Why choose Foresight & Vision for your handmade British Eyeglasses
What do we buy when we buy “Made In Italy?”
Every time I visit a factory—whether it is in Italy, France, Japan, Korea, or China—I’m amazed by the whole production process. To me, it’s beautiful—from the mixing of block acetate to form sheets, through the cutting of frame fronts and temples, shooting the temple core, tumbling, and finally, assembly of the product
And they’re all actually not that different maybe except for the likes of the big three where they injection mould everything and are very automated and lose the hand craft.
I’ve seen bad eyewear come from Italy and seen great eyewear come from China.
So, what am I really buying when I buy handmade Italian eyewear? To me it’s much of the experience I’ve had when visiting those Italian factories. Like what we do it is about being a part of a long history of innovation and culture that takes its time to do things right.
With most “Italian” brands fronts and temples are made in China and stamped “Made in Italy.” That statement alone is shocking to me, and although I’ve heard it mentioned before, it didn’t have the impact on me until I witnessed it.
I’m not talking small brands either; I’m talking almost all major international brands that we all know, talk about, and many of you might be selling to your customers every day.
It’s not illegal it is just not true
According to Italian law, there are no limits on how much of a product must be made in country to earn the mark.
So, large companies manufacture everything in China, then ship it to Italy for the final assembly. In essence, the Italians place the final screws in each hinge or grind the lenses and install them, and by Italian law, that’s enough.2
It’s legal, so it’s OK, right? Well, herein lies the moral dilemma. We all know the premium we pay for Italian products, we all know what the name means. It means quality, trust, and craftsmanship. We’re paying more knowing their origin. It’s a bait-and-switch tactic, using cheap Chinese labour and the allure of Italian manufacturing, and the worst part is we have no idea how many brands/companies are doing it.
It’s especially frustrating to me because I follow the craft of Italian eyewear manufacturing. I pay a premium to sleep at night, and our frames sit alongside those with morals weaker than our own. And, unfortunately there’s no way to tell the difference to the average wholesale buyer, distributor, or customer. Hell, it’s even hard for us to tell sometimes.
We have Foresight & Vision, "British Independent Eyewear, Boutique Eyewear, British Eyewear, British Sunglasses, Boutique Sunglasses, Boutique Eyewear London, London Eyewear, London Sunglasses, Hand Crafted Eyewear, Handcrafted Eyewear". Suite 242, 22 Eden Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1DN or London SW15 2QU
At Foresight & Vision Ltd we strive to share the processes we are extremely proud of and adamant to keep as part of our company DNA and our Respect for Craft.
We are proud of our factories in Cadore and also in Seoul.