IZIPIZI
IZIPIZI is the brainchild of three long-time friends: Charles Brun, Xavier Aguera and Quentin Couturier. The three millennials grew up in Lyon, France, where they attended high school together. After completing business school, they realized they shared a common ambition: to launch a joint business venture.
It was 2010 and they were 24 years old. The inspiration came in the form of their long-sighted parents’ repeated refrain: “Can I borrow your eyes?” Thus a completely unique product was born: a pair of minimalist reading glasses on a stem, similar to lorgnette opera glasses, which were attached to a weighted base with a chain, inspired by the upright counter pens found in banks. They dubbed the product “See Up”, and it was an immediate success. While their first clients were banks – Société Générale in particular – more and more private customers began asking for a home-use version of the product. This led to the launch of two new collections: See Home, a revisited version of See Up for at-home use; and See Magnet, a magnetized version that can be affixed to one’s refrigerator.
It was time to start thinking bigger and further – globally. In 2013 the trio developed a line of traditional reading glasses that was a sleek reimagining of the spare reading specs for sale in pharmacies. A collection of plain sunglasses, reading sunglasses, and Screen Blue Light blockers soon followed. Boasting clean design, high-quality frames at an affordable price, the line was initially sold through an ultra-exclusive distribution network. Very quickly, IZIPIZI glasses gained a reputation as chic eyewear essentials to proudly show off and collect. Within five years of launching their simple glasses on a stick, a team of 35 employees were hard at work developing new product lines for the dynamic startup.
IZIPIZI believes that beauty should be accessible to all. Since first arriving on the scene in 2010, IZIPIZI has been breaking the mold with its range of colorful fashion glasses with a unique soft finish and supple, flexible frame, perfect for every age and every occasion. Their high-quality glasses have been picked up by some of the most iconic stores in the world, including Colette, Le Bon Marché and Merci in Paris, Harrods and Selfridges in London, MoMA, Dover Street Market and Bloomingdale’s in New York, and Isetan in Tokyo. Delivered in IZIPIZI’s distinct signature packaging (a hard outer case with a soft felt case inside), these glasses have become a veritable must-have, as chic as they are affordable.
