The Best Eyewear Brands In The World Today

Expert spectacles or sunglasses can be hard to find. Having to squint in the concurrently doesn't help. But nor does the fact that there are seemingly as many indistinguishable eyewear brands on the marketplace equally there are light receptors in your retinas (seven million, FYI).

Calculation to the defoliation, many are owned or made by a handful of companies: of the list below, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol and Oliver Peoples are all owned by Italian conglomerate Luxottica, while Tom Ford is produced in partnership with the smaller Marcolin. Eyewear is also notorious every bit a category where mark-ups are center-watering (as much as 250 per cent on frames and 800 per cent on lenses, according to a Guardian article near "Big Lens".)

Gauging quality is difficult as well: tightening a few screws can be plenty for a brand to merits that frames are "fabricated" – or even "handmade" – in a country.

Whether you get what you pay for in terms of materials and construction is one question, but sometimes you're paying for design or full-blooded, which at least is worth more than a random non-eyewear designer label on your frames' arms.

So with that caveat, these 12 brands have historically had a rep for good optics, or are fast building one.

Ace & Tate

A play on common frame cloth acetate, Ace & Tate, founded in 2013, is often dubbed the European respond to Warby Parker, which disrupted the American eyewear market place with its direct-to-consumer model a decade ago.

Like its Us counterpart, Ace & Tate is able to slash prices by cut out middlemen and production chain profligacy: its Amsterdam-designed styles, which are handmade in Italia or China, somehow cost less than £100 in some cases – with prescription lenses. Information technology also provides a free try-at-home service if you lot can't look in on its London, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow stores. Ace.

Cardinal Styles

Ray-Ban

"Anti-Glare" doesn't quite have the same ring. Then afterward launching its teardrop-shaped shades, designed to protect the areas not covered by U.s.a. Air Force pilots' helmets and masks, to the general public in 1937, Bausch & Lomb wisely redubbed them "Ray-Ban" the following yr.

It'southward more than famous as a sunglasses brand just many of its famous styles – including the Wayfarer, Clubmaster and Aviator – are also available as opticals, worn past everyone from Malcolm X to Seth Rogen. Today, Ray-Bans are equally evocative as the Top Gun soundtrack, and as ageless equally Tom Cruise in the sequel.

Key Styles

Cubitts

A direct-to-consumer brand, yes, but i that feels reassuringly expensive enough to be stocked at the discerning likes of Mr Porter and Liberty. Cubitts founder Tom Broughton made his kickoff pair of frames at his kitchen table in London's Rex'southward Cross in 2013; the store in that location and in nearby Coal Drops Yard are 2 of its eight outposts beyond the capital, which offer eye tests for £25 if you purchase frames, plus sunglasses (prescription and otherwise), transitions lenses, made-to-mensurate and bespoke.

NB speccing your specs is genuinely expensive: from £725, with a £200 premium for real buffalo horn.

Key Styles

Kirk Originals

Exactly a century ago, the Kirks were making clothes and buttons in London's Clerkenwell when they had the vision to diversify. It wasn't until the nineties though that the company, at i point in its 100-year history the largest spectacle frame maker in the majuscule, discovered a body total of fifties and sixties styles in its archive that informed its Originals range.

A hit on the vibrant social club scene, the reissues adorned tastemaking magazines such as The Confront and Arena, and music makers such every bit Haven, Sir Mick Jagger, Paul Weller and Morrissey. The brand'southward showroom has since relocated to Blackfriars.

Primal Styles

Persol

While Ray-Ban was just a glint in American pilots' narrowed eyes, Italian optician and photographer Guiseppe Ratti in 1917 invented "Protectors" which took off with air forces worldwide every bit well every bit race drivers and, er, poets. (Persol is a contraction of "per il sole", meaning "for the dominicus").

Over a century later, the folding 714 sunglasses that style kingmaker Steve McQueen wore in 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair remains by far the near famous of the make's models, but the brand's opticals likewise bear the aforementioned vintage styling and trademark freccia or arrow on the hinges and artillery, "inspired by the swords of ancient warriors". Non their arrows?

