Untitled - Leisure Society

AT LEISU RE SOC I ETY, WE D E SIGN WI TH THE I NTEN TI ON OF MAKI NG P RO DUC TS
TH AT W IL L E ND URE. THE Y MU ST BE TI ME LE SS AND OF EX CEP TIONAL TASTE AND
QUA LITY. EVE RY SMALL D ETA IL I S RE F INED, POL I SHED AND HAND CRAFTED TO
OF F ER THE UTMOST I N S TY LE A ND D URA BI L I TY. O UR P RODUC TS WI LL OF F ER THE
W EA RE R SU BTLE MOME NTS O F P ROUD SATI SFACTI O N T HAT W HEN LEFT IN
P ERIODS O F A B SOL UTE LE I SURE, C A N ONLY BE ACCOMPANI ED BY A SMI LE A ND A
GEN UINE A P PRE C IATION O F RE F I NE D D E S IGN ENGI NEER I NG.
Chapter I
beer was a rarity and wine-from-a-box a delicacy, Shane Baum never dreamed he’d tee
off at St. Andrew’s, shack up at the InterContinental in Cannes or hunt pheasants with
British Royalty. “When you’re sitting in a town of 2,500 at 12 years old, you don’t fathom
those kind of things happening,” he says. But having a choreographer mother and
travel-obsessed salesman father instilled Baum with an appreciation for the arts and a
serious case of cultural wanderlust. He traveled out west for college, studying engineering
at San Jose State before heading south to the beaches of Southern California.
While hanging out in Laguna Beach, Baum met a young designer Mossimo Giannulli and
eventually landed a job in Mossimo’s warehouse at the height of the brand’s craze. “I had
shirts,” Baum says. His warehouse days quickly led to a position within the company’s
newly launched eyewear division and four years later, at only 26, Baum became the Vice
President of the three million dollar division.The company went public on the NYSE in the
spring of 1996 and Baum found himself among a peer group of seasoned fashion
about 10 people in 1991 to over a hundred in ‘96. It was nuts; corporate jets, egos, and
lots of chaos. The stock dropped from $52 to $26 in a day. Says Baum,“I learned way
more on the way down than the way up.” Baum headed to Optical Shop of Aspen, where
his own.
Chapter II
Initially unsure where his entrepreneurial vision would lead, Baum headed back to the
beach where he lived in a house on the Newport Peninsula for a summer drafting two
different business plans and working on projects for MTV and the Australian clothing
company Mooks.
started drafting a plan to enter the eyewear business. In 2001 a licensing deal was struck
With its playful image and sophisticated mid-century modern sense of design, Paul Frank
wearing shield glasses, but we really believed in colorful plastics and double bridges on
the nose…things we thought were uniquely Paul Frank,” he says. Early on, Baum earned
a reputation for being daring when it came to design and he’s built Baumvision around a
unique philosophy that favors creative satisfaction over immediate commercial success.
While playing a round of golf with longtime friend Mossimo, shortly after the Paul Frank
license was secured, “Moss” asked Baum to create an eyewear collection for his new
company Modern Amusement. Baum agreed, the pair shook hands on the 8th hole and
Baumvision had its second license. “We made a gentlemen’s agreement in the old
fashioned way,” he says.
Chapter III
With two solid licenses under its belt Baumvision began thinking on a global level;
eventually launching Baumvision Europe in 2003 out of an extra room in a Berlin
apartment. The headquarters has since relocated to Vienna and grown to a staff of 12,
with 17 sales reps throughout Europe. In 2008 Baum signed a distribution deal with 4th
generation New York optician Kenny Moscot to distribute his classically inspired collection
of Moscot Originals throughout Europe. Says Baum, “We sensed a global trend towards
authenticity and all things Americana. Moscot has been an institution in New York for over
90 years. It’s the real deal and people are responding to that.” In the summer of 2009
Baum signed another distribution deal with his former boss and ex-Oliver Peoples
president Bill Barton. Explains Baum,“When the VP of sales, the VP of marketing, the CFO
and the head designer...
(continued on the next page)
Chapter III
...leave a company the caliber of Oliver Peoples to start a new one, it’s as close as you can
get to a ‘sure thing’. I could not bear to not be involved.” Baumvision products are now
distributed throughout all major European countries, Asia, Australia, and South America.
“We’re building the empire one brick at a time,” Baum jests.
A zealous proponent of the leisure lifestyle, Baum has been dubbed a “culture vulture”
because of an intense passion for the arts and luxury pastimes. An evening with Baum
may include the opera, followed by a set from Kings of Convenience, that concludes in a
dive bar or the type of casino where jackets are required. These outings evolved into a
now considers to be a watershed moment in the Leisure Society’s annals,“I was making
an invitation to Opening Day at Del Mar, one of Southern California’s most storied and
historic horse racing tracks. My intention was to invite an intimate group of friends to the
event that has traditionally been held every July since the 1930s. I created this very
formal itinerary that included a detailed account of the day’s events: breakfast at the Four
Club, and a formal dinner in Rancho Santa Fe. It was all upscale and quite proper, a world
not so familiar to my friends and I. So a ‘from Shane Baum’ note of address didn’t seem
to do the event justice. I thought about it for a few moments and quickly wrote at the
top of the invite,‘by Order of the Royal and Ancient Leisure Society...’ From that point
forward all of our social gatherings from wooden racquet tennis tournaments, to Tyrolean
tobogganing trips, or an odd impromptu BBQ in the backyard have subsequently become
Society both in the U.S. and abroad.
