The story of TVR® begins in a small city in Japan.
Over 90% of eyewear frames sold in Japan come from Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Sabae is known for inventing the concept of nose pads and developed the use of titanium frames in the 1980s. With a history of eyewear production and frame manufacturing that transcends generations, Sabae represents the history of handmade eyewear in Japan itself. It all started during the Meiji era when Masunaga Gozaeman introduces frame-making technology to Sabae City. The industry began as an off-season side job for agricultural workers, but demand grew stronger following World War I. In late 1930s, approximately 1.5 million celluloid eyeglasses were produced annual in Sabae.
People in Sabae have always been patient and conscientious, and these are exactly the qualities needed for the intricate and painstaking work especially in making handmade eyewear. One of the characteristics of Japanese craftsmanship is a kind of profusion of detail. There is a tendency to pay extraattention towards the minutest of details.The spirit of Japanese artisanal craftinvolves spending a copious amount oftime and effort to get the byproductexactly right. The economics of theproduct are not so important as for thesefolks; the aim is to product somethingfaithful to the fundamentals of the craftand its authentic designs.
From getting the shapes right to filing every sides and edges, the veterans form the bedrock in perfecting the art of eyewear making. There is a kind of handmade beauty that simply cannot be achieved with even the most advanced technologies. It is something artisanal -a mastery quality- that can only be created in Sabae. The mastery of its handcraftsmanship is passed down from fathers to sons, masters toapprentices. This custom has since become the keystone to the unrivalled quality and sophistication of high quality handmade eyewear. Up to this day, similar technical methods andtraditional tool handmade expertise arestill being adopted in the making of each eyepiece.
Piece by piece, every one of a True Vintage Revival (TVR®) eyewear is honed with decades of expertise by selected artisans from Sabae. Fired up with a passion to revive classic designs from the golden classical eras, TVR® sets its eyes on two things; genuine quality and authentic vintage designs. Original templates and a collection of blueprints, the first-class traditional optical frames are made using the Datum Expression System. It is a creation process passed on from generations to select artisans with a superior commitment to quality.
TVR© uses only these time-tested methods to create “revivals” of its classics frames. Vintage design features are greatly highlighted in the making of the TVR® classics. These include the keyhole-bridge, functional spear rivets, 7-barrel hinges, and miter cut techniques that are boldly executed with the unrivalled skills and technical know-hows, particularly from the Yaemon family of master hand-craftsmen whose family started the production of Celluloid (plastic) frame glasses in 1953. Having spent over 60 years producing high quality handmade Celluloid frames, this family-owned old factory is one of the very few factories existing in Sabae that produces handmade eyewear. And with very limited pieces produced by hand every month by these artisans, TVR® promises a delivery of a true vintage piece that will stand the test of time.
