Best French Eyewear Brands - Part 2
In the first part of this series, I introduced 15 of the best French eyewear brands worth knowing for their quality, craftsmanship and design. In Part 2, we continue with another 15 French brands, from established names to independent makers and newer labels.
Pantos Paris
Pantos Paris takes its name from the classic pantos shape (a classic eyewear silhouette with a rounded, slightly oval lens shape that is softly curved at the bottom and typically a little wider at the top) and builds its collection around this particularly enduring French eyewear silhouette. The brand works with a French manufacturer in Oyonnax, where its frames go through many traditional production stages including machining and finishing. Acetate and metal versions are offered in a range of sizes and colours, but the overall approach remains relatively classic and wearable. It is a particularly good choice for anyone looking for classic French eyewear with a contemporary feel.
BAARS
BAARS is a relatively small independent French eyewear brand whose frames are handmade in France, with production centred around the traditional eyewear-making region of Oyonnax. Its designs combine classic shapes with more contemporary proportions and details, while the brand places a strong emphasis on materials and construction. It is the kind of smaller independent label that can easily be overlooked next to better-known French names, but its commitment to French manufacturing makes it particularly relevant to this list.
Jacques Durand
Jacques Durand has developed one of the most distinctive visual identities in contemporary eyewear through its sculptural designs. The frames often take familiar shapes and reduce them to their essential forms, with substantial acetate and well-balanced proportions which give them a strong architectural character. The brand is less about obvious decoration or branding and more about shape, material and the personality of the wearer.
Anne et Valentin
Anne et Valentin began in Toulouse in 1980 and has grown into one of France's best-known independent eyewear houses. The brand is recognised for its playful approach to shape, proportion and colour, often turning familiar eyewear silhouettes into something more unexpected. Much of the collection is handcrafted in France, although some specialised titanium models are produced in Japan. This combination of French design and production expertise elsewhere makes the brand a good example of how independent eyewear houses choose different manufacturing partners for different materials and techniques.
Minima
Minima is a French manufacturer particularly known for lightweight eyewear and its technical approach to frame construction. The company has developed a reputation for minimal, comfortable designs, especially in metal, while maintaining production in France. Instead of positioning itself as a fashion brand, Minima's appeal comes from its engineering, lightweight construction and continued connection to French manufacturing.
Gouverneur Audigier
Gouverneur Audigier is one of the lesser-known but historically important names in French eyewear. Founded in Morez in 1878, the company remains closely connected to the traditional craftsmanship of the Jura and continues to make frames in the region. Its expertise includes classic metal construction and handmade production, giving it a place among the French manufacturers that have helped preserve the country's eyewear heritage across generations.
Cazo Origines
Cazo Origines is one of the most interesting newer names to emerge from the Jura. Based in Poligny, the brand draws directly on the region's eyewear heritage, which dates back to the 18th century, while creating contemporary acetate, metal and combination frames. Every Cazo frame is made in France, with the brand combining traditional hand-finishing with modern production techniques. Its designs are generally classic and refined, making it a particularly strong discovery for anyone looking for French-made eyewear that feels contemporary without being overly fashionable.
Lucas de Staël
Lucas de Staël takes a more experimental approach to French eyewear, combining traditional craftsmanship with unusual materials and a strong Parisian design sensibility. The brand is particularly known for treating eyewear almost like an object of design, exploring materials, textures and construction instead of simply following established frame shapes. Its Parisian workshop and artisanal approach make it an interesting counterpoint to the established eyewear manufacturers of the Jura.
Struktur Eyewear
Struktur is a French eyewear brand based in Normandy that combines traditional craftsmanship with a more colourful and contemporary design language. Its frames are handmade in its own Normandy manufacture, using materials including cellulose acetate, titanium and metal. The brand's designs are often more expressive than traditional French eyewear, with geometric shapes and strong colours, but the underlying emphasis remains on craftsmanship and French production.
Tortuga Paris
Tortuga Paris was founded in 2018 around one of the most enduring shapes in eyewear: the pantos. The brand keeps the silhouette deliberately classic while playing with proportions, colours and both acetate and metal construction. Most importantly, its collection is manufactured exclusively in France, with production taking place in the Ain and Jura by specialist French lunetiers. Even its components are sourced within Europe, with Mazzucchelli acetate from Italy and traditionally riveted hinges from Germany. The result is an appealing combination of classic design, modern colour and genuine French production.
IMANI Paris
IMANI Paris is a young French eyewear brand that takes a contemporary approach to Parisian design while drawing on France’s established manufacturing expertise. Its acetate and metal collections are produced in the Jura, giving the relatively new brand a direct connection to the traditional centre of French eyewear production. The designs are clean and modern, with enough character to distinguish them from more generic contemporary eyewear. It is an interesting example of a new generation of French brands building on the country’s long-standing eyewear manufacturing tradition.
Saint-Tropez Eyewear
Saint-Tropez Eyewear is a young French sunglasses brand that combines the relaxed glamour of the Côte d'Azur with the manufacturing expertise of the Jura. Although the brand is inspired by Saint-Tropez, its entire collection is produced in the Jura, where the frames are handmade by French eyewear specialists. Launched in 2024, it is an interesting example of a new French brand connecting a strong sense of place and lifestyle with the country's traditional manufacturing industry.
Marmillon
Marmillon is a family manufacture established in 1980 in the Jura, and says its frames are made entirely in its own 1,200 m² French manufacture, from the initial design through to the final finishing. Most of the operations are performed by hand, combining traditional techniques with modern technology.
Retrovision Paris
Retrovision describes itself as an artisan lunetier with 100% Made in France production, its own manufacture in the Jura, hand-riveted hinges and around 40 steps involved in making a frame. Most importantly, the aesthetic is explicitly inspired by 20th-century eyewear, with an emphasis on elegant and timeless shapes.
Gaston Eyewear
Gaston Eyewear is a contemporary French brand that combines strong colours and unusual proportions with entirely French production. Designed and created in Le Mans, it is characterised by a more expressive approach to colour and shape. It is less traditional than the Jura houses but still fits well within the broader French eyewear story, particularly as an example of a newer brand using French manufacturing, not relying on overseas production.
As always, this is not meant to be a definitive ranking, but rather a starting point for discovering some of the finest names in the world of eyewear. If you have a favourite French eyewear brand that I missed, I would love to hear your suggestions.
related articles
France has a long tradition of fine eyewear, combining skilled craftsmanship, quality materials, and distinctive design. This guide introduces some of the best French eyewear brands. This is Part 2.