Boutiques

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

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’.

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

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.

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.”

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.

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/

Owner Laurent Schnitzler presents a bright, light elegant boutique in the historic centre of Nîmes (France)

Lunetterie Laurent opened on 11th May 2020, when lockdown ended in France and shops including optical boutiques were allowed to welcome customers back in store. The refined tasteful interior boasts exposed stone, mixed with a palette of minimal white, dark indigo and fittings in light, natural wood.  “All our design details, colours and furniture have been coordinated by my wife and I personally,” says Laurent. “We have worked on the presentation of the interior since January. Through lockdown – with unexpected time on our hands – we were working in the store ourselves, painting, decorating and preparing for our opening.”

Located in the historic centre, with an old, stone facade decorated with hanging baskets, the shop has focused on offering handmade collections and brands are selected on the basis of quality, artisan production and exclusive provenance, with a particular focus on local French production. “We only offer very fine materials – quality acetate, titanium, buffalo horn, shells, gold and wood. We are most interested in eco-friendly, organic and sustainable materials and of course a unique and interesting style of design.” Customers tend to be around 30+ years old, with some families and children, catered to with specialist brands like Very French Gangsters.

For adults, the store stocks Dokomotto, Vuillet Vega, Ovvo optics, SALT. Optics, Kley’s eyewear, Meg eyewear, Gaston eyewear, Dick Moby, Frod’s, Lesca, Friendly Frenchy, and Maui Jim.

We asked Laurent how things have been particularly for the opening with new regulations after lockdown. He told us:  “We have adapted. To receive our customers with care we have arranged to have one door as an entrance and one for an exit. Of course we are wearing masks and we use anti-bacterial gel widely, and after every customer visit. We have become used to washing our glasses with soap and water after each fitting. Our interior has space enough so that we can welcome 3 customers in the shop at the same time and easily observe social distancing.”

Lunetterie Laurent, 3 Rue de la Trésorerie, 30000 Nîmes, France

The Belgian watches and eyewear brand has new opened its new architect-designed flagship store in the heart of its home town of Antwerp. The design is by Berlin-based architectural studio AAS Gonzalez Haase. Keeping the interplay between light and architecture at the forefront of their designs, AAS have gained an established reputation for their innovative spatial concepts. Their work includes major artwork installations, luxury retail interiors, residential extensions and conversions for industrial and art-related spaces. Some of their best noted works include the Marta Herford Museum, the redesign of the Balenciaga stores and the Andreas Murkudis Berlin store.

For KOMONO in Antwerp, AAS emphasised their spatial language by creating a clear gallery in which the eyewear, watches and related product takes centre stage. A reduced palette of materials combined with smart use of space focuses on transmitting the light and creates an airy visual effect. From translucent to opalescent, the materials are assembled in simple and repetitive display shapes to avoid any unnecessary details. Large mirrors are separated from the main displays and convert into the large glass windows so that light naturally flows into the space and is diffracted among the displays. Bright horizontally placed ceiling lights accentuate the goods presented and further enhance this concept of spaciousness.

KOMONO flagship, Kammenstraat 46, 2000 Antwerp – www.komono.com