The Glasses Tier List 2025 Edition

The definitive guide to which glasses you should buy in 2025.

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In 2025, you have more options than ever before when it comes to your glasses. So, which one should you buy? Well, today you’re about to find out which glasses are class and which glasses are trash. So, hi, I’m Robert, style and vision consultant here at the Spectacle Factory, and it’s my job to pair you with your perfect pair of glasses. In this video, we’re going to be ranking as many frame brands as I can think of in terms of quality, style, and innovation. So, we’ve got more brands than ever to cover today. Let’s get into it. Let’s start with RM. It seems like a good place to start. Beautiful brand. I think they make personally the most stylish glasses in the world. That is high praise because there are a lot of cool brands out there, but RM for me, whether you get their metal frames or their acetates, are just exceptional. They’re a relatively new brand. They’ve been around for around 10 years and they were founded by RM herself who has a lot of experience in the fashion world and it shows. But her glasses aren’t just stylish. They are also great quality with beautiful embellishments. Are they in legendary? I think RM is comfortably in the wouldby category. Next up, Lunor. So, Lunor is a much older German eyewear brand. They make extremely classic styles. I’m talking, you know, very safe, very understated. You could say quiet luxury, but I don’t think they are at the top level when it comes to actual quality. Steve Jobs was the famous wearer of Lunor with his rimless that was iconic for him. Luno is a maybe because even though I think I would buy it from a quality perspective, stylistically it doesn’t really do anything for me. Cutler and Gross is the opposite way around. Cutler and Gross are very stylish. They’re a British eyewear brand. I think founded in the se I want to say ‘7s, so pretty historic over the years have been one of the coolest eyewear brands. There’s no doubt about that. The quality leaves just a little bit to be desired. And I I don’t mean that to be harsh because they’re not bad by any means. They’re not quite the quality level that I would say you should buy them. So maybe Oakley. Okay. Could this be our first entry into the Luxotica category? If you’re wondering why there’s a category at the bottom called Luxotica, let me give you a little bit of a history lesson. So Luxotica is an Italian beer moth. If you think of some of the biggest companies in the world, I mean multi-billion dollar companies, Luxotica is in that category. But you probably haven’t heard of them. And I find that a little bit pericious because they’re actually the company that controls our industry. And why do I say that? Well, not only do Luxotica own the licenses for dozens of fashion brands that you think are probably made by the brands themselves, but they also own the retailers that sell them. A lot of the online retailers, so it’s not just physical stores either. And in the US, they own the insurance companies that drive you to where you should go to buy your glasses. What that means is you can go into certain stores and only see Luxotica products and think you have a lot of choice. Does that inherently make them bad? No. But it for me because they’re the only company doing things that way for me means that I wouldn’t consider a Luxotica product personally. You might. There is varying levels of quality within the Luxotica category and Oakley are somewhere in the middle. But if you want sports glasses, you should consider Oakleys. They are one of the best sports brands in my opinion. But in terms of the actual glasses, honestly, they’re trash. Uh, so I’m going to put these in the Luxartica tier, but that doesn’t mean you should never buy them because if you want glasses for cycling, they’re in the top tier. I would say JF Ray, my favorite eyewear brand. Why do I love JFR? Well, John Fonare for me is the most creative eyewear designer of all time. And he’s not just creative when it comes to shapes. He’s not just creative when it comes to materials. And he’s not just creative when it comes to color. He’s actually creative when it comes to all of those elements. And that means that his glasses are unlike any others. However, the thing that separates John Fronare or the JFR brand from other similar brands that are also kind of cool and quirky is that JFree are super wearable. For the most part, you can pick any JFR frame and it will be unlike any glasses you’ve seen before, but still something you can wear everyday and not look weird. I love JFR for that reason. For me, the one of the brands that really made me fall in love with glasses, and they’re easily in the legendary tier. They’ve been going since the 80s and they’re still they’re still pushing the boundaries today. Meanwhile, Serenetti, they were good and they still are pretty good, but are they the pinnacle of sunglasses like they were 10 years ago? In my opinion, no. I’m going to put them in the maybe tier because some of their like polarized photochromic lenses are really good. And if you’re shopping for sunglasses, you should definitely consider Serenetti. This one’s about to be controversial. Diet. DA is one of the luxury eyewear brands. What I mean by that is it’s one of well one of