Japanese Sunglasses and Glasses, Handcrafted in Sabae

Japan makes some of the finest eyewear in the world, and most of it comes from one small city. Sabae, in Fukui prefecture, produces about 20 percent of the world's eyewear frames. L'Écurie Paris frames are handcrafted there. The brand is French design, handcrafted in Japan. The shapes are drawn by Lionel Moroy. The frames are made in Sabae from Japanese titanium and Japanese sheet acetate, with gold applied as plating over the titanium. This page explains what Japanese glasses and Japanese sunglasses from Sabae are, why the city matters, and where the brand sits among Japanese eyewear brands.

A century of frames in Sabae

Sabae has made eyewear frames for over a century. The workshops in Sabae are organized around patience. A single frame passes through roughly 200 production steps, and many of them are done by hand by people who do one job well. Titanium is shaped and polished until the surface is even. Acetate is cut from sheet and polished by hand until the color sits deep in the material. Glasses made in Japan, and in Sabae above all, are known for this care. The result is a frame that fits closely, lasts for years, and looks finished from every angle, including the inside of the temple.

Japanese titanium glasses and sunglasses

Japanese titanium is the material behind most of our frames. Each titanium frame weighs under 20 grams. Titanium is hypoallergenic, which matters for skin that reacts to other metals. It is corrosion resistant, so sweat, sea air and rain leave no mark. It is 45 percent lighter than steel.

Leo is a rimless titanium aviator. Paname is a rectangular titanium frame. Alexis is round, in titanium with tortoise acetate tips. Morgane is an oval titanium frame, and Lissa is a lighter oval in the same metal. Romy is a titanium butterfly in lacquered gradients. Eva and Mia are titanium frames, and Mia is also offered in 24K gold plating. See the titanium glasses and the titanium sunglasses.

Japanese acetate sunglasses and glasses

Our acetate frames are made from Takiron Japanese sheet acetate. The color runs through the full thickness of the sheet, so a frame looks the same at the edge as it does on the front. The color cannot wear off, because it goes all the way through. Each piece is cut from the sheet, not molded, and then polished by hand.

Emmanuelle, Elsa and Charlotte are feminine acetate frames with gold-tipped arms. Victor, Riviera and George are masculine acetate frames with art-deco engraved temples. Japanese acetate sunglasses from Sabae are built for daily wear, and the fit is checked by hand. See the acetate sunglasses and the acetate glasses.

Gold plating over Japanese titanium

Our gold frames are never solid gold. The gold is a plating applied over the Japanese titanium frame. The frames are 18K gold plated or 14K white gold plated. Mia is also available in 24K gold plated. The titanium underneath keeps the frame under 20 grams, hypoallergenic and corrosion resistant. The plating gives the color and the warmth. A gold frame from L'Écurie Paris weighs about the same as a plain titanium one. See the gold sunglasses and the gold eyeglasses.

Japanese eyewear brands and where L'Écurie Paris fits

People who search for Japanese eyewear brands or Japanese glasses brands usually mean one of two things. Some mean a brand founded in Japan, with Japanese design and Japanese production. Most well-known Japanese eyewear brands fit that description. Others mean the frame itself: where it was made, from what, and by whom.

L'Écurie Paris belongs to the second reading. The design is French, by Lionel Moroy, and the design story explains where each shape comes from. The frames are handcrafted in Sabae, Japan. For the object on your face, that is the part that matters. The titanium, the acetate, the hinges, the polish and the fit all come from Sabae. The shape and the proportions are French.

How a frame is made

Every L'Écurie Paris frame is made in Sabae. The work falls into five stages.

• Design. Lionel Moroy designs the frame. The shape, the proportions and the details are French.
• Material. The frame is cut from Japanese titanium or from Takiron sheet acetate, depending on the model.
• Shaping. Fronts and temples are cut and shaped, then polished by hand until the surface is deep and even.
• Finishing. Titanium frames that call for gold are 18K gold plated, 14K white gold plated or, on Mia, 24K gold plated.
• Assembly and fit. Hinges and nose pads are fitted, and the frame is checked before it leaves the workshop.

The craftsmanship page goes through each stage in more detail.

Every frame is produced in limited quantities and comes with a lifetime warranty. Handmade glasses from Sabae are meant to be worn for a long time, and the warranty reflects that. To see the full range, start with the men's sunglasses, the women's sunglasses, the men's optical collection and the women's optical collection.