Savile Row Glasses - All Good Things Come to An End.

We are big fans of the Savile Row hand made glasses. They’re much more than an eyewear company, they're a British institution. 

Based at the Algha Works in the East End of London - a building that still has green tiled stairways and ignores the modern world - little has changed since opening in 1932. 

During the war they made aviator glasses for pilots. Readers of “a certain age” will know that they were awarded the contract for making spectacle frames for the National Health Service, something they did for 40 years until a Thatcher government deregulated the market. 

At this point, Savile Row Eyewear was created.

The only complete manufacturer of metal glasses left in the UK, their styles and shapes have become iconic classics, worn by the great and the good the world over. From John Lennon to Eric Clapton, Harrison Ford to Denzil Washington.

The Old Glasses Shop started selling Savile Row a few years ago when I had the pleasure of dealing with the then owner Peter Viner. There is a good BBC short video from 2013 featuring Peter here .Their round style glasses were a perfect fit for us, as we had become known as the “go to“ online shop for that style. Our Rachel has become a bit of a Savile Row expert over the years and has advised potential customers in every corner of the world. Its been great.

But - as the saying goes - all good things must come to an end. Their acquisition by InSpecs brought them a welcome investment and we have genuinely enjoyed working with them. Last month, however, I received a sad phone call telling me that online sales are being taken “in house” and that we will not be able to place orders with them after the end of September.

Clearly, little Old Glasses Shop is in no position to judge this decision, so from that view point there isn’t much to say.

What does this mean for you? Well, all warranties etc with our customers are totally unaffected.
Our overseas customers have been able to order directly from Savile Row for some time.

I’m sure Savile Row bespoke will continue to do well and you will be able to order them directly online, however you will most certainly pay more. I suspect Savile Row will charge full RRP for their direct online sales (as they themselves set the Recommended Retail Price how could they not charge it?!).
The good news is that If you want a bespoke Savile Row frame below RRP then you still have time! We are still able to take orders until the end of September and our pricing represents a genuine saving. Give us a call / email if you need advice, and see the current range here.

Don't forget we also have an absolutely brilliant range of vintage Savile Row - rolled gold frames that were made 20 - 30 years ago by Algha Works, new and unworn, same design, under both the Savile Row and Hilton branding. We obviously have limited stock and some models are down to single figure stock levels. Take a look - see the range here.

We are genuinely disappointed that we will no longer be able to order new frames from Savile Row, I’ve always felt that we were in some very small way a tiny part of their story.

We wish them well.