Sunglasses Hut

Knowing that the company is owned by Luxotticca, a company that owns 80% of the eyewear industry and makes a fortune on putting a large price on mediocre to very poor eyewear. I did not have big expectations on entering the Oxford Street store.

I was delightfully surprised to find the staff were incredibly knowledgable of the industry and it was great to discuss their thoughts of the Luxotticca brand and the origins of different styles of glasses. We discussed the products and the brands, they agreed that they hate the fact the eyewear is produced incredibly cheaply and that it can be sold at such a huge price. However they love the products and they feel each of the brands are able to hold a their price range due to how they are marketed.

After trying a few pairs of sunglasses, i was surprised to find the quality to be quite high and felt great on my face. For the eyewear not being top of the range and sold to the mass market, my opinion has completely changed. I would consider buying a Ray Ban or Oakley. Many of the products are very tacky and would look terrible on, but if chosen correctly the perfect everyday pair might well be within the store.

Cubitts

Following up on my previous post on the same brand, Cubitts is a small store between Soho and Oxford St. From the outside, the store looks fresh and thriving with customers. The window displays their most intriguing shapes within glass domes.

Walking into the store i saw very few ranges of sunglasses, but they all came in the same shapes and colours of acetate and gave the impression of a wide collection. The staff seemed slightly unfriendly and reserved, but otherwise i delighted in the idea that there is the impression of an eyewear company thriving that is not owned by Luxotticca. All the shapes were classic but had the simple acetates and a mix of the more unusual and contemporary.

Vintage Optical, Portobello

Today, i was informed about an eyewear collection hidden at the back of a vintage store, so i went along to Portobello and searched for the hidden gem! The store is called Vintage Optical.
And what a gem it is!! The collection of eyewear is VAST! I had an amazing time talking to the shop assistant, as he explained the store uses the vintage frames as a reference and then recreates the wanted design at the back of the store, using handmade acetate sourced from Italy. I think this concept is great.

After spending about 2 hours in the store, i looked over and tried on hundreds of wonderful and ludicrous frames. The shop assistant, Fergus, was great to talk with about the entire eyewear industry and the thoughts of where the industry is heading.
Despite 80% of the eyewear industry being taken over by Luxottica (a huge monopoly which includes Rayban and many easy and cheaply manufactured products) he feels there is still a large market for quality, and unique, striking frames.

Wolf & Badger

This is a really great concept store full of emerging designers who rent out a space to hold clothing, jewellery or sunglasses. the presentation of the store is very contemporary and holds some incredibly beautiful products.
 Within the store there is a great new eyewear brand 'Taylor Morris', set up in 2013. The glasses arent particulary very unusual but are claimed to hold high quality and are sold at a reasonable price.

Eyewear; A Visual History

Today i found a brilliant book on eyewear that i have not previously come across. Inside are some crazy conceptions and products that i had not previously come across. This book is always on hand in the design department of Linda Farrow and i can easily see many references to recent collections.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in either eyewear of vintage accessories.

I recently joined up to the british library to explore their shelves and their excellent business and entrepreneurship advice. However i am completely baffled at how to use the library.It seems to me that people type on a computer to search their required book, they are then approached by a librarian that shall hand them the book. I'm not sure i like this idea, it completely defeats the reason why i joined and it makes the place very unwelcoming.

Visiting Boutiques in my Lunch Break

After researching eyewear blogs within London, i found quite a few within walking distance to the LF HQ.  During my lunch break i decided to have a browse and became unexpectedly surprised at my first impressions of the store and the way the brand they present theirselves.

Darkroom

this is a boutique that sells a whole manner of very cool homeware items and also a few pairs of sunglasses too! I love the way the store looks, the colours and layout, and the way it really contributes to cool factor it seems to own. I would LOVE to purchase from this store, especially the minimalist mobile sculptures. The staff were super friendly and i will definetely visit again soon!

Schuller opticians

The next store i visited was the opticians, Schuller. They have a vast range of alternative eyewear (none owned by Luxottica) that are very fun and surprisingly flattering. The staff are very welcoming and knowledgable about every product. They also have a small line of great sunglasses mainly created by Mykita, a fashion forward brand with flattering shapes. These beautiful frames do not come without a rather large price rand of around £350-400. However, if you would like a perfect, alternative pair of frames with efficient service with a wonderful smile, do not miss this place.

Also the inside was rather glamorous and i did have to find a pair of balls to enter.

Oliver Spencer

This is a brand that i have heard of very recently as they have recently changed their production of their eyewear back to collaborate with Linda Farrow. The sales assistant was very knowledgable of the Linda Farrow brand and it was great to hear from the horses mouth what the next design direction would be. This brand is mainly a menswear brand that also has a range of unisex eyewear. 

Also today i found a tenner on the floor, went to Harrods after work, then went half way to oxford and back in my cousins new convertible BMW! 

overall a very good day 

Karen Walker

Karen Walker is a massively exciting company based in New Zealand which provides all fashion porducts but is highly famed by their sunglasses range. KW produces very fashion forward frames with energetic advertising. They sell their products globally within boutiques and high end fashion stores, at a mid-range price between $300-$400 (NZ).

Their range of products are very easy-wear and will flatter most face shapes. The frames are bold and striking, using brilliant shades of tortoishell and clean cut contrasting lines on black frames. The designs are very youthful and portrays the company image to be lighthearted and easy going.

I enjoyed seeing their products within Harvey Nicholls, they were one of the most quirky and interesting brands in the sunglasses department. I wish i could visit their HQ, see their product and learn more about their brand, however they are all out in Auckland.... maybe one day.