Tortoise & Blonde

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We can agree on their list of few things worth fighting for- “a clear dance floor, an open bar, a sale at Barney’s and an awesome pair of sunglasses.”

Austin, TX  // May 25th // Tortoise & Blonde Eastside Supply Co. Launch!

We’re really excited about this retail partnership with Eastside Supply Co.  Our frames will be available in-store starting Memorial Day weekend, and in true T&B nature, we’ll be celebrating with a party.  Free beer, music & the Sanctuary Printshop El Camino serving up free tees! 

Read all about it on the Sanctuary blog, and if you’re in Austin, come out and party with us!

glamour:

Today on STF: the cutest lookbook in the universe.

THIS is great.  Cutest children’s eyewear lookbook we’ve seen.  We’re trying to figure out which kid channels our inner child.

Rachel Martino rocks the floral pants with T&B shades in this outfit post.  We’re into it

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our pop-up shop at Urban Outfitters this weekend!  

We had SUCH a blast, and loved getting to see new and old faces stop by!  If you purchased glasses, don’t forget to tweet your photos at us so we can see how your frames look on you!

If you missed the pop-up and The Jane Doze DJ set, no worries- you can download an exclusive track they made for the event, and still get your dance on.

glamour:

These cute Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo t-shirts hit stores on Monday.

We love the red cat-eye frames!

Tortoise & Blonde & Tattoos

We sponsored Stows Away Media’s Prison Bus converted Tour Bus to SXSW this year, which housed Vanya Record’s The New Highway Hymnal and Bearstronaut.

These are some amazing shots of Amelia and Hadden of The New Highway Hymnal getting tatted up in Austin.

We’ve actually started an album of people getting tattoos while wearing Tortoise & Blonde glasses.  Have you gotten a tattoo wearing T&Bs?  Share them with us!

(photo credit: ©Sam Greenfield 2012)

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Kempt: The Sunglasses of Andy Warhol

Kempt did this amazing piece on the iconic sunglasses of the famed pop art pioneer, Andy Warhol, and named the Tortoise & Blonde Collins as one of the frame styles to get his look!

thecultureofme:

Mark Foster, A-Trak, and Kimbra - “Warrior (Converse collaboration)”

Speaking of great music/brand collaborations… we can’t get enough of this Mark Foster, A-Trak, Kimbra video for Converse.

(Source: youtube.com)

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Stylelist: How to Build a Brand that Gets Both Music & Style

“Needless to say, the collision course of music and style is a democratic one. It’s not just for major brands partnering with major musicians, but also for upstart brands looking to organically connect with upstart musicians. Tortoise & Blonde, with a budget a fraction of what a brand like Nike has, focuses on developing close ties with bands and fans alike through pop-up events and online music sharing. It turns out that while upstart brands have to hustle harder for attention, the big brands have to use their dollars effectively to resonate authentically. My main recommendations for such major brands is two-fold: 1) Keep it real. 2) Keep it simple.” - Joah Spearman

We’re honored to be featured in this piece on Stylelist, by Joah Spearman, on brands that get both music & style.  The link between our brand and bands is a very natural one, which transpired as we launched Tortoise & Blonde a little over a year ago at SXSW11’s StyleX.  We found our scene immediately, being around the music and meeting all the bands last year at the festival, then continuing our relationships and partnerships through the year.

We’re the eyewear equivalent of an indie label band, and understand the fight to be heard in a sea of big fish (or see & be heard, as we like to say).

We love being able to discover new music and help these bands envision their bright futures, as we grow together.  As Joah says in this article, you have to keep it real.  We embrace the rock n’ roll lifestyle that Tortoise & Blonde represents.  One Today, Another Tomorrow.