the biggest if people are looking for luxury independent brands so companies that only produce glasses DA is one of the most popular in that space for the most part pretty good quality but the problem with DA products in my experience is you get a lot of variation just last week I was working on a DA frame a rimless mount so putting a screw through the lens into the frame and there was a joint that held that screw into place and that just snapped off and I was working on it myself so I can tell you easily snapped off. That’s not the kind of quality that I would expect from a luxury eyewear brand. My other issue with DA is that it’s very derivative of Kazal, which is one of my personal loves and Kazal did it way before DA. Now, they do have some of their own pieces that are quite novel. For me, I would avoid Diet. I think if you want luxury Japanese eyewear, I mean, Diet aren’t even a Japanese brand. They’re an American brand. Having their glasses produced in Japan, that doesn’t make them bad. But if you want top class Japanese eyewear, I would look elsewhere personally. Makita. So Makita is a cool brand from Germany. They make great quality titanium frames. Now I wouldn’t buy Makita because of another brand that we’re going to talk about later which does titanium frames but just better. But I would maybe consider them because some of their styles like the new Rimoa collection that I’ve been really impressed with, some of their styles are really original and really cool, very futuristic from a stylistic perspective. Great. But if you want top class minimalistic titanium eyewear, I would look at another brand. Moscot, one of the oldest eyewear brands on the planet. And this is a really tough one actually for me to judge because they have so much history and they’re so so so influential. They nail that preppy American look. And the Lemtosh is, you know, arguably the most iconic frame. It was in my top 10 most iconic glasses of all time and it’s still so popular today. But the quality has gone down a lot because now they’re mostly made in China. They’re a legendary eyewear brand. When it comes to status, but in terms of like should you buy one in 2025, I’m going to say you should avoid it. I’m going to get a lot of hate for that. I don’t hate Moscow. I love them, but I would avoid buying Moscow personally right now. Anavalan I would buy. They make beautiful glasses. Let’s definitely put Faster Fast there as well. I think in the last few years, I’ve not seen either of those French brands really pushing any boundaries. I think they’ve kind of got a little bit stale in their offering, but I still would buy them. They’re good quality. They’re different. Etnne Barcelona definitely avoid for me. This has become one of the biggest disappointments because Etnne Barcelona 10 to 15 years ago when I started doing this they were really making glasses cool and it was beautiful to see because at that point most people were wearing metal frames and Etnne Barcelona did acetate really really well in this kind of thinner acetate that was very popular but I still think the quality is kind of average and for me they just they don’t do anything for me there’s no excitement about ania Barcelona frame so for me avoid Chanel so this is the first definite looks sorticier brand. Unlike Oakley, which they own outright, with Chanel and many other brands like it, they pay a license fee to Chanel to produce glasses with their logo on. And what you end up with are factories where they’re producing lots of similar glasses just with different brands at different prices. That doesn’t sit right with me. Chanel is one such example, and they are pretty trash to be honest. We can also throw Jimmy Chew in there. We can throw Versace. I think they’re probably the worst. I’ve not talked about True Vintage Revival on this channel before. They are a Japanese eyewear brand who make yeah vintage-esque frames, hence the brand name. And I think they do a pretty good job of it. Now, as Japanese eyewear goes, I would put them middle to lower, which don’t get me wrong is still exceptional because there’s nothing wrong with them. The quality is good. The price point is great. They’re good if you want good value Japanese eyewear. Porsche Design. So, a lot of people think that Porsche Design is just a licensed brand like many others. It isn’t. Porsche Design is a separate company set up by Ferdinand Porsche to redesign everyday products from pens to laptops to glasses and they do a pretty exceptional job of it actually. I really like Porsche design the brand. I would buy them actually if you like the style, good quality, good materials, they’re different one that would appeal to an engineer or someone who’s into that kind of semorty aesthetic. Definitely way better than Oakley glasses for comparison and they have a similar kind of fit. Flare the inventors of rimless glasses. Last time I rated them as legendary because, well, they invented rimless glasses and they still make really, really, really high quality rimless glasses today. Now, I don’t think they’re 10 out of 10 for quality, but they are very innovative. And if you really want like ultra minimalistic rimless frames, for me, Flare is the brand to look at. They make the best like invisible glasses, let’s say. If you want glasses that just vanish from your face and don’t feel like they’re there