SAN DIEGO — A San Diego-founded sunglasses company is going prime time.
All it took was the courage to reach out to NFL legend and current head coach for Colorado University, Deion Sanders, popularly known as Coach Prime, to put the sunglasses company on the map.
"Sunglasses are his trademark. Not only does he like sunglasses as much as we do; he loves loud sunglasses. We specialize in loud eyewear, it's like peanut butter meets jelly," said CEO and Founder of Blenders Eyewear, Chase Fisher.
A perfect combination to make a deal, a big deal.
Fisher met up with Sanders as they worked together on the creative process to make these “Prime 21” shades; named after the coach and his former NFL number.
Sanders handed out 150 pairs to his college team and it doesn’t end there.
Just last week, a feud sparked when the Colorado State coach criticized Sanders for wearing sunglasses.
"With the drama of the CSU coach calling out Coach Prime and throwing shade at him about sunglasses and wearing a hat; it was the perfect storm. We had already been planning a deal but this teed it up perfectly and with that comment, it was an absolute layup," said Fisher.
A perfect storm to create skyrocketing sales.
"Thousands upon thousands upon thousands. We've broken records in Blenders' history. Sales are up 1000% and with Coach Prime, it's insane, honestly," said Fisher.
Fisher says the company has already made more than $1 million.
"The demand is real, Coach Prime is real, we are changing the game truly," said Fisher.
A far cry from where he started. He opened Blenders Eyewear in 2012 in Pacific Beach with only $2,000 in his pocket.
"I sold shades out of my backpack, did street shows, you name it; humble beginnings for sure. It took a lot to get to this point," said Fisher.
You can still order the Prime 21 shades online. The surge of orders is pushing deliveries to December.
Meanwhile, Fisher can’t wait to see what happens next.
"Wow! We took over the internet and now Blenders has become a household name," said Fisher.
Fisher is hoping for more collaborations in the future. If you live in San Diego, they offer 15% off all shades.
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