moose yaks: nick campbell eyewear
If Nick Campbell wasn’t designing sunglasses he’d probably be suited up somewhere in the Sydney CBD working the 9-5 rat race. Instead he chose to get his creative on, move to Seminyak, Bali, and work on Nick Campbell Eyewear.
“I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur of some kind,” Nick starts. “Sunglasses were a hobby that developed into a passion, and they fit my checklist for the perfect product, so it was a no-brainer really.”
His entrepreneur skills all started with the cliché lemonade stand on the front lawn of the family home. Which subsequently morphed into selling pirate video games on the front lawn of his high school. This entrepreneur spirit paved the way for his first real registered business, a modelling agency.
“I had no idea what I was doing and didn't make a single cent. Nobody's first business is a success, but mine was a disaster,” he laughs.
With a background in photography, art and a growing obsession for eyewear, Nick turned his sights to eyewear. Working obsessively on his fashion forward label, he designed and sketched to create timeless designs that soon became his trademark aesthetic. Now into his second season, and he still finds himself favouring unique aesthetics.
“My frames are inspired by timeless designs made fresh for contemporary high-fashion, and by playing with high quality acetates and metals I try to end up with a range that walks the line between classic and unique.”
Think bold, retro inspired, acetate frames in black, tortoise, smoke, oyster, butterscotch and cookies and cream with round chrome and brushed metal frames and aviators with a 60’s Steampunk vibe. It’s a unisex collection of modern classics, and one that has cool kids like Zanita Morgan, Jessie Bush and Margaret Zhang proudly sporting them – with a little help from Instagram, of course.
“Zanita posted a compliment on one of my early instagram posts, so I reached out and made sure she had what she wanted. She's a really lovely person. She spread the love to Margaret, and Jessie was introduced to me by a friend,” he explains.
So just how does one go from sparking up a business to getting celebs sporting your product? Nick concludes the interview with some sound advice.
"These phrases are thrown around a lot, but you really need to think of it as "being your own boss" and "working for yourself. What I mean by that is; you have one employee, you, and you need to be strict with that employee. You have one boss, you, and you really want to impress them. Start work on time and look sharp. Never call in sick. If you need a skill, learn it. Good things come to those who don't wait, who swallow their fear and their pride, work their ass off and never give up."
Go see what he's all about here: nc-eye.com
