Framing a fashionable future
Ottawa eyewear entrepreneur gets a second chance at success
Nana Osei didn’t land a deal on Dragon’s Den this week, but he picked up valuable advice and will get the chance to pitch the five business entrepreneurs on the CBC TV show again next spring.
Osei is the founder of Bôhten, an eco-luxury eyewear collection that uses reclaimed wood and acetate harvested from the mountainous region of Kwahu, the highest habitable place in Ghana. Osei, who moved to Canada in 2007, graduated a week ago with a degree in environmental science from Carleton University.
During Osei’s five minutes of fame on Wednesday night, he asked the dragons for $75,000 for a 20-percent stake in his company. Arlene Dickinson and Jim Treliving expressed genuine interest, lauding his lightweight eyeglasses and business plan, but said he needed to develop his distribution channel. The taping took place in April when Osei’s company was a mere four months old. Since then, he’s been busy wrapping up his studies and marketing his eyeglasses across the country. He expects his sales projection to be $90,000 by the end of the year.
“I’m focusing all of my efforts on the brand, which is all about merging fashion with social and environmental sustainability. You need to take care of the planet. The experience of being on Dragon’s Den was dramatic and emotional. They really challenged me, but I stood my ground and I think they were really impressed.
“I was in the middle of school and had just started my company. I’m hopeful about going on their comeback episode next spring.”
On Thursday night, Osei and his team of about seven employees, held a launch bash for about 100 people at Hub Ottawa to showcase a series a new sunglasses called Aristocratz. The line is a collaboration with Ottawa style guru Sid Cratzbarg, who has a penchant for oversized glasses.
“The glasses are customizable so you can pop out the lenses and put in your prescription lenses. You can also paint the glasses any colour you like. For example, Sid’s glasses are painted gold.”
The high-end brand currently carries more than a dozen styles and four main designs. Prices range from $160 to $250.
Osei draws inspiration from his Ghanaian roots and love of nature and fashion. His goal is to make a change by offering jobs in Ghana and Canada while educating the fashion industry about environmental awareness.
“We’ve seen a tremendous hike in sales and interest. We’re in talks with several big chains and are looking at partnering with a B.C.-based optometrist company. Our online platforms are all doing well,” says Osei, who turns 25 Saturday.
For more information, visit bohten.com