew of Substack writers, content creators and fashion editors nabbing their own IYKYK sunglasses. All of this, notably, without a gifting strategy or an allocated marketing budget.
What’s their secret sauce? How did Thistles spread news of their brand, make a product go viral and grow a profitable business? Even Brown seems unable to explain this mini phenomenon. “I actually don’t think there was any kind of strategy or honest calculation of ‘Oh, like, this is how we can get traction.’”
But he has a hunch. “I think it’s all about timing. We released at a great time post-pandemic, where people were wanting to be out and about and wanting to be part of a new kind of world. And maybe it was part of a feeling like people could come back together. And somehow wearing the same sunglasses as one another maybe felt like there was a connection.” This sense of community has been core to Brown, with early support by Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta of Eckhaus Latta and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, founders of Proenza Schouler.
Word-of-mouth through friends Brown met during his styling and photography work has been a leg up when it comes to brand visibility. But community only goes so far. And buzz is short-lived. What Thistles has demonstrated is its ability to keep up momentum, delivering profit year-over-year. Part of that can be attributed to its tightly edited stock-keeping units and timelessness of the design. The first style introduced was the AL, a rectangular acetate frame with softened curves that feels like a mashup of ’60s glam and ’90s sporty edge. Then the Atlas went viral and continues to be sold out. On what makes a product viral, Brown said, “It wasn’t necessarily a hit immediately. Styles need room to grow…I think every good designer is always in touch with the zeitgeist and what feels good to make for the people. And somehow, I think I ticked all the boxes at the right time.” The fact that most frames retail for under $300 doesn’t hurt either, right at the sweet spot between designer brands and mid-range.
Thistles sunglasses.
Thistle Brown
Keeping up with demand is a challenge and has been one of the growing pains. With lead time for restock between seven to eight months, gauging what will sell and at how many units without over-ordering and holding inventory is risky business for an independent company. “The more we’re growing as a business, [the more] we’re able to afford, release more styles and to grow the merch lineup, which is really exciting. You have limitations of how big you can grow early on,” said Brown.
This year, production and assembly moved over to a family-owned factory in Italy, which will level up the quality, and the brand is widening its distribution, with Net-a-porter to carry their spring 2026 collection. While direct-to-consumer remains core to the company’s distribution, wholesale is a burgeoning channel. “Wholesale is an important and growing pillar for us, particularly in eyewear, where fit and in-person trial matter,” says Paul Lachman, chief executive officer of Thistles, who came onboard last May. “We’re very selective about where the brand lives physically. Context is everything.”
Currently, Thistles is sold at Dover Street Market in Los Angeles and New York as well as specialty boutiques such as Outline in Brooklyn and Jake & Jones in Santa Barbara. There are plans in the future for the brand to get a physical space of its own, possibly two locations with New York being one of them. Brown envisions a concept that goes beyond the traditional retail set-up for eyewear, but at this time, the cofounder declined to divulge further details.
For now, Brown is intent on staying true to the ethos of Thistles. “I think there’s a clear focus of making sure we retain our integrity, of why we started the brand, and it’s like very easy to get invalid, swarmed by the pressure of becoming too big too early, or not growing fast enough. But I think if you’re making a product that is great quality, people actually want to wear it and it doesn’t rely on fast track trends, hopefully people are responding to that.”
