We’ve been following SXSW Interactive this week and have been blown away by what we’re seeing from Warby Parker. Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to create boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point (straight from their website). Their set-up of “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” gives you that “do-gooder” feeling when you scoop a pair at a mere $95, by donating a pair of glasses to someone in need. They’ve got a great story and an inspirational cause. For SXSW 2012, Warby Parker threw together a three-day event called The Citizen’s Circus, “a unique event celebrating the confluence of culture and active citizenship.” Partnering with Rock the Vote, The Citizens Band from New York, songstress Nikki Lane of High Class Hillbilly, The Greenhorns—a local nonprofit promoting local farmers, Austin Beerworks, Scene and Herd—photos from Ruvan Wijesooriya and musical guests curated by Grammy Award–winning music supervisor Randall Poster, Warby Parker’s event was hosted on the grounds of Austin’s oldest home—the French Legation Museum. Warby Parker did a great job integrating Instagram and Twitter into the Circus by using the hash tag #wpcircus. Searching through tweets and Instagram photos has had our office wishing we were there to celebrate with the Warby gang. The musical lineup looked phenomenal, including a current personal favorite—Gardens & Villa. They even had a little visit from Jack White’s record label, Third Man Records. Well done, guys. For more Warby Parker, visit their website, follow them on Twitter @WarbyParker and on Instagram: warbyparker. Also check out their blog, Zagg Pepper. Photo cred: warbyparker on Instagram
March 16, 2012 — Mel Calabro