Let's Shop for Sunglasses!
Featuring Brand Chat Vol.7 with Bonzer Athletics
Because he’s a sensitive blue-eyed boy, my husband is never without a pair of sunglasses. Because I am the queen of losing every pair I’ve ever owned, I am almost always sunglass-less. This is manageable in grey New England until summer rolls around and I inevitably realize I need a pair. My husband will rightly not loan me any of his, so I go shopping with a promise to myself that this time, these sunnies will survive the season.
Because of my loser tendencies, it makes more sense to have one pair of sunglasses for both running and life. Better to lose one pair than two. This means I’m usually drawn to silhouettes that transition seamlessly from active to lifestyle wear versus say, the uber-technical pairs sported by TSP Cool Girls.
Anyway, as I’m in the market, I thought we’d take a browse around the options available and examine a few trends therein.
Cheap & Cheerful
Goodr is good (!) at making inexpensive, trend-forward sunnies designed for running. My husband swears by his. He prefers a classic black Wayfarer style, but the thing about Goodr is that the price point makes it easy to experiment. I’d argue it’s worth starting with Goodrs, seeing how you like the look, and if you fall in love with a silhouette, upgrading when your budget allows. Or if you are a loser like me, you’ll feel less terrible when these go missing in your car. Here’s what I’ve got in my basket (which happens to be 20% off today!)
Nine Dollar Pour Over: Whoever names Goodr’s products has a really fun job. This fits my run-to-coffee shop vibe.
Not Gray, Diet Black: Honestly I added these for the name alone.
In My Periwinkle Prime: If I was going to jump on the bug eye bandwagon, I’d do it with these.
Izipizi, like Goodr, makes budget-friendly sunnies – except they’re designed in Paris, so more chic. Plus, they’re a B Corp and have a solid sport-specific offering. Again, if I were going to try the bug-eye trend, I’d give these a spin.
Middle of the Road
Article One is known for design-forward performance eyewear. (I have lost at least one pair from their Tracksmith collaboration and was very sad. They’re a good price point for me – pricey enough I want to work hard to keep them but not so expensive that I am in trouble with my self if they go missing.) They’ve carved out a niche crafting classic styles that can handle serious mileage. Meadow delivers the rounded look I am after, while this Article One x certified cool kid Cesar Villalba is a more trendy rectangular silhouette.
Bonzer is a new kid on the block (more on them below!) If you’ve been reading, you’ll know I’m a big fan of brands built by women athletes for women athletes, and Bonzer is aiming to own that space in eyewear, making feminine styles for performance. I love the 80s look of the Oxford (they are en route to me now!) and while the octagonal shape of the Katy won’t work for my old-timey face, it’s cute and on-trend.
Statement Makers
Sunglasses, like so many things in running, have become signifiers. Wearing a pair of any of the below with a Bandit set, and a Salomon hydration vest marks you as a capital Runner. Personally, I hate to look like I’m trying hard (even though I am), so these pairs are off-limits. Still, I’d be remiss not to showcase the trend, which in recent years has diverged into two distinct paths: big, bold, and colorful versus Y2K-inspired wrap-arounds.
District Vision (alongside Tracksmith and Satisfy) can be credited for paving the way for the new fashion-forward running boom. While they’re more known for their futuristic frames like the Junya Racer or the Nagata Speed, they’ve also got some more pared-back styles, which often draw from alpine inspiration. I love the look of Keita Summit or the Linto Rider (meant for cycling, but let’s be honest it will work for running.)
SOAR teamed up with British eyewear brand Cubitts on an uber-lightweight Cirrus frame that I’d honestly love to give a try, despite my aversion to techy-looking specs. They’re that sharp.
Oakley – What Nike is to running shoes, Oakley is to performance eyewear. As the big guys, they have too many options for me to go through, but their “Favorites” collection on the site is telling. FWIW, there are plenty of Oakleys for sale on eBay, including these Sutros or the Radar Ev.
Alba Optics makes fashion-forward performance frames in Italy. With a product name like JUMBO CRST GLS VZUM PLASMA you know exactly what you’re getting.
Research Studio crafts performance-first sunglasses in the USA using sustainable practices. Their Apex Glasses scream “I wanna look fast!” I like their ad campaign “Tested by New Yorkers, also great for running.”
Of course, statement-making doesn’t have to be expensive. Dakotah Popehn nee Lindwurm helped solidify the jumbo sunnies trend when she wore this $19 Amazon pair to finish third at the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials.
Brand Chat Vol.7: Bonzer Athletics
Chatting with founder Audrey Gruber about launching a sunglasses brand
About a month or so ago, Bonzer popped on my radar through a very effective seeding strategy, which had some of the cooler running girls in my feed unboxing a pair. Color me jealous! I followed the Instagram breadcrumbs and discovered that Bonzer was founded by Dallas-based runner, Audrey Gruber, who saw a void in the market for performance glasses aimed at women. I reached out for a classic Brand Chat Q&A via email.
What was your introduction to running? Do you remember what you wore?
I grew up as a competitive swimmer and then switched to dance in high school (quite the 180), so I didn’t start running consistently until my senior year of high school. I only meant to make a healthy habit before I went off to college, but ended up falling in love with it more than I could’ve anticipated.
Most of my wardrobe was made up of lululemon from dance, so that’s what I wore while running. For shoes, I wore Asics GT-2000s and I remember all the daily trainers being so neon compared to what’s on the market today.
What inspired you to launch Bonzer? Was there a single moment that sparked the idea, or was it an evolving realization?