because they make the world’s lightest frame as well. I think Flare deserve their ranking in the legendary tier, actually. Still a long way to go and I hope you’re having fun. If you are, hit that subscribe button. Let’s talk Vane. Another brand that I’ve not talked about before, and it hasn’t been intentional, I promise. When I compile these lists, I’m really working from memory. I don’t work from a script or anything like that. So, sometimes I just forget about a brand, but Vane are cool. Um, a very historic French brand have made in the past some of the world’s best quality sunglasses. I still think they make exceptionally good quality, although they are owned by LVMH, which is a shame. They use glass lenses in their sunglasses as well, which is something to look out for if you get sunglasses with glass lenses. First of all, they’re optically purer, so you see more clearly through them. Second of all, you’ll almost never scratch them, which is nice, as opposed to plastic lenses, which scratch pretty easy. Vanet I would buy if you’re shopping for classic sunglasses. Anglo-American Optical actually one of my favorite brands to recommend. Anglo-American Optical is one of the oldest eyewear brands on the planet. Maybe it is the oldest. They’re like 150 years old at this point, which is pretty impressive. Super affordable. They’re like $200 or thereabouts, which is awesome. Assembled in England, but made in China. But that’s not a bad thing. If you’re shopping at that price point, it means you get really good quality for your money. I love their 406 frame. I think it’s one of the most iconic round frames. I would buy Anglo-American Optical. At the price point, you can’t beat them. Next up is Lii Works. Now, we should pause for a moment. Guy Gardi, who for me is one of the greatest eyewear designers of all time, unfortunately passed away this year. I had the pleasure of meeting her once and she was a very downto-earth, very lovely person. You can see the passion for what she did, not just in how she ran her business because she’s got such an amazing reputation as a wonderful, kind human being, but in the way that she designed her products. Her glasses along with Barbara Mcrenolds, who also deserves a lot of praise, their glasses had so much character, maybe more character than any other brand ever. I’ve said before that LIi works are the best quality acetate frames you can buy, and I think they still are. If you look at the polishing on an LA I works frame, it is impeccable. It’s immaculate. It is as good as it could be. You can just see the love, passion that Guy Gari brought to eyewear reflected in her frames. And I think she’s a massive loss to the eyewear world. Her last designs before she passed away are being released this year. So this is the year to pick up a pair of LA Eyeworks frames. And for me, they’re easily in the legendary tier. When you look at some of the people that have modeled for LA Eyeworks over the years, nobody can boast such a reputation as they have. Next up, Modo. So, Modo are great if you’re shopping for titanium or thin acetate frames, especially the Crystal series, which I reviewed earlier this year on something of a budget. So, if you want good value, like in the mid-range, and that mid-range is the hardest to buy in, in my experience, there’s loads of brands that are in the higherend category. And there’s some good brands in the budget category, but in the mid-range, there’s not many that I would recommend. Modo is one, an Italian-based company, nicely styled frames that are easy to wear. I definitely would consider buying them. Costa. So, Costa makes some of the world’s best sunglasses. I think that’s fair to say, although they are owned by Luxotica. Surprise, surprise. I mean, actually, that was a bit of a surprise when it happened. But look at it this way. Since Luxotica bought Costa, in what way have they improved? And this is a story that you hear again and again and again, which is really sad. And for me now, Costa are kind of falling behind. I personally would buy other sunglass brands over Costa and I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago. So yeah, looks like Goti from Switzerland. We’re not a stockist, but it’s a brand that I would be really comfortable stocking and would definitely recommend people to buy. I don’t think they do anything special enough to be in the legendary tier, but certainly would buy them. Cool, futuristic designs, interesting, different. They’ve carved their own niche, which I like. I don’t have a bad word to say about Goti. And yeah, I really highly recommend them. Actually, Portrait is another really underrated one, one of the most underrated brands. It’s an interesting concept. They’re designed with the art world in mind. So, the owners of Portrait will look at an art piece or an art category, let’s say, and they will design glasses inspired by that. I think that’s quite cool. Personally, that speaks to me. And the quality is some of the best from Italy. I would buy Portrait. They’re all limited edition as well. a really underrated brand that you should definitely check out if you are into your eyewear. Robert Laros the same. In fact, in fact, you know, Robert Laros I think makes it into legendary for me. Robert Laros are one of the best brands on the planet for both titanium and acetate. They do both equally well, very bold, very cool in that sense. