Sunglasses buyers and sellers, wholesalers and retailers, certainly see the light! And, not only the ultra-violet beta kind. Besides blocking UVBs and protecting our eyes, sunglasses are all about making a statement.

Sunglasses say:

I’m a team sports fan or motorcyclist always leaning into the wind. I’m the Undiscovered Celebrity hiding from paparazzi or Trendy Club Crawler in these wrap-around designer shades. Would you believe Surfer Betty or Dashing Aviator, sporting minimalist oval lenses and wire-framed sunglasses to prove it?

Whether you’re looking to supply demand for uber-Cool Shades, Kiddie beach wear, haut couture look-alikes or genuine, imitation knockoffs from popular films and outer space, there’s a wholesale supplier who has pre-packs, display racks and discount-priced small lots ready to ship.

Here’s a look at hot sunglasses trends, buyer demands and niche market needs. Just in time for the big Summer Trade Shows.

1. Branded & Demanded Sunglasses

Top Ten Searched Sunglasses (reported by Google-assisted AOL Search in April 2009) were:

1. Oakley Sunglasses – Popularized by athletes who like durable, glare-reducing lenses. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France wearing Oakleys, as did 88 medalists from the Beijing Olympics.

2. Maui Jim Sunglasses – Standard attire for beachcombers, surfer wannabes

3. Ray Bans – Coolest of hot sunglasses since the 1980s, like the aviators worn by Tom Cruise in the film “Top Gun” and as protection from Total Memory Erase in the black-framed Ray Bans worn by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in “Men In Black.” Ray Bans are back: In fashion, In demand. In celebrity photo spreads.

4. Chanel – Over-sized, wrap-around sunglasses adopted as fashion signature by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis over 40 years ago, and by today’s young Hollywood stars (Nicole Richie, Mary-Kate Olson)

5. Prada
6. Gucci
7. Ed Hardy
8. Coach
9. Dior

10. Marc Jacobs – a designer name that shows up on apparel, shoes and accessories, as well as sunglasses.

Jay-Y Enterprises is a premier dealer of designer style and licensed sunglasses at competitive wholesale prices. Jay-Y imports directly from the manufacturer, to save “middleman markup” costs, and distributes best-selling designer lines, including: DG, Vintage DG, DG Ski Goggles; Locs and Locas, Choppers, Biohazard, Bikers, Princess. X-Loop, Relic, Aviator, Retro Optix, Road Warrior and USA Eagle. Jay-Y also wholesales licensed MLB and NFL sunglasses.

Here’s a quick peek sample of Jay-Y Sunglasses offerings::

2. Wholesale Replica, Discount, Designer Look-alike Sunglasses

Very marketable through shopping mall carts, street fairs and online accessories sites, replica sunglasses look much like designer brands – though they’re not exact duplicates, and should never be represented as brand named Adidas, Anarchy, Armani, Aviators, Black Fly, Bolle, Brighton, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Chloe, Chopper, Christian Dior, Diesel, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gargoyles, Gucci, Guess, Harley, Juicy, Kenneth Cole, Liz Claiborne, Locs, Louis Vuitton, Nautica, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Revo, Roxy, Serengeti, Versace or Vogue.

The difference is a retail sale cost that’s a fraction of the original brand’s price and a high-margin sale for resellers who buy at wholesale discount rates.

Find designer line sunglasses and their replicas — both at wholesale discounts — by searching at wholesale supplier industry sites, such as Sunglasses at TopTenWholesale Search, or product directory listings for Sunglasses Wholesalers at Wholezilla.com.

Or check on wholesale replica sunglasses and accessories available from CTS Wholesale Sunglasses, who also markets an exclusive line of sports sunglasses – Xsportz™ — highlighted below.

3. Hot Sports, Cool Sunglasses

Xsportz is CTS Wholesale’s exclusive sunglasses line featuring sporty and rugged styling, at competitive wholesale prices, shipped packaged in signature Xsportz logo display boxes.

Check out the Xsportz link above to see variations on the sports sunglasses theme, including Men’s Xsportz with UV 400 protection …

and Xsportz styles with fashion color lenses.

And, while you’re at the CTS Wholesale Sunglasses site, browse through their navigation list: Designer Eyewear … Camouflage, Flashing, Gemstone and Hologram Sunglasses … Clip Ons and Goggles … Novelty, Vintage, Polarized and Shutter Shade Sunglasses.

4. Sunglasses To Save Face, Fashion and Planet Earth – While Factoring in Fun and Funky

Blue Gem Sunglasses – part of Blue Planet Eyewear – offers wholesale and fashion sunglasses for Men, Women and Kids with a point of view.

· Blue Gem Couture Collection of designer sunglasses. (See #1 above: Branded and Demanded Sunglasses.)

· Fun & Funky

From this small sampling above of Blue Gem Fun & Funky, can you see the difference between a Blues Brother and a Buddy (Holly)? Between Morpheus (The Matrix) and Lolita … I mean, besides their lens shapes? Or what separates sunglasses-wearing Watusis from Celestials or Batcats?

· Prepack Displays

Racking the trendiest styles and colors.

· Cowboys & Angels is Blue Gem’s versatile collection of eyewear for kids … with child-appealing styles and colors, plus parent-pleasing 100% protection from the sun’s ultra-violet rays

· NEW & GREEN: Blue Planet Recycled Planet-friendly recycled eyewear featuring: 100% recycled frames with first-quality lenses. Non-toxic lead-free paints, dyes and colorings in their manufacturing process. And more sustainable shipping and packaging, by using 65% post-consumer materials for boxes and packages.

Blue Planet Recycled sunglasses also look good while they save the planet’s resources …

5. Sunglasses & Eyewear for Every Need

Asia Pacific Trading Company, a wholesaler of sunglasses and optical frames, has a solution for every eyewear need.

From Kid & Baby Sunglasses

To Reading Glasses, Driving Glasses and Safety Glasses

From Motorcycle Glasses, Ski and Swimming Goggles

To Biker Goggles, Clip-Ons and Polarized Revos