I have three sisters, and we’ve always loved throwing around ideas with each other. I vividly remember a run with my sister Emma in the spring of 2022—Bonzer was born on that run. We wanted to wear sunglasses instead of hats during our runs, but didn’t want anything that looked too intense or neon. When we went online to find a pair that felt both functional and stylish, we fell short, and realized we had found a hole in the market that we wanted to fill.
What was your background before launching Bonzer? What made you feel ready to become an entrepreneur?
My background is in retail buying and planning, so I came in with a solid foundation in financials, merchandising, and product strategy. I also worked closely with marketing teams and account executives, which gave me a broader view of what it takes to bring a brand to life—from positioning to customer experience. Starting my own brand was always something I dreamed of, but I realized there was never going to be a moment where I felt "ready.” So I decided to go for it by starting small and growing the business as I learn!
Before I forget – where’d the name Bonzer come from?
The name is a nod to the Australian term - remarkable and effortlessly cool. I’ve always been inspired by Australian fashion and their commitment to outdoor movement. I want Bonzer to embody the same energy and excellence.
How did you go about creating the product? I talk a lot with folks about how the barrier to creating entry-level running apparel has become quite low, but sunglasses are a whole different ballgame.
While the barrier to making sunglasses has definitely lowered in the past decade, it’s still a bit more complicated than apparel. I started out with materials research to figure out what would provide the most lightweight and durable frames, while still having a high-quality look and feel. I then used those parameters to narrow down manufacturing partners. From there, it was a LOT of cold emailing, rejection, and failed samples before I landed with my amazing manufacturer. The whole process of development took around two years.
What's the biggest problem you're trying to solve? How did you test the product with your audience?
I want to give runners the option to wear gear that aligns more with their personal style and not have to go with the intense “all black, neon, spandex” look. I also want to streamline products in people’s lives: one pair of sunglasses to wear on your run in the morning, during your walk to work, and then to happy hour that evening. You quoted Grace Cook in your London Marathon post about how Gen Z is gravitating toward more casual race day looks—and Bonzer fits right into that movement.
To test the product, I leaned heavily on my sisters and friends at first. But I also started a women’s run club in Dallas in 2022, and that community has been incredible. They’ve helped me bounce around ideas, test prototypes, and give honest feedback throughout the process. It’s also where I met my friend Sarah, who runs a stationery brand called SWINK—she ended up helping me with the branding for Bonzer. It’s been really special to build this alongside other creative, supportive women.
What excites you about the running market these days? What do you hope to bring to it?
I love how mainstream running is becoming. Big brands like On and New Balance are obviously riding the wave, but it’s also cool to see smaller brands finding space and growing quickly—like Tracksmith and Bandit.
Personally, I want to bring more of a female perspective to the market. The London Marathon just had more women finishers than ever, and the growth of women in the sport is outpacing men. But when you look at who’s building the brands—Satisfy, District Vision, Tracksmith, Bandit, Soar—they’re still mostly founded by men. I think it’s time for more fashion-forward, functional brands built by women.
Why do you think that is and what challenges (if any) have you found in building the brand as a female-founder?
For a long time, running was a male-dominated sport, and I think that made it harder for women to see the opportunity and feel like there was room for female-founded brands. But with this new running boom, women’s participation in running has grown 18% since 2019. I think social media and the visibility of women sharing their stories—how they balance motherhood, careers, and training—are helping more women stay in the sport long-term. Hopefully, this will, in turn, lead to more female-founded running brands.
As for challenges, honestly, being a woman-founded brand can be an advantage. Women love to feel seen and understood, and that’s exactly what I want to build on with Bonzer. Plus, women love supporting other women—it creates an organic groundswell of support that’s been really special to experience.
What's next?
We’re gearing up to launch more styles and new colorways this summer! Right now, Bonzer is fully self-funded, so I’m focused on growing sustainably and building momentum the right way. Long term, I’d love to build out a full team and expand into more product categories—really see through our vision of bringing fashion-forward functionality to the running world. There’s so much opportunity to keep pushing that space forward.
Quick Thoughts
Things That Caught My Eye or Ire…
There’s lots of good chatter on here about the pros and cons of branded substacks. I’ve even shared my two cents. FWIW, I’m enjoying Halfdays founder
’s offering, which doesn’t skimp on the details of building a business in your 20s.
Satisfy hosted a training camp in Jackson Hole. The camp was for their pros, but they pulled back the MothTech curtain and invited Chris Black and
to attend (and write about it.) Chris covered it in his GQ newsletter, while Grace went a little deeper on her excellent Substack, Salty. The (not for sale) cowboy-inspired camp merch is certainly covetable, but what fascinates me is the choice to do a publicized brand trip in 2025 with little to no consideration for diversity. Sign of the times or sign of the French?I’m planning a deep dive on golf fashion (lady golfers DM me!), so I was intrigued to see the launch of this new brand from golf creator Tisha Alyn, “where boldness meets grace.”
Aman (i.e. the resorts) launched a tennis apparel collection. But it’s not very good? Not sure how cotton-blend sweatshirts and tees “pay homage to the physical and mental exactitude of the game with precise tailoring and unmatched materials.”
I’ll leave you with this: Dakotah Johnson has enviable yoga class style. The braids! The sunnies! The perfectly oversized crewneck! Unclear why Chris Martin walks around barefoot, though.
Sunglasses are my favorite accessory so I drank this right up! Loved the interview with Bonzer - definitely going to check them out. And that Dakota Johnson fit - talk about capturing the moment!
$20 sunglasses are absolutely the way to go for a marathon. If they're a bother just toss and forget. But the cheap sunglasses have a way of sticking around!