Eyewear is
the life of
its wearer.
Eyewear made for more than seeing—made to say who you are.
Eyewear is the life of its wearer.
And the pair you choose in this moment is a reflection of you.
At GROOVER, we believe that choice is part of your identity—an expression of who you are.
In photographs. In the mirror. In someone else’s memory.
Eyewear is present in every one of those moments.
That is why GROOVER strives to be eyewear you can be proud to wear—both for yourself and in the eyes of others.
A journey that began with “SEDONA”
The GROOVER journey began in 2006 with our first product: SEDONA.
Designer Masataka Nakajima was born into a family that ran an eyewear store. In 1999, he began helping with the family business and became involved in buying frames. At first, he was simply trying to learn about eyewear from Japan and abroad. But gradually, a question began to take hold: “Are these glasses truly cool?”
He grew tired of designs that merely traced what was selling, and of a culture that celebrated designers as “brands.” From behind the counter, he saw that eyewear designed from the perspective of an optician was almost nowhere to be found. It was an unease he could recognise precisely because he met customers every day.
That was the beginning of GROOVER. He decided to create eyewear he could wear every day of the year with complete ease. GROOVER’s essence lies in balancing daring design with the structure and fit that true eyewear demands. In the beginning, however, building a production system capable of delivering the quality he envisioned was a constant challenge.
In 2011, a lineage of Tokyo eyewear making
quietly came to an end.
When people think of Japanese eyewear production, many think of Sabae in Fukui Prefecture. Yet more than a century ago, it was craftspeople from Tokyo and Osaka who brought eyewear-making techniques to Sabae.
Tokyo eyewear making has roots that reach back to the late Edo period. Though it produced industrial goods at scale, it was renowned for methods requiring exceptional time, care, and precision.
From the 1980s onward, Tokyo’s eyewear factories disappeared one by one. In 2011, the final factory, Shikishima Megane, closed its doors. A lineage of Tokyo eyewear making quietly came to an end.
Master craftspeople,
gathered again in Yokohama
A few years had passed since GROOVER unveiled its collection, yet bringing its creative vision to life remained difficult. In 2015, we brought together exceptional craftspeople in Yokohama, led by Shuichi Watanabe, the former factory manager of Shikishima Megane.
A master craftsperson with more than 50 years in eyewear making, together with artisans carrying his skill forward: with them, we built our own factory, GYARD. A place where this knowledge could live on. For an independent eyewear retailer, establishing such a fully fledged production facility was unprecedented in the Kanto region. GYARD became the region’s sole factory preserving the tradition of Tokyo eyewear making.
A light has returned to Tokyo eyewear making.
Tokyo methods, crafted anew in Yokohama.
Complex, dimensional handwork
that machines cannot express
GYARD eyewear has a distinct character. Its soft, complex, multifaceted hand-cutting cannot be replicated by machines. We devote more time to polishing than conventional eyewear makers, while acetate is allowed to rest slowly to prevent distortion.
In particular, we spend around 2.5 times longer on the polishing process than is typical, selecting compounds and buffing wheels according to each design, material, and colour. This effort creates a deep lustre that mass production can never achieve. The frames’ ability to retain their radiance even after scratches is no accident.
The time devoted to polishing compared with conventional eyewear making
Unbound by trends,
we step into the unknown.
That is our
only rule.
GROOVER has no seasonal theme and no predetermined creative concept. There is only a commitment to give form, without hesitation, to the feelings that arise in each moment.
We continue to make the eyewear we want to wear and the eyewear we want to express. At times, it may not be a design embraced by everyone. Yet we believe that the willingness to design with conviction is what makes GROOVER what it is.
Eyewear is the life
of its wearer.
We hope to be there,
alongside that life.
Years from now, when you look back on who you are today, no one can know what face you will see. But we can promise one thing: every frame is made with honesty and care, one by one, carrying the unmistakable spirit of the human hands that shaped it.
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