An Anti-anti-aging eyewear brand bets America is finally ready to embrace getting older

Keiro no Hi honors elders in Japan, while Hindu Vanaprastha frames later years as spiritual depth and accumulated authority. In the United States, negative age stereotypes drive higher healthcare spending and workplace discrimination reduces productivity. The anti-aging industry grows by treating aging as something to reverse. Despite this, older women are increasingly visible in fashion, including runway openings and major brand modeling. Caddis, an eyewear brand for older customers, argues that aging is being misunderstood. Its “Yet” campaign reframes later life as “the space between now and next,” using examples like “You haven’t gotten your doctorate. Yet” to shift mindset toward continued learning and new experiences.

"According to the World Health Organization, ageism in the form of negative age stereotypes costs the United States $63 billion a year in excess healthcare spending. An AARP study estimated that age discrimination in the workplace cost the U.S. economy $850 billion in lost productivity in 2018. Meanwhile, the global anti-aging industry - built on the premise that aging is a problem to be reversed - is forecast to grow from roughly $80 billion in 2025 to nearly $150 billion within a decade."

"Last month, The New York Times Magazine ran a cover story chronicling the unprecedented spike in older women walking fashion week: 50-year-old Stephanie Cavalli opening Chanel, 61-year-old Mariacarla Boscono walking for Tom Ford and Miu Miu, Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren modeling for L'Oréal Paris."

"Tim Parr-the founder of an eyewear brand called Caddis that targets older customers-saw this moment coming a decade ago. Historically, Americans have tended to treat aging as an embarrassment. Parr believes his generation-Gen X-has no intention of following this playbook. They want to stay fashion-forward and keep pursuing their careers and passions."

"Caddis is now launching its biggest argument that we're thinking about aging wrong in a new campaign called "Yet." It is meant to capture what Parr calls "the space between now and next." "You haven't gotten your doctorate. Yet," he says. "You haven't learned to surf in Costa Rica. Yet. It's a very simple way of changing mindset.""

Read at Fast Company