LONDON—100% Optical returned to the ExCeL London from February 24 through 26 of this year with record-breaking registration and 11,725 attendees—a 10 percent year-on-year increase over its previous record attendance. The three-day show featured exhibitor launches, an education program with  more than 100 hours of free continuing professional development (CPD) content, catwalk shows, the annual Love Eyewear awards, the 100% Optical & Royal College of Arts annual student eyewear competition, and dedicated areas for contact lenses, independent designers and ophthalmology, which made its debut as a co-located show. This was the 10th anniversary edition of 100% Optical, which is the UK’s largest optical show.

As reported by the show’s official media partner Optometry Today, the winners of the 2024 Love Eyewear Awards are:

New Designer of the Year: Okkul
Women’s Frame of the Year: Woody’s Eyewear for Sabine 04
 
 
Women’s Sunglasses Frame of the Year: Danielle Rattray for Lowe
Men’s Frame of the Year: Filipe Diniz Lunettes for Malu 2/10
Men’s Sunglasses Frame of the Year: Komono for Komono Xigor Dieryck
Unisex Frame of the Year: Struktur Eyewear for The Icon – Sky Ink
Luxury Frame of the Year: Felipe Diniz Lunettes for Mur
Kids Frame of the Year: JF Rey for Biscuit 2080
Sustainable Frame of the Year: Götti Switzerland for Bionic
Eyewear Accessory of the Year: Bird Eyewear for Zero Case
Best Innovation: FEB31st
Eyewear Retailer of the Year: Gogosha Optique
Most Engaging Practice Window: Finch Optical

In addition to the Love Eyewear Awards, 100% Optical introduced a new Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to l.a.Eyeworks. Gai Gherardi, l.a.Eyeworks co-founder/designer, accepted the award: “It was our early experiences as opticians that inspired Barbara McReynolds and me to begin l.a.Eyeworks in 1979 with a dream of celebrating faces and a mission to change the conversation about eyewear. From the start we followed our intuition, and that, along with tremendous support from free-thinking frame lovers around the world, has carried us to this moment 44 years later to humbly receive this wonderful honor from 100% Optical with heartfelt gratitude.”

Selin Pera, senior marketing executive at 100% Optical, said, “As we come to a new decade of 100% Optical, it was important for us to reflect back on our 10 years and reflect on the leaders in the industry. For the first time, we announced a surprise Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Congratulations to Barbara and Gai at l.a.Eyeworks for all that you have done in the optical industry. True pioneers who are so authentically themselves and taking the industry by storm. These two women are truly an inspiration to many and it’s an honor for us to award them and the rest of the l.a.Eyeworks team the Lifetime Achievement Award.”


Marlon Cera-Marle, director of 100% Optical, said, “Every year we look for new and exciting ways to enhance 100% Optical—both to keep our loyal attendees coming back, as well as to attract new audiences—and this year was no exception. The positive feedback and the fact that 80 percent of space for 2025 is already pre-booked is a testament to the team’s hard work and dedication as well as the trust our exhibitors, partners, sponsors and visitors put in us to deliver the UK’s only large-scale optical event.

"It’s an honor to witness how everyone comes together to champion this fantastic industry. There was such a great atmosphere all weekend, which is reflected in our record-breaking numbers, and everyone truly made it a show to remember. We couldn’t be happier with the results and attendance as we look ahead to the next 10 years.”

The 2025 edition of 100% Optical is scheduled for March 1 through 3 at ExCeL London.