J. Crew has long been an easy go-to source for everything from shirts and sport coats to ties and pocket squares. But there's one thing the retailer has been missing since its founding in 1983: sunglasses. Yes, it has stocked styles by brands like Ray-Ban before, but it never had an in-house collection. Until now, that is.
Today, J. Crew launched a lineup of men's and women's sunglasses made by NYC-based manufacturer Marchon. There are three men's shapes: the Jack aviator, the rectangular Irving, and the rounded Sam. Each is made by hand from high-quality acetate and comes with CR-39 scratch-resistant lenses and custom hinges made with four screws for stability.
All told, the development process took about a year and a half, but as you can see in this exclusive behind-the-scenes photo, the folks involved had a pretty good time:
"We've always wanted to do our own sunglasses," head of men's design Frank Muytjens (pictured above center) told Esquire.com. "So when this chance came along, everything seemed to fall into place and it worked. I think they represent the J. Crew aesthetic perfectly."
