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Made in France

Made in France, in the small workshops that still cut, rivet and polish a frame by hand.

72 frames

About Made in France

Seventy-two of the frames online are made in France, from three brands. Henau has 31 of them: a Belgian brand whose frames are made entirely by hand by artisans in France, from rare and often strongly coloured acetate. Sabine Be has 26, handmade in France for a brand founded in Orléans by an optician. Traction Productions has 15, made in the Jura by Maison de Lunetterie Victor Gros, a family company founded in 1872 that turned to eyewear in 1930.

Only brands with a verified Made in France fact are here. J.F. Rey, designed in Marseille, is not, because we have no confirmed statement of where its frames are made, and we would rather leave a brand off than guess.

Mostly acetate, mostly round

Sixty of the 72 are acetate, six are metal and six combine the two. All 31 Henau frames are acetate, cut from plates the brand chooses for colour: Green Crystal, Blue Marble, Champagne Crystal, Coral Red. Sabine Be’s plates are stripes, two-tone tortoises and translucents; Traction Productions names its colours in French, from Vermillon to Ecaille / Ivoire.

Round is the dominant shape, with 30 frames, then cat-eye with 14, geometric with twelve, rectangular with six, oval with five, square with three and aviator with two. The sizes lean small. Eye sizes run from 35mm to 58mm with a median of 48mm; 17 frames are 46mm or under, including the three smallest in the store, all Traction Productions rounds. Forty sit between 47mm and 52mm and 15 are 53mm or more. Most are one of a kind; each ships as a frame within the US, free and insured, and your own optician fits the lenses.

Which glasses brands are made in France?

Three of the brands we stock state that their frames are made in France: Henau, Sabine Be and Traction Productions, 72 frames between them. Henau is Belgian by origin but makes in France; Sabine Be is from Orléans; Traction Productions makes in the Jura. We only put a brand on this page when the brand itself says where it makes, so J.F. Rey, designed in Marseille, is not here.

Are French glasses frames handmade?

The three here are. Henau describes its frames as made entirely by hand by artisans in France, and each model starts as a hand sketch by its designer. Sabine Be says every frame is made by hand in France. Traction Productions is made in the Jura, France’s traditional eyewear region, by a family company in its fifth generation. Most of the 72 frames are also one of a kind.

Where in France are these frames made?

Traction Productions is made in the Jura, a region with generations of eyewear-making behind it. Henau and Sabine Be state that their frames are made in France without naming a town in the facts we have verified, so we do not name one either. If it matters to you, ask us and we will find out what the brand says.

Can I get prescription lenses in French frames?

Yes. Each frame ships as a frame, and your own optician fits the lenses. Sixty of the 72 are acetate, cut from a solid plate, which hides a thicker lens edge and holds an optician’s adjustment. Our lens guide at /collections/lens-guide explains lens choices, and both of our shops belong to the Eye Rx practice, where fittings and adjustments happen.