Me and my glasses

A change of image

Jeremy Hackett, founder of Hackett London, tells OT why glasses are an essential part of any gentleman’s repertoire

10 April 2020

As the founder of Hackett London, Jeremy Hackett has been at the forefront of fashionable menswear for almost four decades. After starting out as a vintage stallholder in 1983, Hackett grew his eponymous brand to become an international household name, with 160 stores globally and a flagship on London’s iconic Savile Row.

Here, he tells OT about how essential eyewear can be in pulling a look together – and why a classic, well-made pair of glasses will never go out of fashion.

I think you take on different personas when you wear different glasses. You behave differently. I would wear different glasses for different occasions. I'm not sure people used to think like that in the past. They just had this one pair of glasses that they wore forever.

I have glasses going back years, if I haven’t lost them of course. Dotted around the house, in the car, in the office. I always forget them. Or you put them down. When I have good glasses, I tend to remember. It’s a bit like umbrellas. If you’ve got a cheap umbrella, you put it down. If you’ve got a good one, you go back and find it.

You can change your image from one pair of glasses to another

There are few things that men can wear without being overdressed. They can wear cufflinks, they can wear nice watch, and they can wear glasses. It's perfectly acceptable; it's not overdone. And I think they also they add a little bit of mystery and character to people, depending on what they choose. You can change your image from one pair of glasses to another.

The new range was inspired by my cufflinks, which are my signature. They're made from Japanese acetate, which is the best. They have Zeiss lenses. And we have them in titanium as well. So we're using the best manufacturing to create the range, and I'm very happy with it.

This end of the market is not really about trends as such. They may get a little lighter, or a little heavier, but I think the thing about this is making something fairly classic, but beautifully made and put together. It’s not about trends. I will look at fashion and take what I think is right for Hackett. Otherwise, what’s the point?