Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

State Optical Co. Makes Luxury Handcrafted Glasses the American Way

By

State-Optical-Co.-Image
Image used with permission by copyright holder
You need a pair of glasses. At least you have an abundance of options. Walk into your local optometrist and there before you are row upon row of frames: Ray Bans, Ralph Lauren, Persol, hell, Tiffany & Co.  even got into the frame game. Except, they’re all largely owned and manufactured by one company: Luxottica.

Luxottica owns 28 of the largest frame labels in the world, allowing them something close to a monopoly, marking up prices to whatever they feel like, while manufacturing 90% of the frames in countries like Brazil, India, and China.
Therefore, we are excited to learn State Optical Co. is seeing American manufacturing through a new lens– as makers of luxury eyewear right here in the USA.

State Optical Co.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Enter Scott Shapiro who knows his eyewear: his family owns Europa Eyewear. The idea for State Optical had been kicking around Shapiro’s head for a while when he met cousins Marc Franchi and Jason Stanley. Franchi and Stanley were already making eyewear in California and Shapiro knew he’d found the perfect partners to make State Optical a reality. Franchi and Stanley took Shapiro up on his offer to move to Chicago and there they started State Optical Co. in a large factory with machinery sourced from all over the world

Recommended Videos

Shapiro also teamed up with Blake Kuwahara, that mad genius visionary of optometry. Kuwahara is internationally recognized for his designs, which draw inspiration from classic frames, but that are somehow fantastically unique. When it’s something you wear everyday, shouldn’t it say something about you? And shouldn’t it be the best?

State Optical Co.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Not the type to rush perfection, each State Optical frame takes about 14 days to complete in their Chicago factory. It requires 75 individual steps to craft the frames, much of which is done by real humans. Frames are named for Chicago streets; the logo even pays homage to Illinois becoming the 21st state in the union. It’s American sensibility and heritage updated– and worn proudly on your face. You can even tour their factory on Tuesdays and Fridays!

Related

State Optical’s attention to detail and human touch mean these are some seriously impressive glasses. Beyond just looking great, they created a special hinge with a company in Germany that prevents the arms from loosening, leading to the wildly annoying slippage most Four Eyes are acutely aware of. Each frame is hand polished and designed to last, because luxury should also mean quality.

And, just in time for summer, State Optical has released a line of sunglasses. They feature the same bold designs, interesting colors, and superb craftsmanship.

It’s time to see glasses in a whole new way.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Elizabeth Dahl
Elizabeth Dahl
Elizabeth Dahl is a southern girl in the heart of Los Angeles who lived far too long before learning what an incredible food…
Men’s winter outfit ideas: Embrace brown textures and bold blues this season
Look great even when it gets cold
Winter Outfit Feature

Winter brings with it the coldest temperatures of the year. While some people in Florida or Southern California don't have to worry about that in the same way that others do in Minnesota or New York, everyone has to adjust their seasonal wardrobe to stay warm. Much like we did with winter boots, we don't believe one should sacrifice style in the face of cold weather. There are ways to stay warm while still looking great. Because we never want anyone to sacrifice their style while trying to keep warm, we came up with some men's winter outfit ideas you can wear today to look fantastic and not freeze when leaving the house. 
Brown textures

The Pantone color of the year is mocha moose, which means that 2025 is the year of the browns. Wearing brown is a tricky affair at times because the color can feel bland if you do it the wrong way. That is why we focused on bringing textures into my outfit. The corduroy jacket and corduroy pants created a daring look that can play well off each other if done right. Mixing that with the cable knit sweater and suede boots deepened the look in a way that let the textures speak and liven up the browns. Topping that off with a tan beanie keeps the head warm while playing off the lighter brown of the sweater.
Steal the look

Read more
TAG Heuer unveils motorsport-inspired watches (and more) during LVMH Watch Week
TAG Heuer unveils new timepieces
TAG Heuer Carrera Date

Since TAG Heuer is a part of the LVMH group, it introduced new watches into the market during LVMH Watch Week, including timepieces that celebrate its title as the Formula 1 official timekeeper. Apart from the Formula 1 watches, the brand also added new pieces to the TAG Heuer Carrera line.
TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph
TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph TAG Heuer / TAG Heuer

For starters, the new Formula 1 collection has four watches characterized by unique color accents, such as lime green, red, and electric blue. Such colors are quite effective in painting a picture of what goes down on Formula 1 tracks. Every single watch features an aerodynamic casing reminiscent of Formula 1 cars. The watches have titanium cases, bezels, and precision-engineered tachymeters printed on an aluminum insert.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche Rallye
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche Rallye. TAG Heuer / TAG Heuer

Read more
Get this Hublot luxury watch while it’s on sale at $1,800 off
The Hublot Big Bang Original Steel automatic watch on a white background.

While we're always rounding up some watch deals for affordable timepieces, we also check for offers on luxury watches that don't often go on sale. Here's one from Amazon: the Hublot Big Bang Original Steel at 14% off, which brings the price of the automatic watch down from $13,300 to $11,500 for total savings of $1,800. It's still not what you'd call affordable, of course, but if you're on the hunt for a luxury watch, you should heavily consider taking advantage of this deal as this class of watches rarely gets discounts.

Why you should buy the Hublot Big Bang Original Steel automatic watch
Hublot is a famous luxury watch brand that's behind the popular Big Bang line, and the Hublot Big Bang Original Steel showcases everything to like about the series. The 44mm case is made of polished and satin-finished stainless steel, and it comes with black structured rubber straps. The automatic watch is water resistant up to a depth of 100 meters, and while it's a self-winding chronograph, it holds a power reserve of 42 hours.

Read more