Optical Prism April 2017 | Page 32

SISTERS TAKE EYEWEAR INDUSTRY BY STORM By Denis Langlois Twin sisters Corianna “Coco” and Brianna “Breezy” Dotson began creating unique eyewear in their bed- room in Minnesota just over a decade ago. In those early days, they would glue embellishments on pairs of frames they liked. They then taught themselves about the design, manufacturing and distribution aspects of the eyewear business. In 2009, at age 19, the Dotsons launched the eyewear brand Coco and Breezy in New York City. With the help of social media, the brand’s frames have caught the eye of major celebrities and important players in the fashion and eyewear industries. 30 Optical Prism | April 2017 Coco and Breezy frames have been featured in major fashion magazines, like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan, and have been worn by celebrities like Lady Gaga, Prince, Beyoncé and Rihanna. The sisters have also collaborated with Hershey to launch Twizzlers and Jolly Rancher eyewear lines. In 2016, Coco and Breezy teamed up with Transitions Optical to serve as Transitions ambassadors with a focus on marketing the photochromic lenses to younger generations. Coco and Breezy were special guests at Transitions Academy this year and led two workshops. It was there that Optical Prism sat down with the sisters to discuss their brand, their career and Transitions lenses.