In 1926, Philip Oliver Goldsmith started
a revolution in glasses wearing. At a time when cumbersome frames had
been made from expensive metals and tortoiseshell, Goldsmith started
fashioning frames from brightly coloured acetates.
"I can trace back every design out there to something we did 20 or 30
years ago and you realise that we've become iconic design inspiration"
- Claire Goldsmith
10 years later, Charles Goldsmith
continued the tradition for innovation with the concept of sunglasses
as a fully-fledged fashion staple. The first range, stocked in Fortnum
& Mason and Simpsons of Piccadilly, sold out within a week and the
glasses graced the pages of Vogue and Queen.
80 years on, Philip Oliver Goldsmith's
great granddaughter, Claire Goldsmith, is about to open a new showroom
in Notting Hill. Having closed their doors in the 1980's, Claire feels
it is time for the quality and bespoke services that Oliver Goldsmith
represents to make a return. She recalled the original craftsmen, now
in their 70's, out of retirement to harness original techniques and
raided forgotten warehouses of abandoned acetate to create new
collections from vintage stock.
Goldsmith's Client list included:
Audrey Hepburn
Grace Kelly
Peter Sellers
Princess Diana
Sophia Loren
Michael Caine