London-based eyewear designer Tom Davies is making waves with his bespoke and luxury glasses, attracting a host of celebrity clients and becoming Hollywood’s go-to glasses maker. Operating from his Brentford factory, Davies demonstrated his craft, explaining how he infuses gold leaf, sourced from chef Heston Blumenthal, into acetate frames for glasses priced from £600. He also creates even more opulent pieces, including £10,000 frames crafted from 18ct gold, one of which he reportedly sold as a Christmas gift.
Davies’s client list boasts names like Victoria Beckham and Ed Sheeran, and his designs have graced the silver screen in major films. He crafted eyewear for Emma Stone and Emma Thompson in “Cruella,” Winona Ryder in the upcoming “Beetlejuice” sequel, and Angelina Jolie in the Maria Callas biopic “Maria.” Known for his innovative approach, Davies even incorporates meteorite dust into his designs, having once auctioned off sunglasses made from a Martian meteorite for £3,000 to benefit an eye charity.
His journey to becoming a celebrated eyewear designer began after an art and design degree and a move to Hong Kong, where he was hired by a clockmaker expanding into eyewear. Davies quickly learned the trade, drawing inspiration from fashion magazines and customer feedback. Returning to the UK four years later, he launched his eponymous company in 2002. Now, he operates four London stores featuring advanced eye care technology and dry-eye clinics.
Beyond his celebrity clientele, Davies recounts memorable encounters. Stephen Fry joked about using Davies’s gold business card after giving up cocaine. He also fondly remembers his initial celebrity commission from Sir Richard Branson, secured after noticing ill-fitting glasses on a Virgin Atlantic check-in desk employee. He even measured Branson’s waxwork at Madame Tussauds to ensure a perfect fit. A particularly amusing story involves borrowing Ed Sheeran’s wife’s hair straighteners and resorting to cooking oil and Marigolds to adjust horn frames for the singer. Another vibrant memory is of the late Carrie Fisher, who playfully dubbed him “Mr. Fisher” and with whom he shared a close friendship. He also once traded sunglasses with Heston Blumenthal for a microwave in a late-night exchange.
Davies’s work has featured in numerous films, including “Keeping Mum,” “The Tourist,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Allied,” and “Spiderman: Homecoming.” He even provided his own glasses for an actor in “Cruella,” testament to his dedication and the immediate demands of the film industry. From humble beginnings to Hollywood’s preferred eyewear creator, Tom Davies’s unique approach and dedication to quality have solidified his position as a leading figure in the world of luxury eyewear.
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