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence to wear a Robert Larash frame, but if you have the confidence, go for it. For me, I personally prefer their design philosophy over other thicker acetate brands because they don’t have any embellishments. What they do have is this beautiful carved bevel within the lens rim which gives them this interesting threedimensionality and I think that is really cool. Plus, Robert Lash is super historic. They’ve been worn by people like Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol, the coolest of the cool. Back in the 70s, Robert Lash was all the rage. They’re not quite as popular now, but they really should be more popular than they are. Most of their frames which are made in Italy are better than your average made in Japan frames. So that says a lot. Chloe, they’ve not really done anything to excite me recently. I personally at the moment I would avoid Chloe. They’re not bad. They’re made by Kerring. Like they’re okay, but I don’t see any reason now to buy a Chloe frame in 2025. Blackfin, however, have really impressed me recently and I’ve rated these as overrated before. Would I buy them though? because this is going to be a little bit like Makita because if you’re shopping for that look, maybe consider Black Fin, but the brand that you should absolutely get is Recuikayas. I’m not going to keep teasing you any longer. Rekuika is personally my most recommended eyewear brand. I’m wearing them myself right now, so you know that says it all. For me, they are the most comfortable glasses in the world. They’re also the most durable glasses in the world, and I think they look cool in a minimalistic fashion. If you like this style, which I personally do, nothing beats them. This whole frame is constructed from a single sheet of laser cut beta titanium. That’s the same titanium they use in aircraft. You have no screws. You have no solder joints or welds. Put them straight back on my face and carry on with my day. Having glasses that are super super super practical is really important for a lot of people. Even if they’re not maybe the most stylish glasses, they won the Red Dot Design Award when they were released and that’s an unbiased multi-industry design award. So don’t just take my word for it. Aone. So, Aone was founded by the people who left DA when they were purchased by a private equity fund, which is never something you want to hear because then it all becomes about profit. I love their homage to watchmaking. I think that’s really cool. In terms of quality, I think they’re really good and it’s nice that they’re independent as well. Ghast absolutely would buy and I think eventually Gast are going to get into the legendary category. And the reason why I say that is because if they keep up this pace, every style they bring out is cool. Every style they bring out is great quality. And with their rimless series, they switched it up totally last year as well. So you’ve got a brand that produces luxuryl looking rimless glasses and luxury looking frames less than $200. It’s insane. They look like glasses that cost $600. They are only a new company which is why they can’t get quite into the legendary tier, but on this list they are the best value of any brand bar none. I will say don’t buy from them directly because their customer service does leave something to be desired. But you kind of expect that for the low price and if you buy them through a distributor like us, you’re going to at least get the customer service to back it up as well. So Gast absolutely recommend. Icy Balin recently purchased by Marolin. That is not a good thing. Markin in my opinion don’t make the best quality glasses. Let’s say there’s a interwining history with Makita. Both brands have always been kind of neck and neck. Icy Ballin work with steel as opposed to Makita with titanium. For me, I just don’t see any reason to buy an IC BIN frame and they’re a little bit outdated. Now, Randolph Engineering, you could also argue are outdated, but I would argue they are timeless and vintage. They make awesome sunglasses and I absolutely would buy a Randolph Engineering frame. They’ve been featured in so many movies. If you see someone in a Hollywood film and they’re a military person, people like that, they’ve always got Randolph Engineering frames and you can tell them because of the hockey ends as they’re known. It’s iconic and it’s cool and the lenses are great quality. And you know what? We’re a US-made sunglass brand, they’re going to go in the legendary tier. More glasses should be made in America and places like that. One of my favorite brands that we don’t sell is Hapta. These frames are made in North Italy, made from fabric. Really interesting construction where the fabric is pressed onto I think it’s steel. They’re very lightweight, very flexible, and they have a totally unique aesthetic, not like any other glasses in the world. I absolutely would buy them. This just stopped short of legendary. Number one, not that old a company. And number two, I don’t think they’re quite special enough, even though I love them to be in the legendary tier. A brand that absolutely does belong in legendary is Jack Marine Mage. This is a company that’s kind of I don’t want to say revolutionized eyewear, but they’ve pushed the industry forward. I