It’s not so much how old a pair of sunglasses is that qualifies them to be labelled “vintage”, and thus made a part of the collection in our shop. Instead, other aspects, such as a unique design, play a key role here.
The designer Jacques Marie Mage has drawn inspiration from the Empire and Art Deco styles (to name just two) to create his own unique interpretation of modern sunglasses. The designer himself describes what motivates and influences him in the “JMM’s Story” feature on his website:
www.jacquesmariemage.com/story
We’ve been paying special attention to the JMM Collection, as we’ve been focusing for decades exclusively on sunglasses of the highest quality – quality that earns them the right to be labelled “vintage”. We’re very impressed by what Jacques Marie Mage has been able to achieve with his collection in just a short period of time.
Jacques Marie, who is based in Los Angeles, has succeeded in bringing previously all but forgotten superbly crafted designs back to life, so to speak – and in some cases has even outdone these in terms of quality. This achievement is all the more remarkable given the fact that these days corporate marketing is often given a higher priority than the quality of the products a company manufactures. One could in fact produce a long list of renowned fashion brands today that don’t even come close to the quality that they themselves achieved in the 1980s or 1990s.
This is not the case with Jacques Marie Mage. For JMM, quality isn’t some kind of marketing phrase but instead a completely tangible reality. JMM sunglasses are handmade by experienced artisans in Japan in a work process that involves more than 300 steps.
We know of no other manufacturer besides JMM that is bold enough these days to produce such thick acetate frames. Indeed, thick acetate sunglasses made by Jacques Maria Mage have already become collector's items.
The new JMM sunglasses also have something in common with our old vintage sunglasses, as both elicit emotions and embody a certain attitude towards life.
Jacques Marie Mage is able to achieve this type of positive association with his sunglasses by giving each model a specific story, or by dedicating it to a famous individual or celebrity. For example, JMM’s Fellini sunglasses are a tribute to the Italian director Federico Fellini, while the Ascari model is dedicated to the Italian race car driver Alberto Ascari.
Stars like Jeff Goldblum and Brat Pitt evidently love the expressiveness of these glasses – and show their appreciation by appearing with them on the covers of top-selling magazines.
The image that vintage sunglasses “established for themselves” over several decades has been attained by JMM in just a short period of time – and in a brilliant manner.
There’s another unique attribute that old vintage sunglasses and new sunglasses from JMM have in common: their limited availability.
Only very few vintage sunglasses from the 80s or 90s are available today in unworn condition – and the same can be said about the models by Jacques Marie Mage, as all of them are extremely limited editions. In many cases, only 250 or 300 pairs of a model will be produced – worldwide.
It’s highly gratifying for us to see how a contemporary eyewear designer shares our values and is able to use good products as a foundation for creating great ones.
JJM shows us that “vintage” is not a matter of age but instead a matter of aspiration.
That’s why we are offering the current collection of spectacles and sunglasses by Jacques Marie Mage in our vintage range of eyewear.