Searching for high-quality, exceptionally stylish glasses? Your quest ends here with our list of the best eyewear brands. Explore the list and find out the best one for you!
It may be challenging to find decent sunglasses or glasses. In the meanwhile, putting a strain on your eyes is not a solution. However, the fact that there appear to be as many identical spectacles brands on the marketplace as photoreceptors in your optic nerves does not help.
The perfect frames, whether goggles or optical, may radically transform a person’s appearance. They get more use than practically everything else you own, last a lifetime if properly cared for, and frequently become a trademark of the wearer’s particular style.
Also, most working professionals spend most of their time in front of computers or laptop screens, which brings a lot of strain on the eyes. Using computer glasses can help in such a scenario. They filter out blue rays emitted by computers or laptops and provide visual comfort to wearers.
Consider Steve Jobs, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, or Larry David – a handful of guys whose spectacles are as well-known as they are.
So, why is it that eyeglasses are often an unnecessary expense? Surely, anything as significant as your appearance warrants thoughtful consideration? We surely believe so. That’s why we’ve prepared a list of the world’s best FrameMaker, so you can abandon the £20 dairy product spectacles and treat your sight to the quality and workmanship they demand.
In this article, we bring you the list of the 10 best eyewear brands you can explore.
Whether you wish to protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays or the blue light emitted by computers or laptops, the following list of eyewear brands has you covered.
1. Ray-Ban
Founded by: Bausch & Lomb in 1936
Bausch & Lomb designed the esteemed Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses for the United States Army Air Corps. The anti-glare lenses were the first to be used in spectacles. When General Douglas MacArthur was spotted wearing them during WWII, Ray-Bans became extremely popular. Ray-Bans became popular in the United States.
“Anti-Glare” will not have the same feel to it. So, after releasing teardrop-shaped sunglasses to the wider populace in 1937 to defend the regions not encompassed by US Air Force pilots’ headgear and shields, Bausch & Lomb cleverly renamed them “Ray-Ban” the next year. The name was derived from the ability of glasses to protect eyes from UV or infrared rays.
Ray-Ban enhanced the Wayfarer color possibilities in 2007, creating Wayfarer frames with color combinations like gold on black and scarlet on tortoise shell. It has thousands of unisex designs available as shades, prescription spectacles, and versions designed exclusively for men, women, and children.
The Wayfarer and Aviator lines of sunglasses from Ray-Ban are widely popular. The company produces lenses using cutting-edge technology that reduces glare and improves color contrast. Polarized lenses reduce even more glare, making them a perfect option for sports and outdoor activities.
Some popular Ray-Ban models include Wayfarer, Aviator, Clubmaster, Erika, Justin, Round Metal, and Hexagonal.
2. Oakley Inc.
Founded by: Jim Jannard in 1975
Oakley Inc. is one of the premium American eyewear brands in Lake Forest, California. The company is a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica, an Italian-French multinational corporation. It manufactures a wide range of sport performance instruments, including eyeglasses, sunglasses, safety glasses, sports visors, ski/snowboard goggles, optical frames, shoes, etc.
Jim Jannard started this brand with an initial investment of $100 and named it after his English Setter, Oakley Anne. The company is well-known for its designs intended for athletics. It maintains the US Standard Issue, providing U.S. military and law enforcement eye protection. Oakley M Frame sunglasses hold a place in the U.S. Army’s Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL).
All glasses from Oakley leverage patented High Definition Optics (HDO) technology for their lenses. This technology helps wearers protect their eyes from harsh UV rays and lets them see clearly.
Some popular Oakley Inc. modes include Holbrook, Gascan, Frogskins, Flak 2.0, Jawbreaker, Batwolf, and Half Jacket 2.0.
3. Warby Parker
Founded by: Jeffrey Raider, Andrew Hunt, Neil Blumenthal, and David Gilboa in 2010
Warby Parker is an American retailer that sells prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses online. In the initial years of its founding, it was intended to be an online retailer. However, with immense popularity, the brand has grown into an offline retailer with around 160 physical store locations in the US and Canada.
The primary aim of the founders in establishing the company was to produce pocket-friendly eyeglasses and sunglasses. They made buying glasses fun and easy with a fraction of the ongoing prices.
What makes it stand out from others is its “Home-Try-On” program. Customers can choose five frames and get them at their doorsteps. They can try those frames and choose one that best fits their needs and appearance.
Some popular Warby Parker models include Percy, Durand, Haskell, Chamberlain, Wilkie, and Laurel.