think they’re really responsible for a whole new wave of eyewear collectors who just wouldn’t be into glasses otherwise. I give them massive credit for that. I love them for that. Jerome Japage founded the company around about 10 years ago. Well, it’s almost exactly 10 years because they just released the decade collection and they make limited edition made in Japan frames to the highest standard of quality. Whether you like the aesthetic is a different matter for me. They’re a little bit too bold just personally, although I love their titanium frames and they’re unmistakable and so many other brands have tried to rip them off and copy them which is sad. But Jack Marie Marage in 10 years have made it into the elite tier, the legendary category. Chopard, Swiss jewelry brand, whereabouts do we put Chopard? I think if you like their aesthetic, which is kind of like a little bit brash, a little bit ornate, then you should maybe consider them. It isn’t my vibe. I guess they’re not I’m not the target market. I do like Shopod as a brand by the way, but their frames are licensed to a company called Drigo and they’re kind of average, but Shopad have improved a lot over the last year and that’s the only reason they make it into the maybe tier. Barton Pereira. Okay, this is the going to be the hardest one because if I’m being objective about it, they possibly belong in Legendary. So, let me tell you the story of Barton Pereira. There’s another brand on this list, Oliver Peoples. Let’s put them in Luxotica because they’re a Luxotica brand. Their heritage is really cool because they built their brand up from almost nothing to being one of the most valuable eyewear brands in the world with their own retail stores. That’s always a sign that a brand has done very well when they have their own actual locations. And the story goes that the founders of Oliver Peoples actually purchased a huge container of surplus frames which they rebranded and sold. That’s how the company got started. And the name on that box was Oliver People, hence the brand name was born. And it’s kind of cool story. But anyway, Lotica purchased them. Let’s just say, well, actually they purchased Oakley and Oakley at that point owned Oliver Peoples. It’s all a bit convoluted, but at that point, the senior people within Oliver Peoples, Bill Barton and Patty Pereira, left because they didn’t want to work for Lotica and founded an independent eyewear brand of their own, which was called Barton Pereira from their names. And they went on to make some of the best quality acetate frames in Japan. They have timeless American style. It’s very preppy. Recently they absolutely rose to massive fame because their eyewear was chosen by the costume designers for No Time To Die the last James Bond movie with Daniel Craig and he looked awesome in his sunglasses as you would expect as Bart and Praa are seriously stylish. Following that they were purchased by Louis Vuitton and that’s where issues started to happen in terms of service but the quality so far has remained the same. I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re legendary anymore because they’re not independent and that lack of independence, trust me, is going to hurt them sooner rather than later. I’ve seen it all before, but I still would buy them if you like their style and you want good quality and you don’t care about the politics behind it. Absolutely buy them. Chrome Hearts, another interesting one. So, they have their own totally unique aesthetic with sterling silver and I love the fact that they work with sterling silver and if you’re into their look, they do it better than anyone. Few brands have carved out a niche like chrome hearts and I’m very tempted to put them into the legendary tier. They’re super heavy and to be honest very impractical and uncomfortable, but it’s not just all about function. Sometimes it’s about form and stylistically. I’m going to leave them in legendary. I think they’re really cool. T Henry, I’ve been really on the fence about T Henry. So, this is a brand from Florida. Says something in and of itself that has really emulated the Jack Marage business model. Now, I’m not saying that they’re completely derivative, just like 90% derivative and that annoys me. I’m going to say avoid because I don’t see any reason to buy a T. Henry frame. Just buy a JMM. Buy a Robert Lash if you want a chunky assetate that’s really good. Tega Vanetta is one of the nicest fashion brands. They’re made by Kerring. I think they’re seriously like interesting and stylish. I love the finishing on the frames. I you know what? I would buy Beta Vaneta and also it’s a it’s a brand that is pretty niche as well, which appeals to me. Gucci at the moment, if I’m being frank, I would avoid them in favor of in favor of some of the other brands. Tom Ford, meanwhile, while we’re talking about fashion brands, Tom Ford, in my opinion, is one of the worst quality designer brands. And I hate Tom Ford. I challenge you to find a Tom Ford frame which has that really obnoxious tea that comes around the front. It’s not even just a logo on the side, but it comes around the front because you want everyone to know who’s talking to you that you’re wearing a Tom Ford frame. I challenge you to find one where the temple and the front actually line up in such a way that that line is continuous. And if it