Boutiques

The Purists Club, Vietnam

12th October 2020

New interior at The Purists Club in Ho Chi Minh City champions luxury and handcrafted eyewear design

Niche accessories specialists The Purists Club in Vietnam have renovated their Ho Chi Minh boutique to add “exclusivity and a niche environment” for the presentation of its extensive luxury eyewear brands. Currently The Purists Club own two stores (in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) and stock a selection of global eyewear brands including Kuboraum, Tavat Eyewear, Rigards, Chrome Hearts and Matsuda.

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Vietnam – new interior at The Purists Club

Created as a space to welcome their dearest customers and friends, with a warm and engaging atmosphere to bring people together, the new interior space has a vintage-inspired design concept. “We found a vintage boutique style is ideal to connect people together,” said Tung Duy Nguyen, “a style that evokes nostalgia, and that has a lasting quality in a world that gradually becomes flashy…people can feel at home here, sitting and talking to strangers like members of their family, and sharing stories with each other.”

Asked about the Vietnamese market, Nguyen told Eyestylist that customers in Vietnam today are loyal to brands, they are well informed and open to what is new and different. “In our city we have around 10-20 ’boutique’ fashion and style stores, stocking big brands as well as niche quality labels like NYC perfumery, Le Labo Lab.” At The Purists Club, customers can order a made-to-measure suit as well as selecting eyewear or a watch. “This means that we have customers who engage and visit more than 3 times for a fitting; they therefore have an excellent chance to have a closer look at our eyewear collections and learn about craftsmanship and the work that goes into a pair of our bespoke horn frames. By offering these services together, we have created a dynamic and lively atelier environment in our city; the customer feels comfortable and enjoys the time they share with us, and this means they are happy to spend time with us and pay us visits when they want, irrespective of their product needs.”

The new store – operated by Hai Au Tran, with Tung Duy Nguyen, is located at Villa 37 Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. www.thepuristsclub.com

Boutiques

S. R. Gopal Rao Opticians, Bangalore, India

23rd September 2020

A boutique independent retail chain with 85 years in optics

An optician with an impressive heritage, S. R. Gopal Rao is a family business founded in 1936 and passed down through generations. Since 1982, the business, which remains in the same location on N.R.Road since it was opened in 1936, is directed by Hemanth and Uma Manay and focuses on an ever expanding range of high class and luxury eyewear collections, always presented in respect of the original philosophy of the family, with strict principles of trust and care.

“Dedication to accuracy, focus on customer needs and a holistic approach to the purchase of prescription spectacles, lenses, sunglasses and other eye-wear accessories…”

Waiting area at the famous Bangalore store: the history of S. R. Gopal Rao is outlined for visitors and clients to read

Today the stores in the chain sell a wide range of eyewear collections which include independent collections from Cutler and Gross, LINDBERG, Silhouette and Maui Jim.

“India is a large country with people from all walks of life, varied personalities and levels of exposure,” stated Hemanth Manay- CEO, S.R.Gopal Rao Opticians & Optometrists, when we asked about the desirability of independent collections in India. “Some prefer sleek, minimalist frames like LINDBERG, others choose thick, statement eyepieces like Cutler and Gross. There are many who believe in buying eyewear with a purpose and that’s where brands like Modo eyewear come in. While LINDBERG is well known in India since it has had its presence in the country for over 15 years, other brands are yet to make a mark.”

Asked about their experiences in the pandemic at the present time, the team told us that they have adapted their stores to meet safety/hygiene requirements and increased phone and online communications to ensure those who cannot visit are well served from the comfort of their home.

The S. R. Gopal Rao Opticians flagship store is located on N.R.Road. A second store is open on Jayanagar & Residency Road and a third in Jayanagar (Bangalore). Find out more: https://www.srgopalrao.co/

Boutiques

Framed Opticians, Chorlton

11th September 2020

A new ‘Framed Opticians’ has opened this month in Chorlton in the UK featuring a selection of fresh independent collections. Beech Road in Chorlton (Manchester) provided an exciting, long-awaited opportunity for the independent optical retailer to expand with the opening of its third shop. The area offers a wealth of like minded, independent and ethical business, and a thriving community, committed to supporting small businesses and ‘shopping small’. It’s also full of fashion-aware individuals, who see their eyewear as an accessory through which they can express their style.

