I have been in the eyewear business for more than 30 years. My career began with German eyewear company OWP Design, initially in the sales and commercial side of the business rather than design.
In my early thirties, I decided I wanted to row my own boat. I left my role as Managing Director and discovered François Pinton - a small French family eyewear business. Pinton became famous for designing the iconic sunglasses worn by Jackie Onassis, and I worked closely with his son Dominique, who had taken over ownership and design of the brand.
I secured the UK distribution rights and founded William Morris London, after my full name – Robert William Morris. Initially, the business bought collections from François Pinton and sold them to independent opticians throughout the UK. The brand was completely new to the market, so there were no doors open to us in the beginning.
I went back on the road selling and eventually employed two sales agents to work alongside me. During the day I sold products, and at night I picked, packed and invoiced orders. Customers called me directly on my mobile phone because I could not yet afford dedicated customer service staff. In fact, the office was my home! At that point, William Morris London was purely a distribution company.
After around four years, I decided I wanted to create and design my own collection. The William Morris London eyewear brand was born. The design philosophy was simple but effective: "conservatively different" - products that stood out while remaining wearable and accessible. We focused on a premium price point rather than the luxury end of the market.
London and Great Britain proved to be powerful marketing tools as we developed export markets around the world.
All marketing was created in-house and focused heavily on the London heritage of the brand. We developed our own version of the Union Jack to underline its British roots. London and Great Britain proved to be powerful marketing tools, particularly as we developed export markets around the world.
Several turning points helped transform the business. Investing in the marketing, look and feel of the brand elevated our profile. We moved from using independent sales agents to employing our own sales teams, and expanded our brand portfolio. One of the most significant milestones came when William Morris London was selected by the Government to be part of the GREAT campaign, which promoted Britain and British brands internationally.
Export development became one of the biggest drivers of growth. In the beginning, sales were around 70% UK and 30% export. Over time that flipped to 70% export and 30% UK sales. We sold the brand across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and most European markets. The biggest challenge was always finding distributors abroad who believed in the brand as much as we did.
As William Morris London grew, it became increasingly important to the business and we eventually phased out the François Pinton collection, allowing us to focus entirely on our own brands. At its peak, we employed around 40 people in the UK and operated our own sales team in Germany. Turnover reached approximately £10 million before Covid. The objective was always the same: build the brand and sell.
Following the sale of William Morris London in 2022 and the completion of a two-and-a-half-year non-compete period, I decided to create a new brand: Wright & Bailey London. The design philosophy remains unchanged. We continue to create eyewear that is conservatively different, but this time with a strong vintage and retro influence. The shapes and colours are inspired by iconic 1950s fashion, and each frame is named after a famous figure from the era, including models such as The Sinatra and The Monroe.
The marketing uses black and white imagery and, for the first time, we are embracing artificial intelligence to help create the visual identity around the brand. Wright & Bailey London is also our first business that sells directly to consumers as well as to opticians. Our flagship store and showroom provides direct feedback from consumers on shapes, colours and design trends.
The objective was always the same: build the brand and sell.
We are launching into the United States this autumn and plan to enter France and Germany by the end of the year. We have also started working with distributors in Greece, Sweden, South Africa, Australia, Denmark and Poland, alongside continuing to develop the UK market.
The lessons learned from building William Morris London remain highly relevant today: outsource as much as possible, control costs carefully, invest early to support growth and expansion, and find suppliers who are genuinely invested in your success and want to grow alongside you. Those principles are helping shape the future of Wright & Bailey London as we embark on the next chapter.
Robert Morris, Founder.
Wright & Bailey London is an eyewear brand which designs and crafts its own collections from premium materials. Its flagship store and showroom is in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
