Vuarnet & Its famous Glacier style, a tricolor brand
The story of VUARNET begins in Paris in 1957 in Roger Pouilloux's workshops. This avant-garde optician, passionate about skiing, will revolutionize the world of optics by inventing an exceptional glass, the SKILYNX, capable of giving him better vision relief.
It’s with these glasses that Jean Vuarnet will win the Games gold medal Squaw Valley Olympics in 1960. After this victory, the two men decide to create a brand in their image: innovative, efficient, and elegant.
Glacier, a tricolor limited edition
Last winter, Vuarnet unveiled a limited edition style of their iconic Glacier model: a full white acetate frame that wisely integrates a quilted natural leather protective shell. 3 versions were released: blue, white or red side shields. Each model is equipped with the Skilynx tinted glass lenses designed at Vuarnet’s lab. It guarantees the best visibility on the slopes and as well as to face the reliefs. Its unique and high-tech design will make it the reference of winter style.
3 versions representing the French flag’s colors are available: blue, white or red side shields.
Vuarnet’s success has surpassed the French Alps to seduce the most famous secret agent in history, James Bond, in the latest Spectre released in 2015. A simple gesture allows you to remove the removable shells (or shields) to transform the Glacier model in a classic pilot frame intended for daily wear.
Daniel Craig wearing the iconic Glacier style in last James Bond’s Spectre (Released in 2015).
The price of this limited edition is 640$.
A flagship in Paris, an NYC store
Vuarnet’s frames are available online at vuarnet.com and in their flagships, 28 rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75,008 Paris, and 39 Spring Street, New York.
After the opening of its Parisian flagship store at 28 rue Boissy d'Anglas in 2017, VUARNET opens its first American boutique in the heart of New York in the Nolita neighborhood at 39 Spring Street.
The store offers a full immersion in the universe of the brand: the interior architecture clearly evokes its outdoor identity with the use of materials natural - a mixture of wood and stone - while that space will give plenty of space for light to come in with a fully glazed facade and the presence of the sun that will shine inside. The entire collection is presented there: glasses, sunglasses, beachwear, and skiwear textile collections as well as limited and exclusive editions.
A French production
Vuarnet designs and manufactures its own tinted glass lenses at its production facility in Meaux, near Paris, France. Vuarnet was labeled Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant by the French government in 2017. All Vuarnet’s tinted lenses are developed to the same high-quality standards, for daily use or for intense lighting conditions. The lenses offer the very best optical precision and maximum protection, plus are extremely hard-wearing and deliver the ultimate in visual comfort.
A prestigious label
In 2017 Vuarnet received the prestigious “Entreprise” label of Living Heritage ”(EPV). Awarded by the French State, it rewards French companies that have excellent craftsmanship. VUARNET is indeed the only brand that produces its mineral glasses in its own factory located in Meaux near Paris. A workweek is necessary to make each glass: a selection of mass-dyed raw materials, treatments exclusive surface area, strict control at each seventeen stages of the manufacturing process, as many requirements that guarantee optical quality noticeable at first glance.
A new type of lenses for night vision
If VUARNET lenses have provided unparalleled protection from the undesirable effects of the sun for 60 years, it is, on the contrary, to amplify light when it becomes rarer or disappears completely that NIGHTLYNX glass was designed.
This type of lens is unique because it combines the benefits of mineral glass lenses, purity, clarity, and incomparable optical precision, with exceptional visual acuity at night or in rain, fog, or mist. Particularly appreciated for driving or piloting at night, the NIGHTLYNX glass eliminates the effects of glare while clearly improving the contrasts and the perception of distances.
District 1908 - Timeless meets sleek with their classic acetate collection. Combined with effortless silhouettes and meticulous finishes, along with reinforced hinges. Price: 285$
A charitable approach
Generation Eyewear supports brands such as Vuarnet because of its will to preserve their strong french identity and to always show their commitment towards quality as well as charity. In fact, for each glasses purchased Vuarnet donates a pair to the Shades of Love association. The mission of this organization that Vuarnet has been supported for 3 years is to distribute these glasses to people living in remote areas of Andes and Himalayan exposed to the harmful effects of intense light.
Written by Adam