Toronto’s Meghan Victoria brings inclusivity to the eyewear industry
Sol Kyst founder, Meghan Victoria, pitches her business on Dragon’s Den
TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sol Kyst, a Canadian eyewear brand founded by Meghan Victoria, appeared on CBC’s Dragon’s Den last night, receiving an investment offer from Michele Romanow. The company's innovative wide face friendly sunglasses wowed the Dragons with their quality, size-inclusivity and ability to provide for an underserved market. After thoughtful negotiations, the founder ultimately accepted a $100,000 deal for a 25% stake.
For the past decade, Meghan Victoria has been a leading Toronto-based makeup artist, hair stylist and content creator. As she faced the uncertainty of the lockdown the thought of creating a sunglasses brand arose. A brand for those who were never able to wear any sunglasses both in fashion - feeling beautiful and confident and in function - no tension headaches or ear pulling due to the tightness of standard frames.
With this knowledge and experience, Meghan set out to create the perfect pair of sunglasses that not only fit a wider face but truly flattered the face through proportion and thoughtful design. She used techniques from her career as a makeup artist through the use of line work to create the illusion of a more chiseled jawline and really highlighting the cheekbones.
“I created a product for a completely underserved market. From the beginning it was important to me that I wasn't just widening the measurements of basic sunglasses,” said Meghan Victoria, Founder and Creative Director of Sol Kyst. “The goal is truly honing in on the features associated with a wider face and bringing them to life with a brand new, thoughtfully crafted design. My product is specifically crafted for us, wide face babes.”
Founded during the pandemic in 2021, Sol Kyst was created as an eyewear brand and a way to give back to an underserved niche while providing the best quality product available. After announcing her first prototype through her social media, that one video generated 120,000 views and in turn, over $10,000 of revenue of orders in the first 24 hours.
The frames are made from acetate - a superior material that is extremely durable, long lasting, lightweight and comfortable to wear. The light, flexible and high optical quality lenses are made of nylon, making them a greener and higher quality option than traditional plastic lenses.
After two years of being self-funded, the opportunity to explore partnerships and investor funding arose with Dragon’s Den.
“Appearing on Dragon’s Den was a dream come true,” said Meghan. “The opportunity to showcase my product, tell my story and make the dragons really believe in the power of my brand has been a tremendous experience. This partnership with Michele will allow us to strategically flourish into a global brand.”
Click here to watch the Dragons' Den segment.
Instagram: @shop.solkyst
TikTok: @shopsolkyst
Website: www.solkyst.ca
About Sol Kyst
Sol Kyst was founded in 2021 as an eyewear brand and a way to give back to an underserved niche while providing the best quality product available. The frames are made of acetate - a superior material that is extremely durable, long lasting, lightweight and comfortable to wear. The light, flexible and high optical quality lenses are made of nylon, making them a greener and higher quality option than traditional plastic lenses. Sol Kyst is dedicated to creating thoughtfully crafted eyewear for wider faces. The Canadian eyewear brand is truly size inclusive, with sizes ranging from 135-158mm. Infused with insights from the beauty industry, Sol Kyst's eyewear goes beyond traditional standards, creating a worldwide community that celebrates individuality. For more information on Sol Kyst, please visit solkyst.ca.
Contact:
Megan Dunscombe
Account Manager, MAVERICK Public Relations
megan@wearemaverick.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24bbb554-408d-4953-8e5f-dda2c147a0d6
