---
title: IOLLA's Alpine Edit Brings Icy Blue and Dusty Pink Sunglasses to Winter, at £85 a Pair
description: Snow reflects about 80% of UV. IOLLA's Alpine Edit puts Icy Blue and Dusty Pink frames on the slopes from 6th November, at £85 with prescription lenses.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-06T12:23:16.929Z
updated: 2026-11-06T12:31:58.263Z
canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/iolla-s-alpine-edit-brings-icy-blue-and-dusty-pink-sunglasses-to-winter-at-85-a-pair
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/iolla-alpine-edit-icy-blue-1.webp
categories: Smart Travel
content_type: Feature
publication: Rich Travel Magazine
schema_type: Article
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: IOLLA
    description: IOLLA is an independent eyewear brand founded in Glasgow in 2015. It designs its frames in house and sells its core prescription glasses and sunglasses for £85, with prescription lenses and lens thinning included. IOLLA has showrooms across the UK, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Manchester, Cambridge and Richmond in London, and sells online. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for sight.
    url: https://iolla.com
    foundingDate: 2015-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
    industry: Eyewear
---

Most sunglasses go into a drawer in September and stay there until the first warm weekend of spring. IOLLA, the eyewear brand founded in Glasgow in 2015, would like you to take yours back out. Its Alpine Edit, which launches today, the 6th November, adds seven winter colourways to frames already in its collection, in two shades taken from the ski season: Icy Blue and Dusty Pink.

The brand describes the collection as a response to the return of après-ski dressing and what the fashion pages have started calling Chalet Chic. The campaign behind it places the frames in a surreal snowscape under the lines 'Wish You Were Here' and 'See You in the Snow'. One of those images is on our cover this month.

## Snow Sends the Sun Back Into Your Eyes

The case for winter sunglasses is stronger than most people assume. According to the World Health Organization, fresh snow reflects about 80 per cent of the sun's ultraviolet rays, against less than 10 per cent for grass, soil or water and about 20 per cent for sand. On a bright day on the slopes, UV reaches the eyes from above and again from below.

Too much of it causes photokeratitis, better known as snow blindness, a painful burn on the surface of the eye that leaves it red, gritty and blurred for a day or two. Over a lifetime, UV exposure is also linked to cataracts. The low winter sun adds glare at eye level, which anyone who has driven home on a clear December afternoon will recognise.

Habits have not caught up. A survey by the American Optometric Association found that more than 80 per cent of Americans wear sunglasses in summer, but fewer than a third put them on in winter.

## Icy Blue for Dunbar, Cooper and Ness

Icy Blue is the cooler of the two shades. IOLLA has applied it to three existing silhouettes, Dunbar, Cooper and Ness, and pairs it with lenses such as the pale Glacier tint or a classic grey. The colour first appeared this summer in IOLLA's limited edition collaboration with the Scottish wool brand CLÒIMH, where it was the statement shade among neutrals. It returns here as a winter colour in its own right.

A translucent blue frame does something a black one cannot. It picks up the colour of a pale sky and the shadows in the snow, so it reads as part of the landscape rather than a dark bar across the face.

## Dusty Pink for Muir, Jura, Healy and Bonnie

Dusty Pink is the warmer shade, and IOLLA says it was inspired by rosy cheeks and the glow of an alpine sunset. It runs across four designs: Muir, Jura, Healy and Bonnie. Jura comes with brown lenses, which suit the soft, warm cast of the colour, while Bonnie is offered with a Blush tint that keeps the whole pair in the same family.

![A smiling woman with curly hair in pink IOLLA sunglasses, a pink knit, a striped scarf and white fur mittens, sitting in front of a snowy forest backdrop.](https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/iolla-alpine-edit-dusty-pink.webp)
*IOLLA's Alpine Edit in Dusty Pink. — Photo: Courtesy of IOLLA*

Both shades are meant as an alternative to the camel, grey and black that dominate winter wardrobes. A pink frame with a cream knit, or a blue one with a navy coat, gives an outfit a single bright point without asking anything else in it to change.

