For being the Warby Parker of Warby Parkers. It’s not just a company—it’s a category. As the eyewear maker opened four more brick-and-mortar stores, closed a $41.5 million round of funding, collaborated with the likes of the musician Beck, and expanded its staff to 300, it set the standard for merging online and real-world commerce while maximizing its cool. This inspired other e-commerce startups to explain themselves as “the Warby Parker of [fill in the blank]”—from Cory Vines (gym clothes) to True&Co (bras)—either as an easy shorthand or to just ape some of Warby’s glow.
