Never Lose Your Sunnies Again: Meet The Canadian Founder Reinventing Luxury Eyewear (Win!)

What if your favourite sunglasses were as practical as they were beautiful? Canadian entrepreneur Natalie Gulliver is making that idea a reality with Rosa Rims, a luxury eyewear brand that combines handcrafted Italian frames with elegant, jewelry-inspired chains designed to be worn on and off your sunglasses. Inspired by Mediterranean summers, timeless style and the realities of busy modern life, Gulliver has created a collection that proves luxury isn’t just about looking good—it’s about living beautifully. We caught up with the founder to talk about the inspiration behind Rosa Rims, designing for women on the go and why the best accessories are the ones you’ll actually use every day. —Noa Nichol

Rosa Rims feels like it was made for long lunches on the Amalfi Coast, afternoons by the lake and busy days that effortlessly turn into evenings out. How did your own summers—and your love of life near the water—inspire the brand’s aesthetic and functionality?

I’ve always loved places where the day has absolutely no agenda. Summers at our cottage, weeks in the south of Europe, afternoons that start with a swim, become a long lunch, accidentally turn into aperitivo, and somehow end with everyone still sitting around the same table hours later.

I realized pretty quickly that my sunglasses were the one thing that never kept up. They were either shoved in my bag, left on a restaurant table, balanced on my head, or sitting at the bottom of a lake. There had to be a better way.

Rosa Rims started because I wanted sunglasses that could actually live the kind of life I wanted to live. I didn’t want to keep taking them on and off. I wanted to wear them. That’s why the chain isn’t an afterthought. It’s part of the design. Your sunglasses become something between an accessory and a piece of jewelry that’s always with you, whether you’re jumping off a boat, wandering through a market, or going straight from the dock to dinner.

The aesthetic came from all of those places I love. It’s a little Mediterranean, a little cottage, a little old money without taking itself too seriously. I wanted everything to feel timeless and effortless. The kind of pieces that make you feel slightly more put together, even if your hair is salty, you’ve been wearing the same linen shirt for three days, and dinner wasn’t actually part of the plan until about twenty minutes ago.

Luxury often asks us to be precious with our accessories, but Rosa Rims encourages people to actually live in theirs. Why was it so important to design sunglasses that could keep up with real life instead of simply looking beautiful?

Because I don’t think luxury should be intimidating. Some of my favourite things are the ones that are a little worn in because they’ve actually been part of my life.

I’ve spent years buying beautiful sunglasses only to spend the entire day worrying about them. Where do I put them? Will they fall off the boat? Did I leave them at lunch? It felt ridiculous that something designed for sunny days was as easily misplaced as the sunscreen.

I wanted to make something that solved that problem without sacrificing design. The chain isn’t there because it’s fashionable. It’s there because it makes your sunglasses easier to live with. The fact that it also looks beautiful is a bonus.

For me, luxury isn’t about owning something delicate that sits in a case. It’s about creating something you’ll reach for every single day because it makes your life a little easier and a little more beautiful. It’s made well, with great craftsmanship and materials, and made to last. Those are the products people actually fall in love with.

Every frame is handcrafted in Italy, while the brand itself was born in Canada. How did you balance Italian craftsmanship with a distinctly Canadian approach to practicality and everyday style?

I’ve always loved the way Italian women approach style. There’s a confidence to it, but it never feels overworked. It’s chic yet practical, a little undone, and somehow still completely pulled together. That sensibility was a huge part of the inspiration for Rosa Rims.

The craftsmanship mattered because I wanted the frames to feel special. The weight, the acetate, the finish, the little details you may not notice right away but feel every time you put them on. That part comes from Italy. Italians are masters at their craft. 

But the function came from my actual life here, which is much less “long lunch in linen” and much more “where are my keys, why is someone wet, and how am I already late?” I’m at the cottage, in the car, on a boat, in a meeting, at school pickup, running into dinner with sunglasses somewhere between my face, my bag, and the floor.

