Established and emerging Panelists announced for independent luxury eyewear panel

Alexandria, VA – August 29, 2018 – Vision Expo continues to deliver high value content and create unique networking opportunities for attendees in the Exhibit Hall. Building on its past success, the Boutique Buyer Panel at Vision Expo West 2018 will feature panelists from Article One, Europa Eyewear and STATE Optical Co., Eye Q Stylist and Peoples From Barbados, Gogosha Optique, Lafont, and Selima Optique, who will each bring their unique perspectives to the topic of independent eyewear.

Titled “Celebrating Three Decades of Focused Independents,” panelists will have the opportunity to discuss the foundation of their past, the purpose of their presence and their hope for a powerful and independent future.

In celebration of Vision Expo West’s 30th anniversary, the panel includes a mixture of retail and vendor panelists. Two of the companies represented as vendors, Lafont and Europa Eyewear, have exhibited at Vision Expo since its inception and are proudly included on Vision Expo’s Founding Exhibitors list. The panel will also feature Article One, a new independent eyewear company based in Flint, Michigan and a 2017 winner of Vision Expo West’s Best Booth Award for Most Creative Booth Design.

• Moderator: James Spina, VP and Editor-in-Chief of 20/20 Magazine
• Retail Panelists:
  • Selima Salaun, Owner of Selima Optique, New York City
  • Julia Gogosha, Owner of Gogosha Optique, Los Angeles
  • Alicia Hartman, Owner of Eye Q Stylist Opticians and Peoples From Barbados, Barbados
• Vendor Panelists:
  • Scott Shapiro, COO, Europa Eyewear/CEO and Co-Founder, STATE Optical Co.
  • Kristin Calimlim, Director of Marketing, Lafont
  • Wes Stoody, Founder & CEO, Article One
  • Special guest appearance of an independent eyewear designer renowned for creativity and design

Retail panelist, Selima Salaun of Selima Optique, will discuss her experience creating a successful retail and wholesale business. Selima Optique will showcase her eyewear line in a new Exhibit Hall neighborhood, the BLOCK, a curated environment within the Galleria. Retail panelist, Julia Gogosha, recently celebrated the 10th year of Gogosha Optique and has opened a new location in Echo Park, Los Angeles.