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Belgian frames, sketched by hand and made in France from rare, often colorful acetate.

Founded
1986
From
Belgium
Made in
France

Fit guide: Which Henau glasses fit you

31 frames

About Henau

Thirty-one Henau frames are online, and every one of them is acetate. Henau was founded in 1986 by Michel Henau, a trained artist who became an optician, and grew with the designer Marc Delagrange, whose first Henau collection was shown at Silmo in 2000 in limited handmade editions. Delagrange still sketches each model by hand. The brand is Belgian; the frames are made entirely by hand by artisans in France.

What Henau is known for is the acetate itself: rare plates, often strongly coloured, cut so the colour runs through the whole rim. The colours here are the evidence. Green Crystal, Blue Crystal and Champagne Crystal are transparent; Blue Marble and Grey Marble are veined; Cobalt Blue, Turquoise, Coral Red, Coral Pink, Indigo and Sky Blue are solid and saturated; Grey Horn, Sage Havana and Tortoise are the quiet ones. The Odorono round alone is here in five colours.

Round and geometric

Fourteen frames are round and eleven are geometric, the hexagons and flat-browed shapes that hand sketching produces; the rest are two cat-eyes, two aviators, an oval and a square. Eye sizes run from 46mm to 58mm with a median of 48mm. Four frames are 46mm, 18 sit between 47mm and 52mm, and nine are 53mm or more, including the two Gaga aviators at 54mm and the Timmy in Tortoise at 58mm.

Most Henau frames here are one of a kind, so an Odorono in Cobalt Blue that sells is not replaced by another in the same colour. Each ships as a frame, free and insured within the US with a signature on delivery, for your own optician to glaze.

Is Henau a French brand?

Henau is Belgian, founded in 1986 by Michel Henau, an artist turned optician. Its frames are made in France, entirely by hand by artisans, which is why all 31 Henau frames online are on our Made in France page. The designs come from Marc Delagrange, who has drawn for the brand since his first collection in 2000 and still sketches each model by hand.

What are Henau frames made of?

Acetate, every one of the 31 here. Henau cuts its frames from rare, often strongly coloured plates, so the colour runs through the rim and an optician can adjust the fit with gentle heat. That plate is what gives the range its Green Crystal, Blue Marble, Cobalt Blue and Champagne Crystal. There are no metal Henau frames online.

Are Henau glasses handmade?

Yes. Each model starts as a hand sketch by Marc Delagrange, and the frames are made entirely by hand by artisans in France. Delagrange’s first collection for the brand, shown at Silmo in 2000, was produced in limited handmade editions, and that is still how Henau works. Most of the frames here are one of a kind, so the colour shown is the one you receive.

What sizes do Henau frames come in?

Our 31 run from 46mm to 58mm across the eye, with a median of 48mm, so the range leans small to medium; the four narrowest are 46mm rounds. The number is the first of three printed inside the left arm, followed by bridge and temple. The size guide at /collections/frame-size-guide explains them, and each frame ships as a frame for your own optician to glaze.

About Henau

Henau was founded in 1986 by Michel Henau, a trained artist who became an optician, and grew with designer Marc Delagrange. Delagrange’s first Henau collection was shown at Silmo in 2000, in limited handmade editions.

Delagrange still sketches each model by hand. Frames are made entirely by hand by artisans in France, cut from rare acetate plates that are often strongly colored.

Man in black zip shirt wearing angular tortoise-and-black frames, grey set
Woman with afro in cream knit wearing bold green square frames, wide crop
Grey-haired woman in dark fur coat wearing white round sunglasses

In stock now

Frames
31

All eyeglasses

Eye sizes
46–58 mm

The first number printed inside the left arm

Made from
Acetate

Round, geometric and cat-eye

A few of the Henau frames here

  1. Drawn by hand

    Each model starts as a hand sketch.

  2. Made in France

    Frames are handmade by artisans in France.

  3. Rare acetates

    Cut from unusual, often colorful acetate plates.

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