Clint Eastwood Is also Considering an Eyewear Line

Another Hollywood star could soon be making an entry into the world of eyewear. After the collections launched by Joan Collins and Joe Pantaliano, it's now the turn of Clint Eastwood, the actor made famous as much by Sergio Leone's westerns as by the Inspector Callaghan character. Eastwood is in fact one of the founders of Tehama, Inc., an up-and-coming US company that specializes in golfwear. Now it wants to diversify its production by adding an eyewear collection to its catalog (the McGee Group has had the exclusive license for Tehama eyewear and theexclusive use of Mr. Eastwood in connection with the brand since 1998) in addition to watches, perfumes, and underwear.

'We want to make Tehama a global brand', explained Nancy Haley, the entrepreneur who, during an informal meeting seven years ago, suggested to Clint Eastwood, her husband's golfing partner, that he join the sportswear company. The reference model is Ralph Lauren, the brand created in 1967 and now present on international markets with a series of products that range from clothing to perfumes, from eyewear to hats, from bags to belts.

Tehama (whose name is taken from an extinct American Indian tribe and means abundance of nature) was established in April 1997 (the first clothing collection appeared in August of the same year) and its billings in 2002 were 20 million dollars, whereas in the first quarter of 2003 sales increased by 45% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Oriented mainly towards the world of golf, the company intends to gradually move its target, aiming to become 'a lifestyle line', continued Haley, the present Ceo, 'which includes clothes that are just as suitable on the golf course as they are for going to dinner, clubs, etc.'.

Diversification is also a necessity: 'when you reach the top in a field you must change, because it's difficult to stay successful: the market becomes saturated and people get tired of you. Potential clients are always looking for something new. The companies that sink faster are the ones that were big but weren't capable of changing'.

Over the next three years, Tehama wants to increase its billings to 50 million dollars. 'At that point', concludes Haley, 'we'll have to decide what to do: get listed on the stock exchange, sell or merge with someone else'.