No list of British eyewear brands is complete without the inclusion of Opera Opera, one of only a handful of spectacle manufacturers in the UK. A genuine made-in-England company, Opera Opera has been designing and producing bespoke eyewear and beautiful vintage reproductions from its London factory and showroom for nearly 40 years.
Lauded by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and favoured by the likes of Cara Delevingne, David Gandy and Gigi Hadid, Finlay & Co is a thoroughly British eyewear brand with Italian craftsmanship at its core. Its sunglasses (pictured above) are designed in a London studio and then sent to the foothills of the Alps to be handmade by a team of local artisans.
Founded in 2012 by British and French design duo Sarah Coburn and Guillaume Furminger, this brand is quite the anomaly in that its products are designed in Amsterdam but made in England. The company's vision (pun intended) is to create fashion-led, quality eyewear and sunglasses. This year's collaboration with trendy clothing label Baartmans and Siegel, which continues for AW16, certainly cements Fan Optics' style credentials.
fanoptics.co.uk
George Bamford
Self-styled "luxury rebel" George Bamford created quite a stir back in 2003 when he established the Bamford Watch Department, a company that reworks classic Rolex timepieces. The entrepreneur's latest venture with offbeat German designer Ralph Anderl, founder of eyewear label IC! Berlin, is surely a match made in heaven. The duo has released a limited-edition collection of sunglasses made from a screwless hybrid frame with royal-blue mirrored lenses.
Although Taylor Morris might sound like a heritage brand, it's actually a relatively new venture from former Made in Chelsea star Hugo Taylor and his best friend Charlie Morris. Established in 2013, the London-based company makes sunnies for men and women inspired by timeless British style, with a dash of old-school Hollywood glamour and modern detailing. And with prices starting from £130, you don't need to live on the King's Road to be able to afford a pair.
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