Chapter IV
An integral component to Baumvision’s success has been the unwavering commitment and
dedication of the company’s skeleton crew that handles the workload of a staff twice its size.
Baum compares his team to the Army’s Green Berets, “This is the special forces.You have to
be better, more focused and willing to work harder so we can pull this off,” he says.
Baumvision’s staff is young (average age 28), intelligent, motivated, and part of the new
generation of dialed-in luxury purveyors who knows that hard work is what will ultimately
secure their spot amongst the indie luxe jet set. Everyone who works at Baumvision shares
a love for music that ranges from indie-rock to hip-hop, with a little of everything else mixed
in between. The company boasts a roster of seminal bands that it works closely with,
including Death Cab for Cutie,The Hold Steady, Mars Volta, Spoon, and Pavement. Because
company is eager to have bands they revere wearing its eyewear. “We’re honored when
bands we respect enjoy our art the way we enjoy theirs,” Baum says.
Chapter V
After 10 years of making frames and designing in the shadows, Baum decided to go it
alone by creating his own brand, Leisure Society. Says Baum, “I’ve had the pleasure of
in a pencil, a blank piece of paper, and an earnest desire to create.”
AT TR I B UTE S
Our frames are cast in 100%
pure titanium and plated in 12, 18
and 24 karat gold.
Our collections superior detail
includes hidden spring hinges,
typically used only on jewelry. This
function provides a "hyper-extension"
technology using tension to
pull or push the arm back into a
perfect position at all times, creating
LE ISURE S OCI E TY
P RE C IOUS M E TA LS
AT TR I B UTES
Leisure Society introduces the
horn to key styles for 2012.
Expanding the offerings Baum has
combined the exclusivity and
individuality of the natural material
with the technology of laser cutting
and etching and the quality handicraft
of a true frame maker.
Each piece created from this
high-grade material is featured in rich
unique and distinguished character.
LE ISURE S OCI E TY
B UF F A L O H ORN
ATTR I B UTE S
the world to inset ideal VS1 diamonds.
Cast in 100% pure titanium and
plated in 12, 18 and 24 karat gold.
Diamond insets, set by professional
jewelers, complete the elegant and
luxurious look of our feminine frames.
LE ISURE S OCI E TY
D IAM ON D S
ATTR
AT TR I B UTE S
Our frames feature the highest
the
quality
world
polarizing
to insetCR-39
ideal VS1
Lensdiamonds.
Cast
UGR12™,
in 100%
Diamond
pure titanium
Cast™, and
and
plated
Hydrophobic
in 12, 18
coatings.
and 24 karat gold.
Diamond insets, set by professional
jewelers,
Polarizingcomplete
CR-39 Lens
the elegant and
luxurious
Eliminateslook
glareofand
ourtransmits
feminine frames.
more usable light
Optically Correct Lens
99.9% distortion free, 100%
UVA/UVB protection
UGR12™ Coating
Absorbs bounce-back glare
and reduces eye fatigue
Diamond Cast™ Coating
Shields against scratches
Hydrophobic Coating
Sheds water and snow making
cleaning easy
LE ISURE
I SURE S OCI E TY
D
LENSE
IAM ON
S DS
The Rousseau ophthalmic frames by Leisure Society lands
a feature in EUROMAN Magazine — september 2nd, 2014
Damon Wayans Jr. in the Oxford for a special feature
on Maxim — august 26th, 2014
Leisure Society Featured in Modern LuxuryAspen Magazine
august 19th, 2014
Eyestylist the Fine Eyewear Design Review
interviewed Shane Baum — july 7th, 2014
Alessandro Enriquez Wears the Byron
on Lepilloledi Stefano blog — july 8th, 2014
Leisure Society plays dress up on TUXEDOPOP blog
july 7th, 2014
The PFEIFFER lands a special feature as the perfect
mix & match frame in EUROMAN — june 30th, 2014
The Rodrigues by Leisure Society lands a summer issue
feature in M Magazine — june 12th, 2014
Leisure Society featured in Eyewear Magazine
june 10th, 2014
Jaime King rocks the Voltaire by Leisure Society, with
Shane Baum at CFDA Awards — june 4th, 2014
Leisure Society Clip-on Sunglasses Program
make a splash on DETAILS — may 12th, 2014
BONOCLE features the latest collection by Leisure Society
shown at Vision Expo East 2014 — may 8th, 2014
Jennifer Lawrence seen wearing the Byron
by Leisure Society — april 24th, 2014
The Pfeiffer by Leisure Society featured in The New York Times
Style Section — april 1st, 2014
The Pallina featured in Dutch trade magazine Oculus
march 27th, 2014
The Rousseau, Aristotle, Maddalena, Rodrigues and Sandon
featured in Inbenessere — march 18th, 2014
Leisure Society makes a splash in Blink magazine
march 13th, 2014
Leisure Society featured in LYF Magazine