4. Prada
Founded by: Mario Prada in 1913
Prada is an Italian luxury fashion brand specializing in leather handbags, shoes, travel accessories, and other accessories. Besides, it is widely popular for its iconic fashion sunglasses. Luxottica has a license from Prada to sell its eyewear.
Each eyewear model from Prada has a unique, bold, and stylish design. The brand leverages premium materials, like acetate and metal, to produce highly innovative designs. If you are looking for high-end extra stylish sunglasses, you must consider Prada.
Some popular Prada models include PR 11RS, PR 09RS, PR 01OS, and PR 08RS.
5. Persol
Founded by: Giuseppe Ratti on 1917
Presol is an Italian eyewear brand that produces eyeglasses and optical frames. Giuseppe Ratti, the proprietor of Berry Opticians in Turin, Italy, began producing technically superior glasses in 1917 to meet the needs of pilots and sports drivers. Today, the Persol brand is a darling in the world of cinema because of its ageless style and art-like excellence.
Over a hundred years later, the foldable 714 sunnies that fashion frontrunner Steve McQueen sported in the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair stay perhaps the most popular of the company’s designs. But, the company’s optical frames also carry the same antique aesthetic and signature freccia or arrows on the hinge and forearms. Persol provides several unique editions, including a Steve McQueen trademark.
Some popular Presol models include the Persol 2747S, the Persol PO3207V, and the Persol P00649.
6. Oliver Peoples
Founded by: Kenny Schwartz, Larry Leight and his brother Dennis Leight
Luxottica, an Italian eyewear conglomerate, owns Oliver Peoples, an American luxury eyewear brand. Sunglasses, eyeglasses, and prescription glasses from Oliver People are available online and in departmental stores, fashion boutiques, and Oliver People’s boutiques.
Further, the brand is featured in Bret Easton Ellis’ film American Psycho. Many Hollywood stars wore glasses from Oliver Peoples in films, including Jurassic Park, The Jackal, Man On Fire, and Fight Club. The brand also collaborates with many others, including Isabel Marant, The Row, Master & Dynamic, and Frère.
Some popular Oliver Peoples models include OP-505, OP-100, OP-1955, OP-506, OP-505S, and OP-505T.
7. Carrera
Founded by: Wilhelm Anger in 1956
Wilhelm Anger was an Austrian eyewear maker and pioneer who owned a company named Wilhelm Anger Werker. By taking inspiration from Carrera Panamericana, an open road racing event that took place in Mexico in the early 1950s, he renamed his company to Carrera.
Carrera’s ski goggles won the hearts of many, and became an undisputed winter sports star. At the same time, helmets also gained immense popularity. Together, ski goggles and helmets were extensively sought after by athletes worldwide.
Further, the brand produced several unique models that went popular across the globe. It is known for its innovative and unique designs and out-of-the-box quality.
Some popular Carrera models include Champion, Safari, Carrera 1001, Carrera 6000, Carrera 1085, Flagtop, Pace, and Hot.
8. Kirk Originals
Founded by: Percy and Sidney Kirk (Kirk Brothers) in 1919
Kirk Originals, based in London, debuted in the 1990s. The journey that led there, however, can be linked back to 1919, when people of the Kirk family transformed a sewing machine into an eyeglass maker.
The Originals collection was established when the creators uncovered a trunk of original mid-century Kirk eyeglasses. They started making new versions inspired by the original aesthetics, and the brand rapidly gained a cult following.
Kirk Originals spectacles are now distinguished by traditional forms with subtle modern twists, and they are handcrafted in England from the best materials.
Some popular models include Percy, Orlando, Grant, Stanley, Zeus, Warhol, and Madison.
9. Michael Kors
Founded by: Michael Kors in 1981
Michael Kors, an American fashion designer, began designing garments at the age of 19 and entered the Fashion Institute of Technology. Michael Kors’s eyewear lines, which debuted in 1981, embody the designer’s beauty and elegance. They have traditional frames with superb craftsmanship and embellishments.
Women and men can find the perfect fashion fit from Micheal Kors’s eyewear. Additionally, the brand makes prescription eyewear available for ladies. The most renowned styles of the Kors label are Aviators and large sunglasses.
Besides eyewear, the brand produces ready-to-wear, watches, jewelry, footwear, fragrance, and other fashion accessories.
Popular models from Michael Kors include Adrianna, Pandora, Tabitha, Lon, Abela, Vivianna, and Marrakesh.
10. VIU Eyewear
Founded by: Christian Paul Kaegi, Dominik P. D. Muller, Fabrice Aeberhard, Kilian Wagner, and Peter Kaeser
Viu, another newbie to the marketplace, offers design-led spectacles that you may test on at home or in one of its expanding number of stores around Europe. Its glasses are developed in Switzerland and produced in either Italy or Japan.
