The Kirk family is celebrating 100 years in optics

The Kirk family is celebrating 100 years in optics with the launch of its Centena Collection when Kirk & Kirk Eyewear returns to Silmo for the 25^th time from 28 September–1 October.

In 1919, the Kirk brothers, Sidney and Percy Kirk, converted a sewing machine into a lens cutter and in 2019, Jason and Karen Kirk will continue the family name in optics.

Founder of Kirk & Kirk Eyewear, Jason Kirk, said: “This is an amazing moment, having seen everything that my grandfather achieved and grown up in my parent’s practice, Karen and I are very proud to learn from the past to drive the future. This is about looking forward as, like the previous generations, we try to contribute to the next century of optics.”

Kirk & Kirk Eyewear’s Centena Collection will be made entirely in France from a special grade of lightweight Italian acrylic.

The hand-crafted frames will be 10mm thick and available in ten shapes and ten colour options, including crimson, corn and iris.

The next generation

The Kirk brothers opened factories in the US and South Africa, travelled to Brazil to source quartz from its beaches to create glass lenses and experimented with bullet proof Motex glass.

A love of optics was passed down to the next generation of Kirks, who entered the profession in a range of positions, including opticians and developing optical machinery under the brand name, Percy Kirk, in the US.

Sidney’s son, Neville, went into practice with his wife Esme, which looked to be the end of the family interest in optics, until their son Jason found a box of eyewear created by the Kirk brothers in the 1950s and 60s.

Jason and his wife Karen decided to end their respective careers and start an eyewear company, which is today sold in independent practices around the world.