How Our First Designs Came to Life

Let's go back to the drawing board.

I already knew exactly which styles I wanted to create. Rectangular frames and cat-eye shapes were my favorites, but they always looked absolutely huge on me. So it was obvious that these two styles would become the first Isla Sunwear designs.

But then came the real challenge: how do we redesign them so they actually fit a smaller face?

After a lot of research, we found out that 90% of sunglasses are made in the exact same size: +/- 145mm wide with 135mm temples. Once we realized that, we knew we needed to shorten the temples and bring the overall width down a bit.

With some trial and error (and lots of cardboard), we thought we had finally found the perfect measurements.

Now it was time to focus on the sketches. I had so many ideas in my head, but getting them onto paper was way harder than I expected. We quickly learned that we needed to deliver technical drawings of our frames to the factory, and that turned out to be so much more complex than I’d imagined. Apparently, you can’t just tell them “I want a rectangular model” and call it a day. I wish.

You learn so much along the way, which makes the whole process even more fun.

Now that we had our measurements ready and the technical drawings finished, it was time for the fun part. We wanted to see if we’d made all the right decisions, so we decided to have 3D models made.

A couple of weeks went by before they finally arrived. We were so excited to see them, but also a little nervous. What if they didn’t fit?

I remember trying the 3D models on for the first time and turning to Max like, “Is this what sunglasses fit like for you?”

I kept them on for a while and I was honestly so happy, they didn’t overwhelm my face at all! And they didn’t slide off like sunglasses normally do.

Had we really gotten the sizing right on the first try?

We sat with it for a few days and asked our friends for feedback. Everyone kept saying the same thing: they looked so much better than regular sunglasses on my smaller face.

This was also the moment one of our friends found out what we were working on. She came up to us and said, “This is exactly the problem I’ve had for years. I can never find sunglasses that look good on my small face.”

That’s when we knew we were really onto something.

Once everything started falling into place, it was time for the next step. After finalising the 3D models, we began ordering samples from different factories. This was the moment everything started to feel real.

Around the same time, we also started working with an amazing branding agency, and they honestly changed everything for us.

We absolutely overwhelmed them with all our ideas, screenshots, and half-formed thoughts, but they immediately understood the vibe.

I remember them sending over our logo for the first time, and we were obsessed right away. The name “Isla” looked perfect in the font they chose, and the swirl instantly felt iconic.

In just two months, our brand visually came to life. They took our (very) rough ideas and translated them into the identity that is now Isla.

And remember that cat-eye model I was so set on?

Let’s just say that journey took a slightly different direction, which led to our oval model.

But I’ll tell that story another time.