Key Styles

Finlay & Co

Another in the Warby Parker mould, this upstart British start-up has a "rebellious spirit", which is perhaps why Liam Gallagher wore its Hamilton sunglasses at Glasto. Noel is also a fan of Finlay & Co's frames, which are sported by staff at several sites of run across-and-be-seen fellow member's guild Soho House, as is David Gandy.

The individualistic frames are "handmade by eyewear artisans located in the foothills of the Italian alps", which is delightfully evocative if nil else. In addition to heart tests, you lot'll find a selection of independent brands in its Soho, London store, including Table salt (run across below).

Key Styles

Oliver Peoples

Only in America could a brand founded in 1987 market itself as "heritage". But Oliver Peoples did draw heavily from vintage United states of america frames for its initial understated collections, in precipitous contrast to brash, bright late-eighties eyewear.

The Sunset Boulevard institution is a fixture in Hollywood, worn past Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and Tyler Durden in Fight Club. (The limited-edition re-release of the latter model wasn't in the anti-consumerist spirit, but hey.) Oliver Peoples has as well created homages to Gregory Peck'southward specs in To Impale a Mockingbird and Cary Grant's gegs in North by Northwest.

Primal Styles

Tom Ford

Few way designers accept Tom Ford'south ability to enter and own product categories, and boss them. Similar Tom Ford colognes and beauty, his eyewear is some of the most sought later in the earth.

So good an advertisement was the multitalented Mr Ford'south directorial debut, 2009 picture show A Single Man, that he was forced to release a manner based on Best Histrion BAFTA winner Colin Firth's particularly made frames: the TF 5178. The giveaway argent T at the temples is besides visible on Daniel Craig'due south "secret" agent James Bail in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.

Fundamental Styles

Oakley

Started in 1975 in the garage of Californian motorbike salesman Jim Jannard, Oakley fabricated grips for motocross before branching out into goggles, which he trimmed down and added coat hangers to in order to cease the setting sunday side-blinding him while driving parallel to the ocean. Loftier-tech wraparounds played well with athletes, including Michael Hashemite kingdom of jordan, and Tom Cruise, who wore a self-destructing pair in 2000'south Mission: Incommunicable 2.

Oakley exploded in popularity before its ubiquity detonated its cool factor; always functional, it's stylish one time more thanks to nineties nostalgia, dad style and Palace. And it's non but the divisive sports sunglasses: the opticals are arguably a lot more wear.

Key Styles

Oliver Goldsmith

An OG in two senses, Oliver Goldsmith was established in 1926, just earlier eyewear became status-symbol accessories: it was the first eyewear brand to collaborate with style houses for the catwalk, announced in Vogue and find favour with celebrities such as Peter Sellers, John Lennon and Michael Caine.

The latter mode eye-con frequently wore OG off screen and on, notably every bit spy Harry Palmer in 1965'due south The Ipcress File ("Do you lot always vesture your glasses?" "Yeah. Except in bed.") Unusually for the oligopoly that is opticals, the business remains in the family: Oliver'south great-grandaughter Claire oversees it today.

Key Styles

Viu Eyewear

Another relative newcomer to the market, Viu does blueprint-led frames that you can attempt on at home or at one of its growing number of flagship stores across Europe. Priding itself on a transparent production process, its glasses are designed in Switzerland and fabricated in either Italy or Japan.

Designs are cut edge in more means than one. Also as fashion-forward frames, some are made using 3D press technology to minimise waste product.

Key Styles

Salt

Another native of California, Salt has only been going since 2006 but is nevertheless seasoned: founder Aaron Behle previously worked for Oakley and surfwear label Reef, while head designer David Rose was at Oliver Peoples and on the Quiksilver surf team.

That background is reflected in the form and functionality of its wares: the durable frames are made in Nihon by third-generation manufacturers while the make'southward sunglasses characteristic useful anti-glare polarised lenses. The "memory metal" in its collab with outdoors brand Aether even bends back by itself.

Key Styles

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Source: https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/best-eyewear-brands/

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