“ GUILD Eyewear was formed out of a need for Rod to find glasses that properly fit ,” says the company ' s creative director Savi Pannu . Fitzsim mons-Frey , having little knowledge or interest in the style side of the eyewear business , asked Pannu , an old friend , to join his fledgling company and help create its YYZ collection .
“ And voila , GUILD was born ,” Pannu says .
The small company moved in 2014 to a small studio in the Dupont and Dovercourt area in Toronto ' s west end . It has remained there since . Three people – Fitzsimmons-Frey , Pannu and production director Sarah Anne Friend – now work at GUILD .
“ Collectively , we have a background in art , design and making , so playing around in the studio or with the software is second-nature to everyone at GUILD . You could say that this quality is kind of a requirement to be a GUILD team member ,” Pannu says .
The company also collaborates with Toronto-based guest designers to create eyeglasses for its YYZ Collection , which has both classic and contemporary lines – everything from the bold-coloured , horn-rimmed Walshies and the 1980s chic-inspired Blaetter frames to the elegant Dandy and sophisticated Baum specs .
Pannu said the designers draw inspiration from many things , including fashion trends , pop culture and wearable technology .
GUILD also designs and manufactures handcrafted sunglasses and offers a bespoke – made to order – eyewear service for people that are looking for frames or shades that are even more personalized .
Everything at GUILD is done in-house and under one roof . And , according to Pannu , each piece is made by hand and “ with love .”
The frames and temples are milled in the studio from pre-cut pieces of Mazzucchelli cellulose acetate , which is made from cotton and wood fibres . Artisans then scrape , buff and sand the frames , before they are placed in tumblers for at least five days . After the frames are polished , they are heat-stamped with the GUILD logo and then assembled , handriveted and given a final heat adjustment before being shipped out to the consumer .
“ Our customers range from people who are interested in one-of-a-kind , locally-made and handmade products , the design-obsessed , those who are looking to recreate designs that may be out of production or those looking for a customdesigned look ,” says Pannu .
“ Many of our customers are also people who find it difficult to purchase off-the-rack frames that fit them – they may have slight asymmetry or require larger or smaller sizes . We really operate on a ' love all , serve all ' model .”
Pannu says one of the company ' s promises is that if someone does not fall in love with their custom-made frames , GUILD will work with them until they are completely satisfied .
“ That generally means remaking components to fit properly or altering a design to meet their aesthetic expectations ,” she says .
“ Because our manufacturing process allows maximum flexibility , it ’ s relatively easy to make these tweaks on the fly . Purchasing a pair of GUILD frames or sunglasses can often be a highlycollaborative process and we like it that way .”
Frames from GUILD ' s YYZ collection as well as the company ' s sunglasses retail for $ 250 apiece .
GUILD eyewear can be purchased online at www . guildeyewear . com and at several shops in the Greater Toronto Area , including The Drake General Store on Queen Street West , BRIKA , Likely General , MADE , Raw Space , LEN , Spadina Optometry and St . Clair Eye Clinic .
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