That eyewear is a fashion item seems self-evident to those of us who practice the art of optical dispensing for a living. We all know the rare opportunity we have to change not only a person’s look, but also the way the whole world perceives them through a great frame choice. We also know the disappointment we feel each time someone leaves wearing the ‘wrong’ glasses, having not had the courage to make the bold, and better choice.

It is with this evangelical zeal that Maarten Weidema authors his book Amazing Eyewear – The Holy Grail on Eyewear Design. The title, clunkily conveys a deep-seated love of eyewear and, more importantly, independent eyewear design. Our industry has in recent years become caught in the thrall of luxury fashion houses who have used eyewear as an accessible gateway drug to pull more consumers into their orbit. In lieu of bold or innovative design they choose to use their brands’ iconography in miniature to seduce consumers. The result is a mass proliferation of bland and unremarkable eyewear.

The author

Weidema is a Dutch former eyewear designer, now publisher of TEF (The Eyewear Forum) online magazine, who seeks to champion the cause of boutique designers who swim against the tide of bland eyewear by producing unique and innovative eyewear. His book is intended as a coffee table/waiting room publication that can introduce consumers and practitioners alike to the wild and wonderful world of eyewear design.

The book

Like any good coffee table book Amazing Eyewear looks beautiful and will surely be the reading material of choice for the fashion-minded customer in any optometrist’s waiting room. It has sections covering the more technical aspects of frame construction as well as essays written by eyewear designers and people that style themselves as eyewear fashion influencers. It also includes a brand index that details the history and aesthetic of eyewear brands Weidema admires.

Where this book succeeds is in the beautiful imagery it uses. It is a wonderful showcase of independent eyewear designers whose designs span the eminently wearable to the downright wacky. It shines a light on a world of possibilities that few consumers know exists. Who knows, it may even open a few minds and prevent a few customers turning themselves into billboards for an Italian fashion house.

A jarring counterpoint to the beautiful quality of the imagery, however, is the words that accompany them. Weidema is clearly not a native English speaker and has presumably chosen English to broaden the reach of the book. The text reads poorly and is littered with words used incorrectly and, even on occasion, misspelled. This is a shame as it mars an otherwise worthy attempt to champion independent design.

Despite these shortcomings this is a book worth owning. It passionately advocates for people who innovate and bring us exciting new products that could change the way our customers see their world and the way the world sees them!

Michael Bullen is an optometrist and managing director of the independent EyeStyle optometry practices in Auckland, New Zealand.