Cutler and Gross is a British

luxury Luxury may refer to: * Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...

eyewear brand, founded by Graham Cutler and Tony Gross in 1969. It is based in the

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

area of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

History

The brand was started in London in 1969 by partners Graham Cutler and Tony Gross, who first met at

Northampton College Northampton College is a further education college in Northampton, England, which opened in 1973, following building work which started in 1970. The college's main campus is at Booth Lane which provides almost all courses offered, and later expa ...

while studying optometry in the early 1960s. They opened their first optician's office in

in 1971, stocking handmade bespoke frames, and soon won recognition for pioneering the concept of fashionable eyewear. Their collection developed from producing only sunglasses, to currently incorporating optical designs for prescription lenses. Marie Wilkinson, who has worked at Cutler and Gross since 1982, is now the head of design. Famous fans of the brand have included Madonna, Rihanna,

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, Kate Moss and

Manolo Blahnik Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez (; born 27 November 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the eponymous high-end shoe brand. Biography Blahnik was born in Santa Cruz de la Palma, in the Canary Islands (Spain), to a Czech father ...

Boutiques

As well as their flagship boutique in London's

district, Cutler and Gross has a 'vintage' shop in Knightsbridge, which was named amongst "The 100 Best Shops in London" by ''

Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

.'' They also have a store in Spitalfields, East London. Outside of the capital, the brand has only one other shop in the city of Bath, England. Internationally, Cutler and Gross have bespoke boutiques in the SoHo district of New York City,

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

, and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

The Cutler and Gross Museum

In August 2011, Cutler and Gross launched their museum spanning the top floor of their Knightsbridge store. The floor has a permanent display of more than four thousand frames that date back to 1969. In addition, the top floor hosts the bespoke service mirrored room, where the clients can create their own glasses or choose a bespoke service and have a pair designed for them.

Fashion

Cutler and Gross eyewear is designed at the Cutler and Gross headquarters in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

, London, and is handmade in a factory in Domegge di Cadore, Italy. The company's eyewear has been worn on catwalks and in magazines, including ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', '' Glamour'', ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'', '' Grazia'', '' Marie Claire'', '' Dazed & Confused'', '' GQ'', '' Vanity Fair'', '' Esquire'', ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', and ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

''.

Film and television

The firm has exploited product placement loans to secure brand awareness in films and television, notably actor

Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...

's portrayal of

Harry Palmer Harry Palmer is the anti-hero protagonist of a number of films based on the unnamed main character, a secret agent, in the spy novels written by Len Deighton. Michael Caine played Harry Palmer in three of the four films based on the four pub ...

in the 2022 Ipcress File remake for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

in Knives Out 2, Colin Firth &

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

in Kingsman: The Secret Service,

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

and Michael Fassbender in The Counsellor.

Projects

In 2008 Cutler and Gross showed their new and past collections at

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridg ...

London. In 2009, Cutler and Gross was presented with the award for Best Accessory, by HRH Princess Royal at the UK Fashion Export Awards. In 2010, Cutler and Gross eyewear was on the front cover of Graham Pullin's book ''Design Meets Disability''. The book was dedicated to Graham Cutler and Tony Gross. 2011 marked the launch of their bi-annual magazine.

On the catwalk

Cutler and Gross eyewear has been an accessory in catwalk collections for many designers over the past few decades. Some recent collaborations include: *2009: Cutler and Gross eyewear features on the catwalks of Erdem,

Giles Deacon Giles Deacon (born 1969) is a British fashion designer, Creative Director and Founder of Giles Deacon group, a fashion enterprise. Deacon joined the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Deacon has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of womenswe ...

, Jasmine de Milo, Twenty8Twelve,

Jenny Packham Jenny Packham is a British fashion designer. She mostly makes ready-to-wear clothes and wedding dresses. She is the sister of naturalist and television presenter Chris Packham. Career Packham studied at Southampton College of Art, and the ...

, Richard Nichol and

Osman Yousefzada Osman Yousefzada ( ur, عثمان یوسفزاده) is a British interdisciplinary artist, writer and social activist. He launched his eponymous label Osman in 2008, and expanded his practice into a visual art space since 2013, with a 'zine' cal ...