So the balance was really about taking that Italian sense of beauty and ease, and building it around a busier life. I wanted sunglasses that felt elevated, but didn’t ask you to behave like the vacation version of yourself.

The interchangeable chains transform from eyewear accessories into necklaces in seconds, making them feel as much like jewelry as sunglasses. Did you always envision Rosa Rims as a hybrid between fashion and function, or did that evolution happen organically?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve always believed that good design starts with function. If something doesn’t solve a real problem, it’s just decoration. But function alone isn’t enough either. To me, the best design is where function comes first and beauty follows. You need both.

That was the philosophy behind Rosa Rims from day one.

The chains were never meant to be an add-on. They were designed to solve a problem by keeping your sunglasses with you, but if they were going to be around your neck all day, they also had to be something you’d actually want to wear. That’s when they naturally became jewelry too.

I love that people can take the chain off their sunglasses and wear it as a necklace without thinking twice. It feels effortless, which is usually a sign that the design is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Each silhouette is named after a woman with an unforgettable point of view—from the glamorous Edna to the effortlessly cool Andie. Who are the women who inspired this collection, and what do you hope every customer feels when she puts on her perfect pair?

Muriel Edna was my grandmother, so naming two of our frames after her felt incredibly special. She was funny, glamorous when she wanted to be but refused a bra when sitting in the yard. She was fiercely independent, and completely herself. She would remind us constantly that you never judge a person until you’ve walked a day in their shoes… and therefore we should not judge others because life is hard enough. She was a huge part of the inspiration behind Rosa, which is really an homage to the women who teach us that life gets better when you stop worrying so much about what everyone else thinks.

The other names came from people I’ve known, admired, or imagined. They all have one thing in common: they have a point of view. They’re not trying to blend in. They know who they are, and they’re much more interested in being interesting than being perfect.

That’s really what I hope people feel when they put on a pair of Rosa Rims. Not like they’re becoming someone else, but like they’re stepping into a version of themselves that’s a little bolder. The version that maybe says yes to another drink, starts the conversation with the stranger, wears the outfit anyway, and apologizes a little less for being the loud one and oversharing.

I always say Rosa isn’t really a person. She’s an energy. I think everyone already has a little bit of her. The sunglasses are just a reminder to let her out.

As we head into patio season, beach weekends and summer travel, what are your favourite ways to style Rosa Rims? Do you have a go-to frame-and-chain pairing that’s become your signature for the season? 

It’s funny because my favourite pair changes depending on the season I’m in. The Muriel is probably my favourite silhouette we make, but I actually can’t wear it. I have a fairly big head and wide cheekbones, so it’s just a touch too narrow on me. If I could wear them though, it’d be the Milk Tortoise Muriel with the pearl chain. That’s the dream for a long patio dinner in the city or a summer wedding.

Day to day, I’m usually reaching for the blue Gigis with something a little unexpected, like the Cana, Tobago, or Dozen Dreams chain. It feels playful without trying too hard.

I’ve also become much braver with colour. I wore almost exclusively black for years, but now I’ll happily wear burgundy shorts, a faded blue shirt, purple suede Nikes, and throw on a green jacket if it gets chilly. It sounds like I got dressed from a box of crayons, but somehow it all works because the tones work together.

The Green Martini Andies are also special. They have just enough personality without taking over the outfit. Whether it’s patio season, an outdoor concert, or a music festival, they make everything feel a little more fun.

Win! A $645 Rose Rims Sunnies + Chain Combo!

One lucky Canadian winner will receive a $645 Rose Rims Sunnies + Chain Combo: the Muriel Frame in black and the Cana chain in Blue Onyx! To enter, follow @rose_rims and @vitadailymedia on Instagram and follow the entry rules on our corresponding post. Contest opens July 8, 2026 and closes July 15, 2026. Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadailymedia. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding. Full contest rules/regulations here.