Curry & Paxton links with Fred Perry for heritage eyewear collab

Two British heritage labels have linked up for an eyewear collab, with London-based specs specialist Curry & Paxton (founded 1886) joining forces with Fred Perry.

They’ve come up with a two-item offer “inspired by the timeless” Fred Perry shirt (first launched in 1952 and a subculture favourite since the 1960s). 

Curry & Paxton’s YVAN frame has been reworked in black and champagne colourways to reflect Fred Perry’s palette.

The unisex offer harks back to other British heritage icons, specifically Michael Caine, with the eyewear model having made an impact when he wore it in the Len Deighton spy film, The Ipcress File, in 1965. A fan of the brand, Caine revisited the frame again in 1969, sporting YVAN sunglasses in the one of the most popular British films of all time, The Italian Job.

The collab sunglasses, which feature dual branding, are made using “premium quality cellulose acetate” from Italian manufacturer Mazzucchelli 1849. And the company said the hinges are “the optical industry’s most durable, creating the famous Curry & Paxton six-pin logo, and featured on the original frames”. 

Lenses are sourced from Italian specialist, Duvel and provide 100% UV protection. But the frame is handmade in the Curry & Paxton workshop in East London.

Richard Gilmore, Fred Perry Managing Director said of the link-up: “Both brands are shorthand for originality, rooted in the British psyche via film, craftsmanship and men’s style, resonating globally.”