Second hand designer glasses and why you should shop them

Our preloved designer glasses collection is a curated collection of second hand designer glasses handpicked by us for their quality and design. A mix of modern unworn deadstock and lightly worn beautifully refurbished preloved glasses frames.

To compliment our range of true vintage glasses and sunglasses we felt it was only natural to offer a more modern preloved option.

why buy second hand designer glasses?

Second hand doesn’t mean second best, in fact the opposite can be true with eyewear. All the pieces in our preloved collection are chosen for their quality and style.

A major bonus of shopping preloved is affordability. Designer glasses frames can be more budget and pocket friendly when you buy them second hand, but you’re still obtaining the same innovative design, high quality materials and skilled production.

If your favourite frame broke or it’s been discontinued, you might just find it in our Preloved Collection. If you’re coveting something you can’t see in store, get in touch and we’ll do our best to source it or something similar for you from our extensive range of styles not yet in the store.

There’s also our waitlist feature on the site - if a frame is marked out of stock there’s a chance it’s on a Home Try On, so add your name to the waitlist feature in the product description and you’ll be notified if it comes back in stock.

shopping second hand designer glasses

Shopping second hand is a truly sustainble way to shop, no new resources or materials are used, so energy, materials and water are saved and no nasty chemicals are involved. We’re reusing what’s already out there in the world without drawing on the planets resources to create more stuff.

Saving frames from landfill or a lifetime in a darkened drawer, when they have so much life left in them, is what we do. When you choose second hand over new you’re shopping sustainably, free from the burden of adding to our ever growing landfill problem.

There’s so many great quality secondhand frames already in existence there’s really no need to buy new - as fashion is cyclical you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

repair and rewear designer frames

Our secondhand preloved glasses frames are either unworn deadstock frames or lightly worn, with lots of life left in them.

But we don’t stop there, each piece is refurbished; ultra sonically cleaned, oiled and polished, with any fittings replaced with new where needed. We love bringing things back to life and these frames have all restored so beautifully, many come up like new.

The beauty of buying quality designer frames is that they should stand the test of time and they can be repaired and restored unlike their cheaper counterparts.

Add in your prescription with our glazing service and you’re good to go and if, over time, you damage your frame or lenses, you can return to us for a litte tlc with our restoration services, a closed loop circular system.

Millions of glasses are ending up in landfill when they could be reworn which is why we launched our Designer Glasses Preloved Collection making sure what you buy is as sustainable as it can be.

Join the rewear revolution.

Jo

Plant a tree for the Jubilee

Gary Barnes

Did you know for every pair of glasses or sunglasses we sell, we plant a native tree right here in the UK. This year we’re also planting trees for the Platinum Jubilee in celebration of The Queen’s 70 years of Service. The Queen’s Green Canopy is a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the country to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.

Everyone can take part in enhancing our environment by planting trees from October, when the tree planting season begins, through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022. The Queen’s Green Canopy are also dedicating a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the country and identifying 70 Ancient Trees.

There are lots of ways to get involved - you can plant a tree in your own garden and pin it to QGC map or with our charity partner Trees for Cities, one of the official QGC partners, we’ll do it for you every time you purchase a pair of glasses or sunnies from us 🌳

Gary Barnes

Mass tree planting is one of the simplest ways to help the environment and trees are vital to our wellbeing... storing carbon, cleaning the air, and helping to increase biodiversity, not to mention the benefits to our mental health by just being in their company. ⁣

Our tree planting partner charity Trees for Cities strengthen communities by creating green spaces through volunteering opportunities and have planted 1,117,899 trees and counting. ⁣

⁣⁣From urban forests to the creation of edible playgrounds, getting stuck in with local communities to cultivate lasting change in neighbourhoods across the country – whether it’s revitalising forgotten spaces, creating healthier environments or getting people excited about growing, foraging and eating healthy food. ⁣

Gary Barnes

⁣Every pair of glasses or sunnies we sell plants a native tree where it’s needed most, right here in the UK.

How will you plant yours?

Jo

How to take care of your eyes... during a pandemic

We’re working from home, constantly staring at screens and wondering when to brave an eye test. Here’s our guide to taking care of your eyes during the pandemic.

Is it safe to get an eye test?

Along with correcting your vision and updating your prescription, regular eye tests can pick up other problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure, so it’s really important your eye test is kept up-to-date.

If your eye test is due, there’s lots of procedures in place to make it as a safe as possible..

Most optician’s are operating a closed door policy, meaning that eye tests are now by appointment only – so no drop-in eye examinations, you need to book first.

Appointments will be spread out, so there’s time to clean down after each patient. There’s no waiting in store, so go alone if possible. Social distancing will be in place where possible and minimal people in store at any given time.

Everyone will be wearing PPE (including you as masks are mandetory), testing rooms will be disinfected between patients and frames will be cleaned throughout the day.