The store has a brand new, minimal design combining natural wood textures, with graphic lines and muted colours of grey and terracotta. With focus on eyewear styling, the staff have many years of experience under their belt; whether customers visit knowing exactly what they want, feel stuck in a stylerut, or need guidance on what suits them, the team are on hand to help them choose something that fits perfectly, suiting their style and personality, and most importantly, something enjoyable to wear. The boutique is currently stocking independent brands like Moscot, Booth&Bruce, and some special, colourful design lines such as FACE A FACE.

All customers require is an up-to-date prescription, and one of the shop’s optical experts will guide them in the correct lens and eyewear choices. Through the pandemic and current restrictions, the shop is open for customers “by appointment” and for passers-by in restricted numbers. Framed Opticians has two other branches in London (Angel) and central Manchester (King Street). Framed Opticians, 113 Beech Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9EQ Find out more: www.framedopticians.co.uk

Boutiques

Suzy Glam x blick brillen Rotterdam

1st September 2020

Blick Brillen Rotterdam – Amsterdam-based eyewear label Suzy Glam has taken a temporary pop-up store in Rotterdam, in the Pannekoekstraat, next door to Blick Brillen, with whom the Suzy Glam brand has a close and fruitful relationship. The design of the shop is described as “a true mixture of Suzy Glam Amsterdam and blick brillen Rotterdam”. Designer Susanne Klemm of Suzy Glam wanted to integrate their ‘Amsterdam chic’ with the ‘Rotterdam laid-back coolness’.

Susanne Klemm and Etienne Frederiks of Suzy Glam outside the new pop-up store

Suzy Glam’s Amsterdam store is located in Roelof Hartstraat 32HS. The shop is a showroom for the handmade eyewear collection, which has become synonymous with good taste and a creative, sculptural style with a colour palette that is inspired by retro design, while striking a new mood that is confident, chic and contemporary. Find out more about Suzy Glam at https://www.eyestylist.com/2015/08/suzy-glam-tarian/
The temporary store at Blick Brillen can be visited during the regular opening hours of blick brillen at Pannekoekstraat 35A 3011 LC Rotterdam. www.blickbrillen.com / www.suzyglam.com

Boutiques

Kitschenberg: the tiny gem of Munich

21st August 2020

Curated with exceptional care and attention, the distinguished family-run optical boutique Kitschenberg in Munich, has been providing an eyecare service and an extraordinarily refined selection of eyewear to a very specific community of frame wearers – for more than 20 years. Stocking over 80% panto and round glasses shapes, owners Andreas Kitschenberg and his wife Steffi choose every piece themselves; with an unprecedented knowledge of the highest-quality labels and an appreciation of the craftsmanship and finesse of the materials – Andreas says they have identical taste for glasses – the couple go out of their way to explore new makers and designers with individual, covetable designs from around the world.

Kitschenberg: the new interior by Stephanie Thatenhorst

The shop itself is something of a destination and perfectly encompasses the beauty and refinement of the selection of eyewear inside. Andreas explained to us the redesign: “Last summer, the time had come for something new and we completely renovated the shop. The 29 square meter shop has a 4 meter high ceiling and is covered with walnut wood. The lines are very angular, the inner shape is like a cube – a clear contrast to our otherwise round glasses. We worked with interior designer Stephanie Thatenhorst – and as you might imagine we have had a lot of compliments for the design of such a small yet striking space.”

Kitschenberg’s interior is finished with striking walnut wood

Labels currently featured here include TVR from Japan, Lunettes Alf from France, and Savile Row from the UK. “These are glasses with a soul, just as we like it; glasses that stand out from the crowd, handcrafted with absolutely meticulous attention down to the smallest details…”

The Kitschenbergs have also added their own small acetate collection – Kitschenberg acetate – and a luxurious buffalo horn series – Kitschenberg Horn. “All of the styles are of course Pantos,” says Andreas, with delight.

Kitschenberg’s curated collections: “glasses that stand out from the crowd”

At Kitschenberg everything is by appointment, it has always been that way, allowing a more personal fitting and selection of a frame. “We are located in a very beautiful part of Munich, between the old town and the Isar river. There are good restaurants here, but no other shops. We don’t have walk-in customers…everyone is coming to us very specifically and often they have been coming back time and again for years.”

https://www.kitschenberg.com/ueber-uns/