April 29, 2021
African-American and woman-owned RiseAD is announcing the launch of its new online retail channel showcasing art-inspired eyewear. The site, www.RiseArtDesign.com, is tagged as, “Where Art Meets Eyewear.”
The brand’s collections feature an innovative approach that infuses original art, photography, textiles, and designs into its frames. The art in RiseAD’s collaborations lives in galleries, private collections, museums, and even concrete walls.
CEO and Co-Founder Theresa Majeed says the brand offers customers limitless design options. “We want to give people a way to express their individuality,” she says, “while also adding color to the eyewear industry, which is saturated with monochromatic frame colors.”
Launching RiseAD was an opportunity for Majeed to fill the color and style void. Additionally, she noticed there were and still are only a handful of African-American owned eyewear brands. These were her motivations behind launching her art-inspired sunglasses brand.
Majeed conceptualized the business when the Brooklyn neighborhood she and her husband lived in was transforming into one of New York City’s hottest art scenes. Street art and art studios began to pop up all over, changing Bushwick from an industrial wasteland to an open art gallery inside and out of its warehouse spaces.
“This is why our mission is to inspire confidence through artistic and colorful eyewear and build community through creative expression,” Majeed says, “We whole-heartedly believe the culture of art, sports, entertainment, and fashion is ever-changing, always dynamic, never static, and naturally transformative. Individuals create our national and international community, so there must be varying opinions, ideas, talents, and skills.”
Influenced by art from all over the world, RiseAD curates limited edition collections with artists, creators, and designers. Sunglasses include the RAD Aviator, Aviators, Game Changer, TiHiKi, and Optical frames. Current collaborations include artists Dick Griffin, Sam Adoquei, Faheem Majeed, DVNNY, and Tracy Dizon. Upcoming collaborations include Kiki Milele. RiseAD also offers apparel, accessories, and hats.
Majeed previously launched Rise Sport Eyewear with officially licensed collections with the NBA and MLS. A proud graduate of Spelman College, an HBCU, Majeed is a practicing attorney who directed a boutique law firm. She specialized in intellectual property, international licensing, and contract law. She also oversaw an independent music label which produced two #1 hit singles in Europe and licensed its music in more than 25 countries.