Browsing and trying the frames may not be permitted, but a selection of glasses styles might be provided on santisied tray for you to try on.

Better still, take advantage of our Home Try On service without leaving your sofa. Try up to 3 pairs and take free delivery to see if they suit. We can advise on styles and sizing and adjust frames to fit. Frames are cleaned in our Ultra Sonic Cleaner ‘Bubbles’ before/after being sent for Home Try On.

If you are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19, have been in contact with someone who has symptoms, or are considered high risk, and it’s a routine eye appointment, it’s better to wait. If it’s urgent contact your usual practise and they will help.

Personally, I would opt for an independent optician over the busier high street alternatives. They tend not to be as crowded and will have more time to spend with you.

Home working and screen time

CottonBro

Remote working is now the norm for many of us and as a result we’re all spending more time glued to our devices. Productivity might be up (yay flexible working) but it’s easier than ever to get digital overload. Too much screen time can lead to poor mental health and trouble sleeping, as well as eye strain and muscle fatigue.

So how can we stay mindful when we’re working from home?

Not getting the natural breaks you find in the office – we need to create those water cooler moments and lunch breaks. Make yourself a barista coffee, take your time over a tea ritual or phone a friend to give yourself a break.

Track your time online so you can keep control, schedule in regular mini and longer detox breaks.

Step away from your screen, get outside, walk, pull up weeds in the garden or listen to your favourite podcast. Choose a chapter of a paperback over a digital book.

Make notes, brain storm or journal with good ole fashioned pen and paper in a beautiful bound book to help take a screen break.

Switch off completely a good few hours before sleep.

Staring at our devices without blinking for long periods will cause eye strain so take regular breaks - follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

screen time and blue light

Smartphones, tablets, televisions and LED lighting all emit blue light and here’s the science.. blue wavelength light stimulates sensors in your eyes to send signals to your brain’s internal body clock.

Our eyes are not very good at blocking blue light, allowing it to pass straight through to the retina, disrupting melatonin and negatively impacting our sleep.

Blue light suppresses the brain’s release of the hormone melatonin, our sleep inducing hormone, so artificial night time light really throws out the body's biological clock, the circadian rhythm.

Poor sleep can cause so many health issues, so we need do everything we can to secure a good nights sleep and blocking out blue light in the evening can help.

Take a peep at our Blue Control screen blocking glasses lenses to filter out that blue light and promote good sleep. We can put blue light blocking lenses into any of our frames, check our range of screen glasses here. Our Blue Control lenses help to reduce the amount of blue light from your screens by filtering to help optimise sleep and reduce eye strain.

So step away from the screens, take regular breaks and no scrolling past nine.

Stay safe and stay sane peeps.

Jo

80s glasses - bring the bling

We’re more than a little in love with vintage 80s glasses and couldn’t be happier they’re having a moment. For good reason too.. 80s glasses frames paved the way for current styles and contemporary shapes.

Oversized frames were big in the 1980s with their bold style, colours and silhouettes and bolder still styles emerged throughout the decade in the form of funky shapes and materials - we dare you not to fall in love.

Electric Dreams

The perfect 80s glasses of electric dreams… jewel colours, neons, funky details and exagerated silhouettes. Not for the fainthearted, think Prince and Demi Moore in 80s cult classic St Elmo’s Fire.

Gold 80s glasses

Consumerism was at its peak in the 1980s and flaunting your bling was obligatory. Gold glasses are decadent, flattering and timeless - and like humans, they only get better with age.

80s colour pop

Found more abundantly in the oversized 80s round glasses frames, but brights, clashing patterns and bold palettes can find there way onto any 1980s glasses frame. Fun, fabulous spirit lifting design.

80s rap

In the 1980s, the golden age of hip hop, 80s rap was making its mark thanks to talent like Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash and Mary J Blige who all sported cooler than cool glasses and sunglasses at the height of their fame. Like Cazal, German made 80s iconic pieces beloved by the music industry - get famous.

80s power dresser

Power suits, power lunch, power dresser - the 80s were all about getting down to business. Channeling Melanie Griffith in Working Girl and working it office style, oversized glasses complimented oversized powersuits with obligatory shoulder pads (always a smile when I remove these from an 80s vintage shirt). The 80s were about making it big.

Glasses Chains

Whimsy chain photographed for No Reply Magazine

Not just for secretaries and rappers - chains were big in the 80s and they’re back with a vengeance. 80s chains can be chunky and oversized or delicate and detailed, but lots of gold and bling is mandetory. We love glasses chains - they’re beautiful, practical and your glasses are always where you left them. Check out our latest vintage glasses chains and make like the 80s.

Another beloved era in eyewear history - take a peep at our original 80s vintage glasses and help yourself to the best of the eighties.

Jo