In 2008, entrepreneur Pazo Ho set out to make Visual Culture a return to valuing the history and tradition of high quality eyewear.
“With over twenty years of working in the industry at that point, it was in the 90s that Pazo Ho noticed how fashion brands had taken over the business of eyewear, and that the industry was being brand led,” notes Paulino Guerra Im, Visual Culture Branch Manager for Macau. “With stronger marketing power than those companies specialising in eyewear, most people were only familiar with the fashion brand glasses, which were being produced as accessories”.
A desire to return power to the specialists in the field led to the first Visual Culture shop opening in Hong Kong in 2008, with a founding philosophy of giving greater value to creative processes and original concepts, and bringing back the original ideas behind eyewear – “craftsmanship, materials, design, culture and tradition,” says Im.
Handmade glasses are a hallmark of many professional eyewear makers, particularly those from Japan, and in addition to the best in craftsmanship, the materials used are also superior to those of more mainstream brands – the use of cellulose acetate being a good example of this.
“In 2010, the first Visual Culture shop opened in Macau and today Pazo Ho is the creative director as well as buyer, flying to Japan, France, Italy and Germany every year to see what is happening in eyewear around the world and to bring a part of that back to Macau and Hong Kong,” says the shop manager.
“Most of the brands sold in the shop have a long history in the eyewear industry; some are over 100 years old. However this is not at the expense of newer names. If they fit the established criteria, there are also younger brands to be found in our display cabinets.”
Case in point is Super. Created in 2008 in Italy by the editor of a fashion magazine, this newer brand is popular with younger customers. Similar in style to Ray Ban’s, Super’s designs particularly cater to the Asian market, whereas Ray Ban’s are designed more for the European market, with styles that fit higher nose bridges. Thailand, Japan and Korea see great demand for Super’s market specific models, which are all handmade and reasonably priced.
“Moscot, from the USA, was established in 1915 and is the best selling brand at Visual Culture, with the Lemtosh tortoiseshell model being the most popular for a few very good reasons; it is unisex and easy to wear, and has a vintage touch,” says Im. Actors Johnny Depp and Shawn Yue are both fans.
Visual Culture is the exclusive distributor in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Macau for a number of establised brands such as Moscot, Wolfgang Proksch, ByWP, David Yurman & Judith Leiber and Oliver Goldsmith, among others.
Oliver Goldsmith was established in 1926 and has been a family run business ever since. From cult films of the 50's and 60's to haute couture fashion houses, Givenchy and Dior, 20th Century icons, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn to royalty- when it came to eyewear in the second half of last century, Oliver Goldsmith was synonymous with stars and style.
Visual Culture has an in-house optometrist service and the staff are trained by specialists from Taiwan. From professional lenses to the trendiest frames, everything is possible under one roof.
“The loyal Visual Culture customer is typically a designer, photographer, creative people who are culturally savvy…people in the know, who value the combination of quality craftsmanship and style,” says Im of his clientele.
With four shops in Hong Kong and two in Macau, this season’s bestseller is without a doubt, mirrored lenses, in all shapes and forms. So if you want to be bang on trend, with an appreciative nod to the past, you know where to go and what to buy.
OLIVER GOLDSMITH
MOSCOT
Estrada De Adolfo Loureiro 15-B, Macau
+853 2836 6837
Travessa Do Bispo No.1-B Fai Lei Res-Do-Chao A, Macau
+853 2838 9099
