New York-founded luxury eyewear brand known for its avant-garde designs and cultural ties to 90s fashion.
ORIGIN
USA
PRICE TIER
luxury
Launched in 1983 by German-born Christian Roth and French-born Eric Domège, the eponymous eyewear brand emerged from the creative energy of downtown New York City. The duo identified a gap in the market for avant-garde, fashion-forward eyewear, moving it from a medical necessity to a core style accessory. The brand quickly became known for its subversive and architectural frames, earning Christian Roth the distinction of being the first eyewear designer inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1990. The label's cultural significance was cemented in the 1990s when its bold, oversized frames were famously worn by Kurt Cobain, making them an emblem of the grunge era and a coveted piece of fashion history.