. *2010 A/W Fashion Weeks: Their eyewear featured on the catwalks of

Daks Daks or ''variation'', may refer to: Events * Daks Day, or Groundhog Day * Daks Tournament, a golf tournament in England, UK Companies, business, organizations * DAKS, a British fashion house * DAKS Simpson, a department store in Piccadilly, W ...

and b Store. *2011 S/S Fashion Weeks: At Paris Fashion Week, they feature the catwalks of

Emanuel Ungaro Emanuel Ungaro (13 February 1933 – 21 December 2019) was a French fashion designer who founded the eponymous fashion house in 1965. Early life Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of the ...

Cacharel Jean Cacharel SA () is a French company of ready-to-wear clothing, perfume and accessories, founded in 1958 by Jean Bousquet. Cacharel designs are characterized by their youthful style, femininity, lightness, refinement, and use of bright colours ...

and Maison Martin Margiela. In

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

, Cutler and Gross feature in the catwalk shows of

Holly Fulton Holly Fulton (born 1977) is a London-based fashion designer who set up her eponymous fashion label in 2009. Known for bold graphic and 3D motifs, innovative use of textiles and distinctive accessories, she has been described as the "queen of print ...

Richard Nicoll Richard Philip Nicoll (15 September 197721 October 2016) was an English fashion designer, best known for his work on modernist classics with the coined term "night-to-day" versatility. Nicoll was awarded three Association Nationale pour le Dé ...

and Twenty8Twelve. Additionally, in New York Fashion Week, Cutler and Gross made an appearance on the catwalk of Tim Hamilton. *2011 A/W Fashion Weeks: In London Fashion Week, Cutler and Gross featured on the catwalks of

and Meadham Kirchhoff. During

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

, Cutler and Gross appeared on the catwalk show of Timo Weiland.

Collaborations

Cutler and Gross has collaborated with a range of fashion labels to create limited edition frames over the years. Recent collaborations include: * Erdem: In 2009 Cutler and Gross collaborated with Canadian designer Erdem (2005 Fashion Fringe winner) to create a collection of sunglasses for the Spring/Summer 2010 collection. The collection was inspired by an image of a Japanese fisherwoman dressed in brightly printed shorts charging out from the waves across black sand. The glasses are a juxtaposition of vibrant colour pops with darker backgrounds on a 1960s style round frame. The sunglasses were created in black, black lace, tortoise, neutral stone and Erdem's customised Kyoto print. * Maison Martin Margiela: In 2010 Cutler and Gross teamed up with avant-garde French fashion label Maison Martin Margiela. The collection of sunglasses featured two lines, 'Wrong Size' and 'Anatomic', both appearing in acetate and metal varieties. The 'Wrong Size' line consists of classic Cutler and Gross aviator-style frames which are deconstructed then reconstructed with ill-fitting lenses creating a unique range of sunglasses. The 'Anatomic' line consisted of large futuristic, wraparounds sunglasses that are designed wrap around the wearer in a custom fit. *

: In 2010 Cutler and Gross collaborated with Giles Deacon to create a range of retro inspired 'Cats Eye' sunglasses. Mirrored lenses added a modern twist to the retro style. * Comme Des Garcons: 2009 saw the second collaboration of Cutler and Gross with Comme Des Garcons. The 'Future of Black' limited edition collection consisted of three designs, all fitted with extra dark grey tinted lenses to create a totally black look. The glasses came inside a unique glasses case covered in Comme des Garcons's own fabric. * Mulberry: In 2008, Cutler and Gross collaborated with British accessories giant Mulberry. The collection showcased a small history from the archives of Cutler and Gross, dating back from the bold block colours of the early 1980s to rock & roll style of the 1990s. *Thomas Tait. *

Alberta Ferretti Alberta Ferretti (; ) is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. She designs for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her showroom is in Milan, Italy but her studio is in her na ...

. * Martyn Bal. *

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

: Cutler and Gross works with the celebrity designer to create an eyewear line under her own moniker. *'' Kingsman: The Secret Service''.

References

External links

Cutler and Gross official web site
{{Authority control Eyewear brands of the United Kingdom British brands High fashion brands English fashion designers Manufacturing companies established in 1969 1969 establishments in England 1970s fashion 1980s fashion 1990s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Eyewear companies of the United Kingdom