Headquartered in Perth, Australia, BANZ Carewear was started by Bevan Beames and Chris Albonico on finding a discernible lack of protective sunglasses for small kids. Shari M. Murphy, Director of Operations and Business Development at BANZ USA, spoke about the brand in detail and how it is scaling fast with time in this exclusive interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT).
December 06, 2018
BANZ Carewear for kids was started in the year 2000 and the product range by the brand includes stay-put sunglasses for babies and kids, JBanz sunglasses for kids 4-10 years, fully featured sound-protective ear defenders for babies and kids and adjustable-for-growth sunhats.
Product range of BANZ
BANZ was started with the aim to provide protective eyewear tailored fit for babies which was quite unheard of at the time when the company began its trajectory. Shari M. Murphy, Director of Operations and Business Development at BANZ USA narrates what led to the introduction of these distinctive sunglasses, “BANZ started almost two decades ago when the owner of the brand, Bevan Beames, researched the market and couldn’t find any protective sunglasses for his baby. The discernible unavailability motivated him to design and develop these wraparound sunglasses and he came up with these specifically designed sunglasses in the market. This was the start of our brand and it was something which was pretty unprecedented and innovative. Afterwards, we introduced our collection of hearing safety or protection range for kids and the range of adjustable-for-growth sunhats.”
As pointing to the unique features of these sunglasses, she says “the sunglasses by BANZ have a band that wicks moisture away from the head of a baby to ensure their maximum comfort. The polycarbonate lenses are shatter resistant to keep them safe while they’re wearing them, and the nose and brow have built-in silicone to help prevent slippage.”
“The discernible unavailability motivated him (Bevan Beames) to design and develop these wraparound sunglasses and he came up with these specifically designed sunglasses in the market. This was the start of our brand and it was something which was pretty unprecedented and innovative.”
Key developments and future plans
Speaking about the recent key developments which include the renewed branding, she says “in the last two years, we’ve revamped our brand with introducing brand new packaging to our products and the name has been updated as well. In fact, we’ve been honoured to receive one designer award recently. The innovation that we have recently introduced is the inclusion of the Bluetooth feature in our hearing-protection range which is particularly incredible as one can actually play music or soothing sounds to the baby making it great for airplane travel. We are going to expand the hearing protection and right now, we’re creating a prototype for a toddler-specific one. Essentially, we are gearing towards embracing and introducing new technologies with in our product range. Thus, we are always evolving towards whatever is the next step for us and the next thing that we need to accomplish.”
Global market presence and manufacturing facilities
About the market and distribution presence, she maintains that “BANZ is based in Perth, Australia where it is headquartered and we have a branch here in North America through which we cover both North America as well as South America. And we’ve got another branch in UK that handles all of EU and we have distribution presence in more than 80 countries worldwide, having presence in all the major retail chains, stores and on ecommerce as well.”
Increasing cognizance about health issues
BANZ innately believes in the need to give considerable importance in educating people and it is a part of the mission with which their brand functions. She affirms “we’ve been taking the time to educate the consumers about the repercussions of high-pitched sounds as well the harmful UV rays of sun for babies. Our brand is thoroughly engaged in conducting studies and researches in this subject. We are associated with institutions like National Cancer Institute and Skin Cancer Foundation and a number of hospitals about furthering the research. There are a couple of studies that we would be participating within the USA particularly as of now. Inculcating awareness and the protection aspect is really where our heart is and then to figure out the means to get our products on stores around.”