for the special MIDO 2014 issue — march 5th, 2014
The Oxford is one of CEO G.J. Hart’s top must-haves featured
on Wall Street Journal — february 27th, 2014
Shane Baum featured in Condé Nast Magazine
february 19th, 2014
The Byron featured on Gold Digest Stix Magazine
february 4th, 2014
Actor Joel Kinnaman spotted wearing the Harvard 51
by Leisure Society — february 3rd, 2014
Shane Baum featured in Orange County Riviera
january 15th, 2014
The Pallina is featured in Invision Magazine
january 10th, 2014
Japanese magazine Men’s Ex features the Stanford
from Leisure Society — december 16th, 2013
King Magazine features the Cavallet
december 9th, 2013
The Cambridge featured in Glamour Magazine, Netherlands
november 20th, 2013
Mad Men’s Jarris seen wearing the Oxford in Black/24k gold
at his wedding — november 15th, 2013
Blogger Kier Mellour (wearing the Montalivet) features
the Leisure Society Fall Picnic — november 1st, 2013
The Ducap and Merrimac featured in Eyewear Magazine
october 14th, 2013
Italy’s L’Uomo Vogue features the Oxford
from Leisure Society — october 10th, 2013
Italian magazine LYF features the Stanford
october 9th, 2013
The Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford, and Cambridge
featured in Male Standard — september 9th, 2013
The Cambridge from Leisure Society is featured in
Fashion Magazine Euroman — august 26th, 2013
The Cambridge from Leisure Society is featured in
Fashion Magazine Euroman — july 25th, 2013
The Byron from Leisure Society Featured in
Swedish Magazine Residence — july 22nd, 2013
The Como featured in Italian Magazine
Nuova — july 2nd, 2013
The Petite Vallee featured in Golf Today
june 14th, 2013
Jennifer Lawrence wearing Leisure Society
featured on People.com — may 20th, 2013
Leisure Society’s Du Cap in French Magazine
Bien Vu — may 15th, 2013
Shane Baum Featured in EYEWEAR Magazine
may 14th, 2013
Shane Baum Featured in SCENE Magazine
may 4th, 2013
Jennifer Lawrence spotted in Byron
from Leisure Society — may 1st, 2013
The Byron featured on Vision Monday
april 30th, 2013
Shane Baum featured in LEON Magazine
april 26th, 2013
The Du Cap, Pallina, and Merrimac featured on
Eyewear Magazine Online — april 25th, 2013
Glamour Italy features the Como
from Leisure Society — april 24th, 2013
The Brummel and Doyle in
Mode & Tendances — april 16th, 2013
An Interview with Shane Baum in
German Magazine Brille&Mode — april 8th, 2013
The Byron featured in the
Italian Magazine Pambianco — april 4th, 2013
The Duke, Como, and Stanford featured in
The Desert Guide — march 29th, 2013
The Casuarina in the TZ, Munich, Germany
Fashon Guide — march 27th, 2013
LYF Magazine features the Doyle, Harvard, Byron
march 14th, 2013
GENTE Magazine Italy features the Byron
march 11th, 2013
Leisure Society was featured on the cover of
Blink Eyewear Magazine — march 11th, 2013
Leisure Society featured in L’Uomo Vouge’s
Fashion
Fashion Guide
Guide —
—march
march 6th,
6th, 2013
2013
Leisure Society in Wallpaper* Magazine
— february 20th, 2013
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Jennifer Lawrence wears Leisure Society’s, Byron, sunglasses
arriving at Heathrow Airport — february 8th, 2013
Film-director Chan-wook Park wearing, Middlebury
— january 28th, 2013
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Crane.tv in Conversation with Shane Baum
— january 28th, 2013
Josh Dallas wears Leisure Society’s, Cornell
— january 24th, 2013
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Leisure Society is featured in the latest videos
from, The Girls With Glasses Show — january 23rd, 2013
Leisure Society featured in Eyewear Magazine
— september 24th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Leisure Society featured in Flaunt Magazine
— september 13th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Hugh Grant in Leisure Society for Cloud Atlas
— september 11th, 2012
Jennifer Lawrence in Leisure Society
— august 24th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
James Van Der Beek in Leisure Society
— august 9th, 2012
Leisure Society featured in Lifestyle Magazine
— july 18th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Leisure Society featured in Marie Claire
— june 19th, 2012
Leisure Society featured in Elite Traveler
— may 29th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Leisure Society featured in Eyewear Magazine
— may 22nd, 2012
Kristen Stewart in Leisure Society at Coachella
— april 25th, 2012
LE ISURE SO CI E T Y
P RE S S
Leisure Society in Le Monde de l’Optique
— february 9th, 2012