The short answer to this question is yes. But a better answer is to consider value through design work and scarcity rather than quality, and whether you actually want to wear slightly fancier sunglasses.
Let’s start with quality. The quality of your glasses depends on several things: the acetate, the hinges, how the hinges are attached, the smooth finish, and the lenses.
Most people use the same acetate supplier (Mazzuccheli, Takiron), the same hinges (OBE), and place the pins across the entire arm (to allow repair and replacement). Some, like the hinges, are easy details to pay attention to. Finishes and in-store fittings are more subtle.
But cheap sunglasses often just feel cheap. Most use the less expensive acetate, which appears weak and brittle. Glasses from high-end brands can feel like they’re waiting to be split in half.
This is one of the slightly misleading things about Jacques Marie Mage (JMM) glasses. It has a noticeably thick frame, so people comment on how sturdy and well-built it is. But it’s just closer to acetate.
Nevertheless, JMM checks all these quality points and adds niche points such as the development of its own hinges. These glasses are very well made, unlike the designer brands you can buy at your local optical store. Most of the glasses are famously made by one company called Luxottica.
But the JMM glasses I’ve been wearing for the past few months (Zephirin in Tokyo, pictured above) cost £830. What can justify that price?
Well, in part, there are a few things you don’t want to pay for. When we visited the JMM store in Hollywood in the spring, most of the store was taken up by giant old metal horses that outweighed half of the similarly old metal cars. There were velvet ropes and a waiting room.
The glasses themselves also come with a lot of packaging. They’re all beautiful and more stylish than words can say, but they’re the kind of thing you keep on your shelf for a while because you feel like you got what you paid for.
However, part of the price accounts for several factors that elevate JMM glasses and make them truly special.
Typically, the way to make money with sunglasses is to create one or two popular styles and mass produce them for several years. The worst thing you can do is create a variety of different designs, many of which are limited editions.
This is the JMM business model. And while you might say this is just another money-making strategy – because it creates the hype that everyone wants a limited pair and will overpay for them – it is certainly a more difficult way to do it. Glasses should be really desirable.
The frame itself contains many details that are complex, unusual and time-consuming to make. Perhaps unnecessarily.
For example, my arms are made from two layers of acetate (tortoiseshell and clear), which gives the arms a subtly brighter, more translucent color than the front. They can also have a clear cross section that wraps around the ears but makes the arms appear straight.
There are several of these details, all small and perhaps unnecessary. But you can’t claim that they don’t put their work into their products.
Design-wise, the frames are also consistently interesting. I spoke with a few friends and vintage eyewear collectors, and while they all had reservations about the brand, they all praised the sophistication of the designs.
One of them said: “Creating so many designs related to classic pieces is not easy, but every design has its own unique personality.”
The problem with the design is that I think it’s too bold and doesn’t suit a lot of people. The frames are often thick and oversized, sometimes with eye-catching details on the arms.
When I visited the London store (which I must say has better and more knowledgeable staff than the LA one) there were only two frames that really worked for me and this Zephirin was by far the best.
Whether you love a brand or not, this is probably the biggest stumbling block for most readers, given their natural tendency to prefer an understated style.
Dramatic design poses another problem. This is the type of person who wears JMM.
Basile Khadiry, who runs the Beige store in Paris, was an early representative of JMM.. But he stopped carrying them around after a while, saying in a recent interview with us, “They were well made, and they became something flashy, something that someone would wear.”
Glasses are a bit flashy, so they attract people who dress that way. And we also find people who collect glasses and watches, who want new glasses every season and want to use them as a status symbol*.
Maybe you can see how snobbish I am. But honestly, this is my biggest problem with JMM. It’s not about the price or the store, it’s about my relationship with people who consume fashion in a much more ostentatious and hype-driven way than I do.
Since wearing a pair of Zephirin from Permanent Style, many people have asked me what I think of them. Is this product good?
The answer is yes. They’re good, and considering everything that actually goes into them, they’re not a bad value. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for you. It might be interesting to look at.
I really like my sunglasses, but there was no other model that fit me and they weren’t the first pair of sunglasses I bought. I will always buy the more classic shoes first, and I will always wear them more.
My JMMs are a great way to add a little interest to your outfit when you need it. That means you can make it a little more fancy. that stupid scalemaybe. It’s the same way you would add a pattern or pop of color to a very plain outfit.
I also wouldn’t rule out buying another pair if there’s another design that really suits me. Because I truly enjoy and cherish it. But I know that will never be my default. It’s just not my style.
*There is an interesting side topic about why sunglasses have become such a collectible item. Maybe it’s because the watches are a bit over-the-top, or maybe it’s because today’s outfits are fairly plain and toned.
