Casey Klugman on The Importance of Handcrafted Eyewear in a Mass-Produced World
EYEWEAR
With a ‘community first’ mentality and a focus on creativity, Les Monts Eyewear stands out as a unique and meaningful brand in a world of mass-produced eyewear.
4 MINS READ TIME
Words By Igee OkafoR
Photography by CHARLES ROUSSEL
Before launching Les Monts, Casey Klugman, 31, designed eyewear collections for Ted Baker, a position, he held for five years. During his tenure, he had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry, including product designers, marketing specialists, and branding experts. The knowledge and skills he gained during that time proved invaluable and have played a crucial role in his current venture.
Les Monts is more than just a brand; it's a community-first mentality that values its customers, empowers mental health, and represents the driving force behind Klugman's approach to building the brand. For Klugman, there was never any appeal in bringing a mass-produced eyewear collection to market. Instead, he gravitates towards objects of meaning that incorporate handcrafting. The creation and process behind manufacturing a beautiful piece of eyewear have always fascinated him. Like Les Monts, handcrafted goods are beautifully imperfect, drawing warmth and charm from the story behind their creation and their connection to the individuals who crafted them. “A family-owned factory in Northern Italy produces our eyewear, one who has spent generations refining their skillset.” he continues, “They are masters of handmade eyewear, and we’re extremely privileged to collaborate with them.”
THE LOOK
Denali In Alabaster, Les Monts Eyewear
Les Monts’ ethos is that good things take time, and great things take a long time. The metaphor of climbing a mountain illustrates the process of creating a pair of Les Monts spectacles, which requires over 200 unique steps and can take nearly half a year to manufacture. This process requires time, dedication, and persistence from even the most experienced craftsmen. While anything worth doing may be complicated, the result may be spectacular.
While Les Monts Eyewear isn’t precisely revolutionizing the eyewear industry just yet, it is putting its spin on things by implementing four themes for the brand at all times: look different, see different, feel different, and act different. Its collections should be wholly recognizable and unmistakable on a table 5 feet away, with signature details creating a thread of consistency from style to style.
The brand’s eyewear collections accommodate the entire spectrum of face shapes and sizes. "We’ve designed the collection this way to accommodate the entire spectrum of face shapes and sizes," says Klugman. Such a collection benefits people who have struggled to find a frame that fits their face shape.
In addition to accommodating different face shapes and sizes, the brand uses cellulose acetate to create its plastic frames. Cellulose acetate is a type of plastic made from natural cotton fibers, which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than other plastic materials. Besides being eco-friendly, cellulose acetate is known for its functional and aesthetic benefits.
Les Monts' personality is a vital element of the brand, resonating with customers and inspiring them to feel like the brand was made for them. These individuals only care about having a few things but prefer the right ones. Their belongings tell the story of who they are and are carefully curated. Les Monts resonates with them because they produce imperfectly beautiful wearables with imperfections that tell a story and create warmth and charm.
One of the most exciting aspects of launching your brand is deciding who you want to empower and give back to. Mental health awareness has always been critical to Klugman, as it has affected the people he loves, including friends, family, and mentors. Les Monts' partnership with Mental Health America is their way of giving back to the community while keeping mental health conditions top of mind and building awareness. This partnership speaks to Les Monts' "community first" mentality, which values its customers and gives back to the masses.