is, that just means you’ve not owned them long enough. one of those brands that people just think they’re getting a luxury product and they’re getting anything but there’s so many brands you should buy before Tom Ford and yet you see these really wealthy influential people wearing it. No, Tom Ford are not even a Luxartic product. They’re going right in the bottom corner of the Latica tier. Silhouette is another brand that annoys me. I just think their styles are so basic, boring. Is there any personality to Silhouette? And to be honest, you know, they’re an innovative brand. Well, they were an innovative brand. Two of my personally most hated brands just came in a row. So, let’s get the negativity out of the way. Oh, Tiffany trash. Tiffany, you would think would be really high-end. I mean, Tiffany is a high-end brand, right? But the glasses are so plasticky. I actually used them in my acetate comparison video as an example of a poor acetate quality. Morell, meanwhile. So, Morell, I think, are good quality. Again, a bit like Silhouette, just a bit dull. Another very, very, very old eyewear brand. But have they done anything interesting recently to make you want to buy them? I just don’t see the point in them nowadays. That’s been a pretty negative few minutes. So, let’s talk about something positive. One of the best new brands that I’ve discovered, if not the best new brand I discovered in the last year or so, is Esmont. Janice, first of all, is the coolest, nicest, most lovely guy who’s really doing this for the right reasons. He wants to make the best quality frames and he’s extremely self-critical to a point where I have to keep telling him, “Look, Jiannis, your product is amazing and he doesn’t feel that way. He feels like it should be a lot better, which when you have someone like that, you know they’re going to go in the right direction.” So, I really like that about him. As for the product right now, it’s a really cool story. So, he’s a pilot himself. He loves aviation and flying and you can feel that cuz I’ve been flying with him and he’s a second generation pilot. His father was a pilot before. So, he’s used his interest in aviation to inspire his eyewear collection. Now, what did planes and glasses have in common when he took me on a tour of the aviation museum, it totally made sense when you see those old planes, the way they were constructed, the rivets, the details, the finishing, the lacquer on the metal. He’s used all of those elements and he’s designed an eyewear collection that’s not like anything else. If you’re looking for a real luxury eyeear brand that’s made in extremely limited quantities, you’re not going to see somebody else with it. comes in amazing packaging, as good packaging as you could ever want, and you’re actually supporting a true independent artisan whose heart is in the right place. Esmont is awesome. In the future, I have no doubt that if he keeps working, he’s going to be in the legendary category. For now, he’s at the top of would buy. Meanwhile, Marcus Marian, interesting guy. And by that, I mean, he’s probably the only person in eyewear that I personally have fallen out with. And well, he fell out with me. Now he makes really really really good glasses and I really want to be a proponent for him. I wanted to be a stockist but dealing with him is just so painful. Now it might be different for you as a consumer. If you can make it up to his workshop in the Alps, he will handmake you a frame from buffalo horn or titanium to your exact measurements. I would maybe consider Marcus Marianfeld. If you want something custom in titanium or horn, just don’t try to contact him through me. Nervan Javan, really interesting brand from Switzerland actually. Decent value kind of in the mid-range again. a little bit like Modo. If you want like stylish frames that are wellmade, that’s a brand to keep an eye on as well. I think I can anticipate big things from them. Let’s place Ivan, one of the better quality Japanese eyewear brands. They make Yeah. beautiful frames. I think they just stopped short of legendary and I can’t really put my finger on why because the quality is best of the best. It It is really good quality, but stylistically, I don’t think they do enough. I don’t think any of their styles are special enough to make them legendary, and the quality can only take you so far. Maui Jim, meanwhile, I think you should maybe consider in 2025 if you want good value sunglass. Well, good value doesn’t do them justice. They are still great frames and even better lenses. Some of the best sunglass lenses in the world and you can still get Maui gyms with glass lenses. Not all of them, but some of the models. They’ve been acquired by Carring as well. Caring are really going all out to buy these independent eyewear brands. To be fair, Kerring have actually done a little bit of a good job with Maui Jim because they’ve made them more stylish, which was desperately needed. However, all these other brands are improving at a greater pace than Maui Jim and they’re being caught up and in some cases superseded. So, at the moment, I would maybe consider Maui Jim. If you want off-the-shelf sunglasses which are polarized with beautiful color enhancing lenses, there’s no reason not to buy them. Ecoyware is one of the best value brands in the world. And I’m just going to say maybe because