Young New Zealand eyewear brand Lewis Fredericks is setting the bar high when it comes to luxury opticals.
Their innovative use of by-product buffalo horn and a unique service which allows customers to customise and personalise their glasses is setting them apart from crowd. FQ sat down with creators Josh Bowden and Auguste Gruar to find out a little bit more about their brand:
Where did the idea for Lewis Fredericks come from?
The name itself is just both of our middle names put together – Lewis and Frederick.
As students studying law and accounting, what inspired you to start an eyewear label?
It was probably our discovery of horn. As soon as we trialed the first few samples we knew it was worth a shot. Not only is horn impossible to replicate, making each frame completely unique, but it is also a very lightweight, strong and hypoallergenic material. It was a no-brainier really.
The buffalo horn used in your eyewear is a by-product of domestication – how important is this to your brand?
Very, the brand wouldn’t exist if this wasn’t the case and we have tried to make it as clear as possible that the horn we use is a by-product – just like leather – so it’s cool to be using a material that is sustainable.
Lewis Fredericks is very much based around quality, timelessness and uniqueness, how do you achieve these qualities in your products?
Small production runs and quality control. In terms of the design, we try and stick to what works with horn and that seems to be the more classic shapes as opposed to those that push the boundaries.
Did you encounter any obstacles starting Lewis Fredericks?
Yeah a few – language barriers are always tricky and we are constantly learning. Nothing too major at this stage though, touch wood!
Tell us a little bit about the bespoke service you offer…
It’s basically the option to choose your own horn variance, frame, silhouette and add-ons such as lens colour and monogramming – we’re pretty flexible.
Who would you like to see wearing your glasses?
Good question, maybe Jun Takahashi or Hiroki Nakamura. We are heavily influenced by Japanese designers and labels.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
I guess it would be being able to keep going after our first production run and also to travel a bit but we are still pretty young so it will be interesting to see what happens.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Hopefully more of the same, we’re aiming to keep our standards up rather than drop the ball.
Find out more and shop Lewis Fredericks eyewear at lewisfredericks.co.nz.
Words: Lucy Gibbons
