James Ay transforms into AY Studios and adds a new collection of travel bags to its range, bringing the dream of being a leisure brand that embraces the sun one step closer.

Since 2019, James Ay has been designing and producing sunglasses with meticulous aesthetics and consideration for the world around us. Founder Torben Holt says, “We love designing sunglasses, and we are both proud and humble for each person who chooses to wear a pair of AY’s, so thank you very much.” He continues, “Now the time has come to take the next step, and under the same design philosophy, we are expanding our collection. This means we are changing our name to AY STUDIOS.”

Moving forward, AY STUDIOS will also present a collection of travel bags made from recycled nylon for life’s small and big adventures. “We are excited to introduce a series of travel bags for long journeys into the unknown and everyday trips. All products developed by AY STUDIOS will continue to be designed with the same meticulous aesthetics and environmental consideration. There’s nothing new under the sun,” smiles the founder, who adds, “Even though we are changing our name to AY STUDIOS, you can still find James Ay sunglasses, which will also be branded as AY’s in the future, as can already be seen on the lenses.”

The bag collection includes cases for sunglasses, toiletry bags, cross-body bags, laptop bags, backpacks, and weekend bags made from recycled nylon with YKK zippers. Additionally, they are water resistant, making them suitable for travel in the Danish summer weather.

James Ay had become locked into sunglasses. Therefore, the company could only continue its journey by starting a years-long legal battle against an opponent with far greater resources and an extremely narrow focus on keeping competitors at bay. This obstacle has now turned into an advantage, and the company sees it as an opportunity to accelerate what they have wanted to do for a long time – to expand its focus and embrace more than just sunglasses while still holding on to the same design philosophy.