The "Don of Eyewear"
Meet Creative Director & Founder, Corey Shapiro.
BRINGING “FUN” BACK TO EYEWEAR
Some of the most iconic people in pop-culture all had one thing in common – love of frames. From Elton John in the 70’s, Run DMC in the 80’s, to Pharrell Williams in the 90’s & early 00’s, these legends wore iconic frames to transform into a persona to tell a story to the world.
Frames instill confidence and act as a barrier between the wearer and the rest of the world. In 2008, Corey decided it was time to bring the fun back to the eyewear industry – on his own terms.
DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY BEHIND THE FRAMES
One of the eyewear industry’s biggest kept secret is that most of your favorite brands are not actually produced by the brands, but by 3 major eyewear licensing Houses that make up 90% of the industry. As brands changed licensing Houses over the years, the story behind the frame became lost – with no continuity to document the fashion references of the time for when it came back into style.
Shapiro started in the industry by purveying designer vintage eyewear. He has touched more frames than anyone in the world. His start in building and documenting the
world’s largest designer eyewear archive, coupled with his background in Fashion History, he is the authority in the industry when it comes to referencing brands history in fashion and has worked with many brands to document and revive their cultural relevance in fashion.
from inspiration to creation
Vintage Frames Company pays homage to the past by innovating for the future.
Taking inspiration from the best attributes from his vintage eyewear archive and mixing pop-culture references of today, Shapiro breathes new life into the
industry that is filled with brands designing frames to help people hide behind and conform to societal “norms”.
His philosophy is anything but traditional – frames are meant to fit your personality, not your face. They should give you the freedom to express yourself any way you wish to – by day, by week, by period in your life.
