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© Kaleidoscope collection / Kirk and Kirk
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Behind the Scenes: Jason and Karen Kirk
Jason and Karen Kirk, CEO and Creative Director of Kirk & Kirk respectively, are based in Brighton, UK, and known around the world for their colorful handmade frames. Jason’s family has been in the eyewear business since 1919 and Kirk & Kirk’s modern-day mission is to “bring inspiration and excitement to the eyewear market”, a challenge to which they have risen with passion and authenticity for over 20 years. Today, the brand is present in 40 countries and continues to open more points of sale.
Kirk & Kirk’s frames are renowned for their use of custom-made acrylic, providing unparalleled comfort — essential for stronger prescriptions which require heavier lenses — and a range of color possibilities in sculptural frames designed by Karen. “The way the light travels through acrylic is magical,” says Jason, demonstrating the brand’s focus on design innovation: “There is so much scope in eyewear and so much potential to express yourself.” The Kirks’ award-winning range of optical and sun frames, available in a rainbow of colors to suit all faces, allows customers to express their personalities with ease.
Meet the eyewear power couple behind Kirk & Kirk.
– Interviewed by Kate Matthams –
Your family has been in eyewear for over a century. Did you always know you would continue in the industry?
No, quite the opposite. I was working in Sales and Marketing at L’Oreal and Karen was a graphic designer when we first stumbled across a box of my Grandfather’s old designs. They were unlike anything else that we had seen, we knew there was an opportunity to bring something new to the market. Thirty years later, innovation remains at the heart of Kirk & Kirk.
Describe Kirk & Kirk in three words.
Innovation. Inspiration. Excitement.
Tell me about the design process at Kirk & Kirk.
Karen Kirk is our designer, and takes her inspiration from retro glass which you can see in our frames. The process is always face-first and a combination of feature enhancement, comfort and highlighting our fabulous bespoke acrylic.
How would you describe the Kirk & Kirk customer?
Our customers are independent, creative and will not be told what to wear. They never wear ostentatious labels, but are confident in their style choices.
Why did you choose to work with your signature colourful acrylic?
We are the only company in the world to hand-make frames from acrylic. It took us three years to develop the material and a further two years to work with our French factory to make frames from this very special material. Acrylic is incredibly light and comfortable to wear.
This allows you to wear chunky frames that weigh next to nothing. Also, we create all of our own materials so we have unique colorways and combinations that are not found anywhere else.
Why did you choose to manufacture your frames in France?
With a century of frame-making history in the family, we respect the craftsmanship of artisanal frame-making. It is important for the consumer to understand what makes a hand-made frame so special, and the benefits that they are paying for!
France has a long history of making eyewear and skilled craftspeople that understand the beauty of a pinned joint or hand-polished frames. That level of manufacture is increasingly difficult to find.
© Kaleidoscope Collection/Kirk and Kirk
Which Kirk & Kirk design are you most proud of?
We recently won a Silmo D’Or for Thor in Citrus from the Centiles collection. It is a great honour to be recognised by our profession for a frame which epitomises our design ethic.
© Centiles Collection / Kirk and Kirk
© Modèle Electra Citrus / Kirk and Kirk