From Notes App to Isla: How an Idea Became a Brand

Looking back at my Notes app, the idea to design sunglasses for smaller faces started on January 31, 2023.

I remember being on a Greyhound bus in Australia, watching a video about a girl designing swimwear for women with smaller busts. It really made me think, as I’ve always struggled to find sunglasses that actually fit and flatter my smaller face.

Could I do the same?

I started researching and writing everything down in my notes app while on the road to Byron Bay.

Do more people have this struggle?
Where does the problem lie?
What models do I like?

I was even writing down keywords and brand names. Looking back at those names makes me giggle now.

Once I’d done my research and written out a full plan, I decided to show my idea to Max, my partner. He thought it was a great idea, and that’s when I realized this could actually become something real.

Even though I was so excited to make it happen, the real first steps didn’t come until October 2024.

At the time, we were living and working on an island in Queensland, Australia. Because we were so remote, we didn’t have the right equipment, so we had to improvise.

From measuring my face width in the canteen to cutting out a pair of sunglasses from a beer carton, we tried everything to figure out the measurements for a perfectly-fitting pair of sunglasses for smaller faces.

Every day we were busy experimenting, measuring, and testing. My idea was becoming so real.

That’s when reality kicked in, are we actually gonna do this?

Little did we know, that was just the beginning. A few weeks later, we were holding our first samples, messaging manufacturers, and diving into branding.