## One Price, Prescription Lenses Included

The name IOLLA comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for sight, and the business was built on a simple pricing idea. Its core prescription collection costs £85, with lenses and lens thinning included, and a stronger prescription does not cost more. In 2025 the brand added custom tints across its frames and kept its regular sunglasses at the same £85, which makes prescription sunglasses a realistic second pair rather than a luxury.

Founder and chief executive Stefan Hunter, who grew up in Inverness, has expanded the brand well beyond Glasgow. IOLLA now has eight showrooms across six UK cities, including its first permanent London showroom on Hill Street in Richmond and a new showroom on George Street in Aberdeen, which opened this year.

'IOLLA was built around the idea that great design and exceptional service shouldn't come at an inflated price,' Hunter said when the Aberdeen opening was announced.

The Alpine Edit follows Back in Focus, IOLLA's autumn campaign shot in Stockport and across Greater Manchester, which introduced two new shapes. Lachlan, a square aviator with a strong browline, is also available as sunglasses for anyone who would rather keep winter eyewear in tortoiseshell than in pastel.

## Choosing a Winter Pair That Still Feels Like You

Protection comes first, and it does not depend on price. The American Optometric Association advises lenses that block 99 to 100 per cent of UVA and UVB rays and screen out 75 to 90 per cent of visible light. For the slopes, polarised lenses cut the glare that bounces off snow, and IOLLA now offers them across its collection. Cancer Council guidance for alpine trips adds that wraparound shapes or close-fitting goggles stop reflected light from reaching the eyes from the sides.

Style is the easier part. The best frame is the one you forget you are wearing, the one that already feels like yours. If your coat, scarf and hat are all neutral, a coloured frame is the simplest way to change the mood of a winter outfit. If you would rather your eyewear blended in, the same shapes come in tortoiseshell and darker acetates.

Pack a pair whether you are heading for the Alps or a city break. Our guide to [eight magical places to visit before Christmas](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/magical-christmas-destinations-europe-2026) and our [luxury escapes from Vienna to the Arctic Icehotel](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/luxury-destinations-before-christmas-2026) both involve a good deal of bright winter light, and a few of the [destinations for the soul from Iona to Lake Ohrid](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/destinations-for-the-soul-europe) are best seen on a cold, clear morning.

The Alpine Edit is available from today online and in IOLLA showrooms.

**About IOLLA**

IOLLA is an independent eyewear brand founded in Glasgow in 2015. It designs its frames in house and sells its core prescription glasses and sunglasses for £85, with prescription lenses and lens thinning included. IOLLA has showrooms across the UK, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Manchester, Cambridge and Richmond in London, and sells online. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for sight.

[Website](https://iolla.com)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why should you wear sunglasses in winter?**
Ultraviolet light reaches the eyes all year, and on overcast days most of it still passes through the clouds. In winter the sun sits lower in the sky, so it shines at eye level for longer and causes more glare, particularly when driving. Snow makes it worse because it reflects about 80 per cent of UV rays. Over time, UV exposure is linked to cataracts, so a pair with full UVA and UVB protection is worth wearing in every season.

**Q: Do you need sunglasses in the snow?**
Yes. Fresh snow reflects about 80 per cent of the sun's UV rays, so the eyes receive light from above and from the ground at the same time. Without protection this can cause photokeratitis, or snow blindness, a painful burn on the surface of the eye that brings redness, a gritty feeling and blurred vision. The risk rises at altitude. Choose lenses that block 99 to 100 per cent of UVA and UVB, and consider polarised lenses and a wraparound shape for skiing.

**Q: How do I choose sunglasses for my face shape?**
A common rule is to choose a frame that contrasts with the shape of your face. Round faces tend to suit square or angular frames, while square faces are softened by round or oval frames. Oval faces suit most shapes, and heart-shaped faces often suit frames that are wider at the bottom, such as aviators. Fit matters as much as shape: the frame should sit level, not press on the temples, and cover the eyes fully from the front.