ROUND GLASSES / ANDRÉ

The Real McCoy’s ROUND GLASSES / ANDRE draw inspiration from the iconic eyewear style of French writer André Gide. Featuring a round silhouette crafted from celluloid, this design pays homage to one of the earliest shapes in eyeglass history.

Round lenses, often regarded as the archetype of spectacles, made their debut in resin frames during the 1920s, gaining popularity across the United States. While round glasses are closely tied to French aesthetics, their widespread recognition in America was largely due to the influence of Harold Lloyd, the legendary comedian of the 1920s, who helped cement celluloid frames as a familiar and fashionable choice.

The American military pioneered eye defense technology for the air force, replacing goggles with sunglasses as a light weight alternative. In 1929 the first celluloid eyewear were introduced to the American market through a creative transformation of injection molding facilities previously dedicated to a faltering women's wear manufacturer. Utilizing nitrocellulose as its primary component along with cotton, pulp, and other fibers constituting 70% of its composition, celluloid eyewear, enhanced with camphor, made a transformative impact. Available on the beaches and boardwalks of New Jersey, these sunglasses quickly captivated the public, achieving widespread popularity.

Celluloid, once dry, displays remarkable stability, enabling the creation of intricate shapes that sustain the frame's structural integrity, even without the presence of metal leg cores.

As time has passed, the manufacturing of celluloid eyewear has witnessed a decline, leaving a limited number of producers. The majority of these manufacturers are now concentrated in Japan, where the tradition of hand molded celluloid frames is preserved and continues to be in high demand.

• Celluloid frame
• Glass lenses
• Made in Japan