This post was most recently updated on October 20th, 2019
1987, there was a huge gap in the market for the unique, the creative, and the wonderful. Dull frames and lens shapes dominated the market with no room for the eccentric. Wim Somers and Patrick Hoet wanted to create glasses that breathed individuality and freshness into the market, providing glasses for those with a flair for the unique. The name “theo” is an anagram of “Hoet,” but it has also become synonymous for all things fun and unexpected.
Starting at the end of the 19th century, an old term began to gain new meaning and was beginning to be applied to art that pushed the envelope or was considered to be ahead of its time. This term, avant-garde, is a French term meaning “Advance Guard.” In art, it is anything that is unexpected, interesting, and even peculiar. Although these ideas of leading the way into new, unexplored territory were overtaking the world of art, music, literature, and dance, by the 1980s, the avant-garde movement had not quite reached eyeglasses.
Since its inception in 1987, theo’s inspiration and motivation behind every single design is the client. The brand particularly resonates with individuals who don’t quite fit in that perfect box but who fully embrace their own individuality. The brand has necessarily seen many changes as culture has evolved and developed, but the goal remains the same: to give unique individuals options for glasses that are as wonderful as they are.
The brand has since grown, extending its reach to 50 countries across the world. The glasses can be found in 1,400 stores. There is something for everyone to love in their extensive lines, from the classy all the way to the exceptionally eccentric. There are so many reasons to love this quirky brand.
Standing for the Self-Willed
A brand that began as a way to give beloved clients fresh options gained new life in the advent of its ‘Eye-witness’ line. The line had its start in 1995 and still exists today. It is one of the only lines of eyewear today that feature asymmetrical frames and lenses. The effect is wonderfully subtle, causing the passerby to have to take a second glance to find the asymmetries.
Seeing Beauty in the Mundane
The designers at theo have been known to gain inspiration from anything and to see the beauty in the most mundane and everyday things. While traveling through Japan, for example, the theo team gained inspiration from the many types of noodles available in the culture. The result was a whimsical line featuring playful frames that loop and twist around the lens in unexpected ways. Inspiration comes from everywhere in these glasses. Desserts, diamonds, train stations, and even sinewy, twisting rope form the basis behind many of the ideas.
Inspirational Colors
One of the things to love about theo glasses is a wide variety of vivid, stunning, and bright colors to choose from. The Mille+50 line, for example, offers glasses that have simple frames but come in a stunning array of color combinations. These dual-color pairings range everywhere from subtle black and white to eye-catching red and purple.
Thinking Outside the Frame
Many glasses on the market are designed with the frames in mind and the lens as a necessary afterthought. However, the theo mindset realizes that with such a high functional importance on the lenses, they might as well also be the focus of a great deal of thought when it comes to design. This is why the “Outlines” series was born. The design of these glasses starts from the lens and everything else is built around it. They come in a stunning array of colors for every taste.
Exciting Collaborations
Over the years, theo has collaborated with designers such as James Van Vossel, Christoph Broich, and Matali Crasset to create some of the most unique and exciting styles on the market today. Theo is constantly finding new ways to appeal to the individual. Yet at the heart of everything, the customer is still the brand’s first love.
Passion for the client is without a doubt this brand’s primary driving force. Every single person who purchases a pair of theo glasses has different needs, different interests, and a different sense of style. Glasses are an often overlooked part of an individual’s personal style, but this brand is working to make it the first thing that people notice. They should be much more than a way to correct vision. They should be a wonderful form of expression, and for the designers at theo, glasses are a way of life.