Warby Parker

The O.G. social-good, designer-quality eyewear brand.

About Warby Parker

With designer-quality sunglasses and prescription pairs at amazingly affordable prices, it’s clear that when it comes to Warby Parker‘s reputation, we’re not looking through rose-tinted glasses; what you see is what you get, and that’s a hell of a lot.

Why We Love Them

Who hasn’t heard of Warby Parker? They’re one of the most prolific eyeglasses brands, and it’s not hard to see why.

Origin Story

The four founders of Warby Parker were amazed at how overpriced most prescription glasses are. While in grad school one of the founding members couldn’t afford a replacement pair, and spent an entire semester squinting at the front of the class. Determined to disrupt an industry that catered to inflated costs rather than the actual needs of its customers, Neil Blumenthal, Dave Gilboa, Andy Hunt, and Jeff Raider founded Warby Parker, providing high-quality, designer glasses at reasonable prices with a focus on giving back to the greater global community. The brand’s business model has become an inspiration to thousands, changing the face of the eyewear industry, evolving ideas regarding corporate responsibility, and demonstrating how brands can change the world for the better.

The TL;DR

  • Designer eyewear at affordable prices
  • Variety of sunglasses and prescription glasses, all extremely fashionable and functional
  • Cuts out middlemen, designs and creates glasses in-house to reduce cost for customers
  • Donates a pair of glasses for every pair sold, and delivers essential eyecare to those who need it across 50+ countries, worldwide
  • Offers online booking services for comprehensive eye exams
  • Offers a home try-on option for all frames and virtual try-on for select products
  • Ability to shop contact lenses from the Warby Parker website

The Science & The Soul

The Science

Warby Parker’s manufacturing process is incredibly transparent — which seems fitting for an eyewear brand, but sadly isn’t the norm for most of Warby Parker‘s designer-label competitors.

Warby Parker frames are crafted in-house, using a talented team of experts and artisans to develop each of its beautiful designs. Each pair of glasses is made-to-order, undergoing a meticulously-considered construction and assembly process to deliver durability, personalized comfort and fit, and timeless style.

First, carefully-sourced, top-quality cellulose acetate and lightweight titanium are hand cut using a specialized CNC machine, and assembled into frames. Then, the lenses are custom cut and made to order, finished with polishing, an anti-reflective coating, and a protective, anti-scratch layer. Every Warby Parker frame also comes with polycarbonate lenses that block harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Then, it’s off to the faces!

The Soul

It doesn’t take glasses to see that too many people around the world lack the tools and resources needed to afford and receive essential medical care. Warby Parker’s team has always firmly believed that everyone deserves access to quality eye care and eyewear. That’s why, for every pair of glasses purchased on their website, they donate a pair to a person in need.

They’ve also partnered with VisionSpring, providing eye exams and glasses to school-aged children as well as training adults to administer eye exams. So far, they’ve helped over seven million people see clearly and are saving eyesight in 50+ countries around the world.