Arushi Sakhuja

The Eye Of Fashion

Sunglasses may be a small accessory but they make a large impact on the overall appearance of a look. Eyewear can make or break a look - be it sunnies or a pair of spectacles. A great pair of eyewear can instantly elevate your look, adding the right amount of oomph it needs while changing your style game completely.

The current rage without a doubt are micro sunnies and transparent spectacles, and it's time we give eyewear the importance they truly deserve. From being a necessity to keep the scorching sun at bay, sunglasses are now a fashion accessory par excellence. For Smriti Mamgain, Marketing Head, John Jacobs, the importance of eyewear in fashion is quintessential - "It’s time that eyewear actively takes the role of a fashion accessory instead of just a utility item because the right pair, keeping in mind not just your face shape but your personality and your style, can potentially become your iconic look. It’s no news that sunglasses have played a vital role in fashion since their inception, as they have the power to ‘complete’ a look, but what a lot of people don’t realise is that the right pair of eyeglasses can add immense depth to your personality."

Eyewear is intrinsically intertwined with the fashion industry and the accessory has gone from a supporting to a starring role in fashion. When it comes to the geek chic look, the nerdiness associated with glasses was once seen as a negative, but with the evolution of time, they are now embraced in the true spirit of fashion. John Jacobs Eyewear is a new-age brand transforming the eyewear industry in India with high-quality eyewear that is retailed at honest prices.

What sets John Jacobs apart from other competitors is the technological innovations they have adopted, "We have spent the last 2 years trying to identify and develop materials that perform the best in terms of strength, durability, skin-friendliness, and visual appearance. If you look closely at the shine of any frame and the finishing of the corners, you’ll see the difference. Even a small thing like the nose pads deserves a lot of attention. After all, they hit your skin when the heat is on. We used a unique combination of materials for the nose pads like silicon, PVC, titanium, and ran tests for 30 days, at different temperatures and skin types to find out what suits our skin best. The nose pads are made with a lot of precision and must withhold the pressure of the frame without damaging or hurting the nose. Quality is at the core of John Jacobs. In our labs, we test and push each frame to check the quality. To test the hinge quality, we stretch the temples 1000s of times, at a rapid speed, to make sure that the hinges do not break or lose shape. One end of the frame is fixed to the machine while the other is rotated for a few hours. A considerable amount of pressure is applied at the nose-bridge to see what’s the strength of the material."

"We are disrupting the market by breaking away from the monopoly and providing premium eyewear, with designs that are at par with international market trends, at an honest price. We are able to do so simply because of the manufacture-to-retail model that cuts all middlemen and spares us from the pressure of adding huge markups that cause inflation in prices. Thus, we offer our eyewear at 1/3rd the price of other premium eyewear labels." adds Smriti.

Having Mazzucchelli - one of the most sought after design houses in Italy - as the material and design partner, the designs are crafted to perfection at John Jacobs.

While micro and square frame sunnies have been topping the charts, Smriti tells us what's in store for the next season, "The current autumn season is all about earthy hues - from browns and deep greens to tortoiseshell textures and transparents. Next up, we are about to break the stereotype that millennials have about rimless glasses - that they are not for the young - by going live with a range of reimagined rimless eyeglasses that will be available in an array of shapes, including cat-eyes and wayfarers!"

When it comes to fashion, owning the latest pair of sunnies is essential and people in India are well aware of the fact. "The kind of quality that our consumers are experiencing for the price that they pay for our products has made it possible for them to invest in multiple pairs - from investing in classic designs like wayfarers, rectangles and rounds to more experimental ones like micro-sunnies, cat-eyes and oversized glasses," says she.

But having said that, one cannot ignore what the future of eyewear looks like in our country, as she mentions, "It’s a bright future because the consumer behaviour is changing - people are evolving from buying eyewear just for practical purposes to buying it to make a statement. And when it comes to eyeglasses, in particular, we are a generation which is constantly exposed to screens via our laptops, tablets and smartphones, all of which emit harmful rays. Hence it is advisable to wear eyeglasses with Blu Smartphone Lenses even if one doesn’t have power, to protect the eyes from these harmful emissions."

The beauty, of course, is that eyewear quickly and completely transforms your appearance. Just like with clothes, with glasses, we can be a different person. If you're not one to experiment with ensembles, experimenting with eyewear is always a good idea to quirk things up. We've rounded up a few of our favourite John Jacobs’ pieces you need to get your hands on!

So what are you waiting for?

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Shop now: https://www.johnjacobseyewear.com/