In far more ways than just one, the concepts are cutting-edge. In addition to fashionable frames, some are manufactured utilizing 3D printing technology to save waste. The brand aims to produce prescription lenses and sunglasses with a blend of timeless aesthetics and cutting-edge technology.
Viu follows Swiss design principles – high functionality and tasteful understatement. These principles help them achieve high-quality, perfect frames for every personality.
Some popular Viu models include Panto, Lucid, Seberg, Hektor, Arthur, Ena, and Nevio.
11. Moscot
Founded by: Hyman Moscot in 1915
Moscot is a five-generation-owned American luxury eyewear brand. It specializes in producing optical frames and sunglasses. This historic New York company has been creating spectacles since 1915, making it not just one of the world’s oldest eyewear brands but also one of the city’s oldest local enterprises.
Moscot Spirit and Moscot Originals lines provide frames, sunglasses, and eyeglasses ranging from low-profile wire to dramatic and hefty acetate. They are made of different materials, from acetate and metal to beta-titanium. Since its founding, the brand has collaborated with many notable figures and influential brands.
Some popular Moscot models include Miltzen, Lemtosh, Zev, Yukel, Frankie, Nebb, Terry, and Zolman.
12. Salt Optics
Founded by: Aaron Behle in 2006
Salt Optics is yet another premium eyewear brand based in California. It has only been around since 2006. Its creator Aaron Behle has formerly collaborated with Oakley and surfwear company Reef, while design director David Rose has formerly developed for Oliver Peoples and the Quiksilver surf squad.
The brand creates robust frames in Japan by third-generation producers, and sunglasses have beneficial anti-glare polarised lenses. The “memory metal,” in its collaboration with outdoor brand Aether, even folds back on its own.
Some popular Salt Optics models include Dempsey, Meadow, Eddi, Benji, Quin, and Trent.
13. Kate Spade
Founded by: Katherine Noel Brosnahan and Andy Spade in 1993
Kate Spade is an American luxury fashion house. While working as an editor at Mademoiselle, Kate Brosnahan Spade set out to make the attractive and functional handbag she believed didn’t exist. In 1993, she launched six variants of a bag named “Sam,” igniting an accessories movement by combining elegant designs and vivid palettes in a novel way.
Stationary, pocket planners, contact lists, shoes, cosmetic goods, perfume, raincoats, pajamas, apparel, and eyeglasses are among the products designed and sold by the firm, which is now a Tapestry, Inc. trademark.
Kate Spade glasses come in traditional and modern forms, with eye-catching patterns and vibrant color palettes. The company also sells women’s sunglasses and eyewear.
Some popular Kate Spade models include Lucyann, Skira, Blakely, Johanna, Amara, and Annika.
14. Cubitts
Founded by: Tom Broughton in 2012
Usually, eyewear companies have their initial pair of frames manufactured in a facility, but not Cubitts. Tom Broughton, the company’s originator, created his first glasses at his kitchen counter in London’s King’s Cross in 2013. Isn’t that hearty?
Cubitts, a British company based in Kings Cross, London, England, creates handcrafted frames and sunglasses. Flash forward to the present, and the company has 15 stores in the UK. Among them, 4 offer bespoke and made-to-measure services. It also runs a workshop teaching how to make spectacles.
The eyeglasses are traditionally handcrafted with handmade Cubitt’s pins. Meanwhile, eye examinations are available on-site for £25 if you purchase a pair of spectacles, sparing you cash and a visit to the doctor.
Some popular Cubitts models include Herbrand, Clerkenwell, Stanhope, Bingfield, Tavistock, Dempsey, and Goodwin.
15. Nike Vision
Founded by: Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight
Nike is well-known for its shoes and the other things it provides to sportsmen. It also has a popular line of eyeglasses with a wide variety of styles. Nike’s eyewear emphasizes technical advancement and cutting-edge workmanship. It has lightweight frames constructed of tough polymers, robust titanium, or stretchy memory alloys.
Men, women, and youngsters can find styles and designs that suit their personalities.
Some popular Nike models include Adrenaline, Vaporwing, Skylon Ace, Terminus, Bandit, and Tailwind.
Conclusion
This was our list of the best eyewear brands to help you buy good quality and stylish specs for yourself or a loved one. Sunglasses make for a great gifting option; if you choose one from this list, you’ll be gifting an irreplaceable one. So, which of these are you planning on buying?
Let us know via the comments. If you own some of these brands, let us know what you like about them.
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