they’re good from a style perspective and also especially from the fact that they come with a magnetic sungl. I reviewed them in Morocco earlier this year and honestly, if they were my glasses, I would be happy. $200 thereabouts with a sungl. You can’t beat them for value and they’re very comfortable, but they’re just not like Ghast is like really, really good quality. Eco is just kind of average quality. Having said that, they did step it up this year with the newer collection. Linda Faroh, I’m not sure if I’ve talked about Linda Faroh before, but it’s actually a brand that I have a huge amount of respect for. I think she’s an amazing designer. Her glasses look so luxurious, and they are. They’re very expensive. All titanium, all goldplated. I would buy Linda Faroh. I would personally love to own a Linda Faroh frame and I would love to be a stockist. We’re getting close to the end now. How are these last three brands going to fare? Well, let’s tidy up a little bit. Prada Luxotica. Not the worst Luxotica, but average Luxotica. Rayban and Pole. I’m here to tell you that there is no reason to buy RayBan anymore. They used to be the best. Well, they used to be in the best category of sunglasses. Go back to the 80s. Those old Ray-B bands made in America were built like a tank. But they were acquired by Luxotica, an Italian company who shifted all the manufacturing out of America, increased the price and reduced the quality. I know it’s like the go-to eyewear brand. It’s like Coca-Cola. It’s like McDonald’s. It’s ubiquitous. And I get it. I understand why people think that Rayban means glasses. But if you’re actually thinking about this, and if you’re watching this video, you probably are thinking about it. There’s no reason to buy Ray-B band. I’m going to put Pole in maybe. Even though they’re owned by Lotica, they are made in a different factory. Their acetate frames are good. Their glass lenses are pretty good. They’re not exceptional like Pole collectors seem to think. Yes, they used to be. They have so much history. They’re cool. I I like the brand. I give respect to POL. I love the branding. I think that’s way cooler than Tom Ford, for example, even though it’s kind of similar. I like Pasol as a brand, but it’s Latica owned. It’s not improved at all. And like I said, meanwhile, all these other brands are pushing the boundaries. Lindberg is interesting. So, I generally have a lot of hate for Lindberg because it’s a brand that snobby optitians love. So, you’ll see these high-end stores, they all seem to stock Lindberg. It’s like keeping up appearances, and I’ve never been in that crowd of optitionians. I like stuff that’s different. Lindberg are good quality, though, and they were a family-owned Danish company made by appointment to the Royal Court of Denmark. I think they’re rimless frames and their now series. I I think they leave so much to be desired. However, this comes with a huge caveat because if you want a solid gold frame, if you want a buffalo horn frame, Mi Lindberg is the brand to get. They still produce those in-house despite the fact they’re now owned by Kerring. Again, they’re still producing their frames in their own facility in Denmark. They are, I believe, the only company making solid gold frames inhouse. So, maybe consider Lindberg if you’re looking for solid gold or buffalo horn. Tavat is a really cool band. Definitely. Uh definitely, you know, I would buy Taba. I I love them actually. Um their suitc design is mad, but actually cool and wearable. Love the construction of that. If you’re shopping for a pair of sunglasses and the lenses are your priority, Tavat should absolutely be in the equation. They’re not quite legendary yet. They’re a bit too new. I think they’re only about six, seven years old. Could be legendary in the future. I’m a fan. Definitely would buy Tavat. Made in Italy as well. Alen Herbert, made in the UK. I maybe would consider them especially their limited edition pieces like the Churchill frame called the Chartwell. It was actually modeled on Winston Churchill’s actual own glasses because the owner of Walter and Herbert owns those frames which is a cool story. They make good quality but not great quality acetate frames here in the UK. They have a cool story because the founders of Walter and Herbert were the inventors of the machine that actually puts a metal core into an acetate frame. So you got to give them credit. They’ve got a lot of history. Luri is the smallest scale brand that we work with and Leo has done a tremendous job actually. His frames are made in Japan. All goldplated. They have fantastic Zeiss lenses. They use Light Pro technology which is a semi-olarized lens. It gives you all the advantages of polarized without the disadvantages. I want to see more brands using light pro technology. It’s yeah, like I said, super niche and I think it’s nice to support a brand like that. Someone who’s trying to be really innovative. His Leo frame, by the way, was my sunglasses of the year for 2024. You should definitely check that one out in particular. Okay, we’re left with accidentally some of my favorite eyewear brands in the world. Let’s talk Masanaga. Instant legendary tier. Not just for their quality, which is the best. I think they make the best quality frames in the world, especially their master of craft and to a lesser extent their K3 design