The Craft
Made by hand. Built to last.
Each of our frames is born from a single sheet of raw Italian acetate and passes through the hands of master artisans across more than 200 individual steps — in the same valleys of the Veneto that have been shaping optical frames by hand since the early twentieth century.
"What you seek is seeking you"
— Rumi
The Art of Making
In the Agordino valley of the Veneto — where the tradition of handcrafting optical frames stretches back over a hundred years, passed from craftsman to apprentice across generations — each frame takes shape slowly, deliberately, and entirely by hand. Raw material becomes finished object across more than 200 distinct steps, touching the hands of specialists in acetate cutting, hinge setting, barrel tumbling, and surface finishing. Time is the primary ingredient — and we do not rush it.
Acetate Selection
We work exclusively with Mazzucchelli acetate — produced in Castiglione Olona since 1849, and the foundation of Italian optical craft. Each block is hand-selected at the mill for colour saturation, grain consistency, and structural density before a single cut is made.
CNC Precision Milling
Acetate blocks are CNC-milled to within 0.01mm — a tolerance tighter than a human hair. This mechanical stage produces the rough silhouette of the frame, the lens openings, and the temple profiles. The precision of this stage makes everything that follows possible.
Multi-Barrel Hinge Setting
The hinge is where most frames eventually fail. Ours are multi-barrel, hand-inlaid into the acetate under heat and pressure by a specialist whose sole discipline is this single step. The result is a hinge that opens with perfect, even resistance from day one — and stays that way for decades.
72–80 Hour Tumble & Hand Polish
Frames are loaded into wooden barrels packed with natural abrasive compounds and left to tumble for 72–80 hours depending on the style — a continuous, graduated polishing that smooths every surface, edge, and curve to optical clarity. Then hand-buffed on a cotton wheel. Final sign-off by the master craftsman before a frame leaves the atelier.
The Material
Mazzucchelli
Acetate
Since 1849, the Mazzucchelli family has produced cellulose acetate in the foothills of the Italian Alps — the same mill, largely the same craft, across generations of atelier tradition. Every frame we make uses Mazzucchelli acetate.
Sheet acetate is a fundamentally different object to injection-moulded plastic. The colour, depth, and pattern run through the entire thickness of the block — not painted onto a surface. A frame that is scratched reveals the same rich colour beneath. A frame that is polished rewards you with a depth that only improves. It is a material that ages with character rather than simply ageing.
| Material Origin | Castiglione Olona, Varese, Italy |
| Base Compound | Mazzucchelli cellulose acetate |
| Sheet Thickness | 6–8mm raw, milled to 4.5mm |
| Colour Method | Through-layer, not surface-applied |
| UV Stability | Grade A — 5-year minimum rated |
| Certification | Nickel-free, hypoallergenic |
Technical Specifications
Built to exacting
standards.
Every frame is built beyond the European CE optical standard — not to it. Each specification below represents a deliberate choice: the gauge of acetate, the number of hinge barrels, the hours spent in the tumbling barrel. These are the choices of craftsmen who intend their work to last a lifetime — and who know the difference.
Why It
Matters
We were founded on a specific conviction: that eyewear should be designed with genuine intention — a considered object, built for the people wearing it. So we went to the best ateliers in Italy, sourced the finest materials available, and made something that means something.
The craft is inseparable from that conviction. Every choice on this page — the acetate grade, the hinge construction, the 72–80 hours in the tumbling barrel — exists because it produces a better object for the person wearing it. We build slowly, carefully, and entirely by hand. That is what quality means to us.
Made once.
Kept for life.
Each frame handcrafted across 200+ steps in northern Italy. Designed in London.
"The best sunglasses I have ever owned. Sturdy, stylish."
— Jordan