Ladies and Gentlemen,
heute feiern wir eine Premiere – es freut mich außerordentlich, ihnen das erste Interview in englischer Sprache zu präsentieren. Es geht um Brillen – jedoch um Besondere! Savile Row Eyewear hat John Lennons berühmte Nickelbrille gebaut, Indiana Jones trug eine Brille dieses Hauses, Harry Potter, Steve Jobs, Eric Clapton – die Liste ist lang.
Ich selbst bin seit etwas mehr als einem Jahr stolzer Besitzer einer Brille aus diesem Hause – war nicht einfach, sie in Deutschland zu bekommen, aber schließlich und endlich habe ich einen Optiker gefunden, der mir meinen Wunsch erfüllen konnte – die Adresse finden Sie am Ende des Beitrages.
Vielen Dank an Martin Bates, der sich bereit erklärt hat, die Fragen zu beantworten.
1. In recent years, one reads very often about your company. How do you explain this growing celebrity?
Savile Row is part of our larger company, Inspecs, and both have evolved vastly over recent years. Our milestones, which recently include a listing on the AIM stock exchange and a second Queen’s Award, the UK’s highest honour for a business, were widely covered in the press. Savile Row in particular has been especially on trend, despite being our oldest and finest heritage brand, due to the renewed interest in bespoke, authentic frames.
2. Your glasses are the synonym for high-quality craftsmanship. Do you think that this has a special meaning for your customers?
There are many imitators who approximate the look of classic Savile Row frames, but customers who seek out the real thing care about serious craftsmanship and the brand’s unique history. Our customers aren’t wearing vintage or retro look-alike frames, they are wearing the original article. It’s a unique product.
3. Is there a typical customer for you and if so, how is he? What are the habits? Which lifestyle do these customers care for?
Our iconic frames have been worn by many actors in a variety of roles (Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter film franchise, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and many others) and also by musicians of all sorts, members of the royal family and anyone else who likes the look of vintage eyewear and/or our more contemporary combination gold and acetate frames. Surprisingly, many younger clients have fallen in love with the classic product. We’re told they like the bespoke element, which allows anyone to create the frame of their choice form thousands of possible combinations. Young people also love hand craftsmanship, so hipsters are very into our frames at the moment.
4. You already suspect – it is about Mr. Lennon: how did he come to the famous glasses of your company?
Savile Row frames made at the Algha Works factory in East London provided millions of frames for England’s National Health service over much of the past century. This is how John Lennon got his specs originally, along with millions of others.
5. Did John Lennon personally pick up the glasses?
Yes as all glasses need to be fitted especially if you have a more complicated prescription. Initially Lennon got them through his optician in Liverpool (does not exist any more) later London and finally in NY.
6. Please excuse. Only one last question. Can you tell something about the man who recommended or sold the glasses to Mr. Lennon?
Savile Row/Algha frames were ubiquitous in England so Lennon would have seen them on many faces. Lennon’s optician in Liverpool is no more but we especially love that he continued to wear a variety of our frames throughout his life when he could have had any other frames in the world. He had great taste.
7. Many of your glasses are in Hollywood movies – how did that happen?
We have an original design archive dating back to the end of the 19th century, when Max Weisman founded the company. Anybody making a film or putting on a play requiring vintage eyewear naturally gravitates to our collections for anything that requires an authentic vintage look. As every frame is handmade to fit the specific actor, we are able to offer a unique service to the film and theatre industries. We made over 100 of our iconic round eye Warwick frames in different sizes for Daniel as he grew along with his role of Harry Potter, for instance.
8. How many glasses should a gentleman own?
A hard question to answer, as anyone working with us is an enthusiast by default and owns dozens of frames. Savile Row frames are especially hard to resist, in our opinion. Everyone needs a panto frame or two in different sizes, a round eye, an oval frame, some of the more unusual shapes, some acetate combination frames, etc., and when you start factoring in all kinds of tinted lenses, which John Lennon loved to play around with, incidentally, the number increases quickly. Changing the sizes, rims, temples and tips gives you such a different look that once you account for optical and sunglasses, you need at least 100. We might be a little biased, though.
9. What trends do you see for the future of glasses as an accessory?
It isn’t particularly controversial to say that as an accessory in the time of video conferencing, glasses have become a very hot item. Nobody will be looking at your shoes for some time to come. Since everyone at Savile Row and Inspecs owns a ridiculous and ever-growing number of frames already, we feel the rest of the world is inevitably catching up.
10. Do you have any final advice for our readers?
Yes. Life is short, buy frames you LOVE! Make them your very own. Buy exceptional quality and keep them forever.
Meine Brille habe ich hier gekauft (keine Werbung – nur ein Tipp!)
optiker holz
Bingergasse 35
Alte Synagoge
D-56154 Boppard
Fon 06742- 81421
Fax 06742- 82312
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