Wholesale to Omnichannel: How IZIPIZI Built a Global Eyewear Brand
Honest Ecommerce · with Charles Brunn · September 28, 2026 · 30 min
Summary
This episode reveals how IZIPIZI scaled a global eyewear brand from wholesale to omnichannel, emphasizing the strategic importance of adapting distribution channels. Learn how to leverage initial retail partnerships, manage co-founder dynamics, and strategically integrate D2C and marketplace sales without alienating wholesale partners. It highlights the journey from relying solely on B2B to building direct customer relationships and physical retail presence for brand control and growth.
Key takeaways
Start with strategic wholesale partnerships (like Collette) to gain initial market validation and open doors to other retailers globally.
Gradually transition from pure wholesale to an omnichannel model by investing in direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels (e-commerce) and opening your own physical stores to gain more brand control and direct customer relationships.
Acknowledge and strategically manage co-founder relationships by establishing clear communication, equal participation, and regular check-ins to maintain a healthy and productive partnership.
Don't be afraid to embrace marketplaces like Amazon, understanding that customers want to buy where they feel most comfortable and secure, even if it initially seems to compete with D2C or wholesale.
Continuously observe customer behavior and feedback in early retail placements to refine product offerings and packaging, ensuring it resonates with your target audience.
Charles Brun is a French entrepreneur who co-founded the eyewear brand IZIPIZI in Paris in 2010 alongside his longtime friends Xavier Aguera and Quentin Couturier. The three founders saw that the standard reading glasses sold at drugstores lacked style, and they set out to prove that readers could be something people actually wanted to wear. That instinct paid off. Today, IZIPIZI is known for colorful, affordable, design-driven glasses made for everyday life.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Intro[01:12] Glasses for every moment in life[01:42] An idea born from their moms' ugly readers[02:59] From incubator to the real launch in 2012[04:05] Landing Colette as the first wholesale yes[05:16] Klaviyo[07:25] How the first yes opens every other door[08:14] Building a partnership between three friends[10:10] The Friday wheel that decides who speaks first[11:06] Intelligems[12:32] When ecommerce entered the picture[13:45] Why wholesale alone wasn't enough[14:19] Wholesale partner pushback on selling online[15:15] COVID pushed online sales to 95%[16:30] eFulfillment Service[17:45] Expanding from Paris into the US[18:28] Why the US is more different than it seems[19:25] Buying back the US distributor[20:05] Hiring an American team to win the US[20:48] What Shoptalk Europe brands ask about the US[21:55] Why IZIPIZI launched on Amazon in the US[22:26] Amazon as a necessary evil for brands[23:19] Making the .com work in the States[23:41] Moving from Magento to Shopify[24:05] Virtual try-on for the first pair[24:50] Unifying customers across every channel[25:24] A customer is a customer, wherever they buy[26:05] Affordable glasses as an impulse buy[26:46] Becoming B Corp certified[27:50] Why the
Start with strategic wholesale partnerships (like Collette) to gain initial market validation and open doors to other retailers globally.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Gradually transition from pure wholesale to an omnichannel model by investing in direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels (e-commerce) and opening your own physical stores to gain more brand control and direct customer relationships.
What does this episode say about amazon & marketplaces?
Acknowledge and strategically manage co-founder relationships by establishing clear communication, equal participation, and regular check-ins to maintain a healthy and productive partnership.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Don't be afraid to embrace marketplaces like Amazon, understanding that customers want to buy where they feel most comfortable and secure, even if it initially seems to compete with D2C or wholesale.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Continuously observe customer behavior and feedback in early retail placements to refine product offerings and packaging, ensuring it resonates with your target audience.