with Kenzo Taker, the famous founder of Kenzo. The quality, the craftsmanship, the beautiful attention to detail of Masanaga, it is extraordinary, amazing from every angle. It’s a pair of glasses that you can own. You can look over every detail and just see gorgeous beauty in every element of them. I could wax lyrical about Masanaga all day. But the best thing about Masanaga is that they transformed the eyewear industry 100 years ago. Well, more than that actually, they founded their family-owned company and they set up a guild of optical craftsmen where they actually taught the Japanese artisans to make frames to a high standard. You see, back then, Japanese manufacturing was considered on par with China, i.e. mass-produced, lowquality. Fast forward a hundred years and Japanese eyewear manufacturing is the pinnacle of quality. That’s all down to Masanaga and all these other Japanese eyewear brands. Well, I don’t want to say all of them, but many of them, many of the people who work in them, they originate from that guild of craftsmen that Masanaga started. Maybe the most legendary brand to be fair, you could make that case. Maybe you would consider Maybach. Maybe if you want Cartier but don’t actually want Cartier specifically. Personally, I would avoid them. Mashuda. Okay, so this is a tough one. Masuda is another Japanese eyewear brand, not as influential as Masanaga, but they are just every month almost they’re improving. You see new models coming out from Matsuda and they’re just getting better and better and better. So they combine that craftsmanship that we just talked about with Masanaga, albeit not to the same extent, but close cuz the quality is definitely not as good, but with more style and with a bit more artistry. You know what? I’m actually going to put Matsuda in Legendary. I think they’re awesome. Never had a Matsuda frame with issues. So they’re established now as a legendary eyewear brand. Kazal absolute instant legendary tier the most inspirational brand because Carrie Zaloney whose name was made to form Kazal he created Kazal after being a designer for Dior. He set up his own independent eyewear brand and I think it was the first like fully independent fashion eyewear brand. He nailed it. He came out with this aesthetic which defined 80s fashion. And still that 607 frame, his original design is still one of the most iconic eyewear designs 50 years later. We owe a lot to Kazal because they made glasses cool. The way that Jack Marine Ma are doing it now, Kazal did that back in the 80s. Then we have Cartier. And again, I’m thinking about it. Cartier are absolutely a legendary eyewear brand. They’re a brand in and of themselves. They’re a jewelry brand. So usually when a brand is good at other things, they’re not the best at glasses because usually the glasses are licensed. In this case, Kartier still makes their frames inhouse and the quality has not gone down even since being acquired by Kerring. They’re kind of like a subsidiary of Kerring. They still act like an independent brand to a degree. And their designs are timeless and iconic, which I love. You can own a Cartier frame and it’s not a trendy frame, but it still looks beautiful and classy. And you can own it for 10 years and it will still look beautiful and classy. You can own it for 30 years and it won’t look dated. And the proof is in the pudding because I have clients who have Cartier frames go back 40 years and you can still buy frames like that within the Cartier collection in 2025. What other brand can you say that about? Well, apart from kazal and customizing Cartier, having something made bespoke in Cartier, which is something we specialize in, is a special moment in your life when you get your first Cartier customized with just the right shape, the facets, the tint, the photochromic and most special eyewear in the world. However, Luca Dale, for everything that I’ve just said about Carte, if you ask me which one I want to own, it would be Luca Dale. Luca Estelle is the most probably underrated brand on the planet. And if you think you’re a glasses collector, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t own a Luca Distale frame because they’re the only brand in the world making glasses from leather. Yes, leather. Whether it’s cow leather, iguana leather, goat leather, stingray leather, you can choose the material, the color, and you can even have your glasses made in stone. They also work with stone. Anyway, these exceptional materials are not just for style. They’re so much more comfortable than an acetate. You know, a plastic frame. Fundamentally, acetate is plastic. No matter how good it is, no matter how much it’s polished, you’re still wearing a piece of plastic on your face. Think about that compared to leather. Imagine wearing plastic shoes compared to leather shoes. There’s no comparison. And nothing compares to Luca Estelle frames. When you consider all factors, comfort, durability, and style, Luca Estelle are the best glasses in the world. What do you think of my tier list? That was exhausting. If you stayed until the end, thank you so much. And make sure to share this video with others. It might just help them get a better pair of glasses next time. And most importantly, let me know in the comments what you think of my tier list. Did I get it right? Which brands did I get wrong? Let me know.