What is luxury and what makes one thing more luxurious than another? I sometimes ask myself this question when I’m
working with luxury brands selling luxury products at luxury prices. The word
‘luxury’ in itself seems synonymous with expense; in a world saturated with cheaply mass-produced products, you get
what you pay for, right? Luxury comes at a price….
Well, this is not always the case. We may be shocked by the injustice of fast fashion when it surfaces in the
media, but go behind the scenes, and many of the luxury products
we so covet, are not quite as luxurious as we might think. Rarely will
anyone question where products have come from or who has made them, yet with
high mark ups and cheap labour, if we saw how and where these products are
made, we might think twice about the price that we are willing to pay.
I tend to ask a lot of questions, and when I find examples
of what I believe represents true luxury, I genuinely like to endorse it. Having
been working on a project with many high-end tailoring brands recently, I have
become fascinated by the bespoke tailoring process. The time and skills, which
go into crafting a bespoke garment, make it the ultimate mark of luxury and worthwhile investment; a quality
product that is made to last, handcrafted just for you.
Yet pulling myself away from tailoring briefly, perhaps around eight
months ago, I came across a start-up company that was beginning to cause a bit
of a stir. Spreading the hashtag ‘#NeverAccept’ Archibald
Optics believe that luxury should not be defined by price, but instead by
superior design, material and craftsmanship. Observing as Archibald set about
redefining the conventional concept of luxury eyewear, naturally, I had to find out
more. A few months and many twitter interactions
later, I finally met the Archibald team at their base in Notting Hill to dig a
little deeper...
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
Speaking with CEO Rohan Dhir, I learned that the Archibald
journey started with a desire to create the best luxury eyewear using the
finest materials possible, but with a very fair mark up. Not surprisingly in
the online space, the idea of direct to consumer brands has become increasingly
popular; it’s a direct sales model where there is no need for a chain of
middlemen, meaning mark-ups can be
drastically reduced. However, delving further into the eyewear industry, Rohan realised
that there is a big dishonesty in eyewear manufacturing; many opticians and
retail chains were making cheap products of poor quality, and there was a gap
for high-quality eyewear at affordable prices. Glasses are there to protect
your eyes after all; their sole purpose is not just to look good.
Instead of replicating the existing system, Archibald
have taken inspiration from more boutique brands to disrupt the entire eyewear industry, placing honesty, affordability and quality the forefront of their aims. Order from most direct to consumer online luxury stores and
your product is sent straight from a warehouse. Order from Archibald Optics and
your intricately handcrafted product is shipped to you directly from the hands
of a highly skilled and fairly paid craftsman in Japan.
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
The search for manufacturers for Archibald began in China, however, as with many things that don’t turn out as you hoped, but in fact lead you to something better, following an unexpected conversation, Rohin found himself in Fukui, Japan. This small town about six hours outside of Tokyo happens to be at the heart of the finest eyewear production in the world, and partnering with Japanese artisans who are masters in their craft means that every pair of Archibald frames are characterised by a skill and passion that has been passed down for generations.
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
Not surprisingly Archibald’s profile is rising; the day I visited was just a
few days after a mention of Archibald in the Sunday Times Style supplement, and
their home try-on kits had taken quite a hit. The frames really are attractive;
inspired by post war British design of the 50s, 60s and 70s, a time when London was the epicenter for innovation, the
Archibald silhouettes represent the best of beautiful British design, and
classic cars remain a big part of the design philosophy. I mean, when Tinie
Tempah picks up a pair of Archibald glasses on a photo shoot and says he wants
to wear them, you know they’re cool and everyone is going to be wearing them
soon. Labrynth wore the popular
Ambrose frames at the Brit Awards earlier this year, and both Chiwetel
Ejiofor and Nicholas Hoult recently wore Archibald frames for shoots in issue 6 of
Rankin’s Hunger Magazine.
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| Image Credit: www.becauseiamfamous.com |
But which frames to choose? We all want to try before we
buy, so Archibald’s free home trying kit allows customers to choose three favourite pairs of glasses to try on at home. Keen to assess the
quality frames myself, I had a lot of fun trying on some of the different
styles, and with summer fast approaching, the sunglasses I am wearing in the
images below are definitely on my wishlist. Whilst this is not something that
Archibald make a point of shouting about, their business is committed to social
responsibility, and for each pair of frames sold, Archibald donates a cut to
the Eyes For Africa Charitable Foundation, which provides sight-restoring
cataract surgery to rural villagers across Ethiopia. I am a big believer that
responsible luxury is the greatest form of luxury.
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| Own image |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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So what is in store for the future? Well, pop-up stores, brand
partnerships and new customizable sunglasses lenses are just some of the
exciting things that may be on the horizon for Archibald, so you’ll have to
keep an eye on them to see what’s coming next. I was also lucky enough to get a
sneak peak of an amazing video in the making, which Archibald will be revealing soon…
To find out more about Archibald visit their website https://www.archibaldoptics.com/uk. Here are a few more images of the magic that happens in Japan:
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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| Image Credit: Archibald Optics |
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